Leftover Texas brisket chilli
After negotiating the wildness of the Sheikh Zayed Road, heaving home over seven and a half kilos of beef, then cooking it over flame and wood, I felt like a brave hunter-gathering, early homosapian. Ok, I drove in a Pajero and used a gas barbecue with wood chippings, but give a girl her warrior fantasy moment.
The problem with spare barbecued meat is, unlike when cooked in the oven, the smoky flavour can be less appealing in classic leftover dishes like rissoles or Shepherd’s pie. This chilli worked so well that KP declared that it was better than a) the brisket off the barbecue and b) my normal chilli. I am going to take this as a huge compliment as both a) and b) were delish (and you know I’m loathe to blow my own trumpet).
Forgive the vagueness of this recipe as I whipped it together without measuring. I would have made notes if it wasn’t thrown together in haste as KP, Houseguest and I were very hungry.
Leftover Texas Brisket Chilli
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder (depending on the heat)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Leftover barbecued beef brisket cut into cubes – about 750g I think (use what you have)
- Ripe tomatoes (about 800g, a power blender full, whizzed smooth – or use tinned toms)
- 1/2 stick of cinnamon
- 2 tins of kidney beans, drained
- sea salt and black pepper
- Fresh coriander and sour cream to serve
Method
- Heat a glug of olive oil in a pan (I used a Le Creuset cast iron casserole), saute the onions until soft, golden and just starting to go brown round the edges, add the garlic for the last couple of minutes.
- Add the chilli powder and cumin to the pan and cook briefly, for about a minute, stirring so they don’t catch. Stir in the cubes of brisket so they are coated with the spicy onion mixture.
- Pour in the tomato puree, stir to combine, adding the cinnamon stick. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
- Add the kidney beans and cook over a low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes. The beans should be warmed through but retain their shape. Season to taste. Serve with fresh coriander, sour cream and rice.
Do you have any favourite tips for using leftover meat from the barbecue?
How to cook Texas-style brisket on a gas barbecue
It’s mid-week, you are working all day, you’ve got a group of friends coming round for a barbecue in the evening. What do you cook? Something tried and tested? Some pre-prepared kebabs from the supermarket?
Or do you browse through your cookbooks and find a recipe that not only needs a smoker (which you don’t have) but also says this:
Brisket is the Mt. Everest of barbecue. Not only is it huge, but it also poses challenges all along the way. If your first couple of attempts don’t work out exactly as you had hoped, persevere. The rewards of mastering your own barbecued brisket are unspeakably good. Among a cadre of outdoor cooks you will have earned long-standing respect and admiration.*
There are acres of pages on the internet dedicated to achieving the holy grail of brisket – the Texas barbecue. People (mainly men I suspect) worship at the altar of a smoky, soft, melting, gargantuan slab of meat surrounded with myths, ritual, complexity and a ton of kit.
I just had my barbecue. Actually we have three – no prizes for guessing which family member acquired these – but I chose to use the gas barbecue so I could regulate the temperature accurately without too much attention.
Aye, there’s the rub. And the question of to rub or not to rub. Using this as a vague guide I found a pot of ‘rub o soul’ a friend had made (get it?). The colour was brick-red so I guessed it would contain chilli and some other smoky ingredients. Copious amounts were applied to a 41/2 kilo brisket, mixed with brown sugar and salt, then into the fridge overnight. In the morning I set the barbecue for indirect cooking and put clusters of wood chippings (Jack Daniels infused) both wet and dry in cylinders of foil with the ends open. The brisket went in a foil tray on top of an upside down roasting tray, 4 hours wrapped, then cooked for a further 1 1/2 hours. Now here was the high risk bit. Apart from sticking in the thermometer I wouldn’t be unwrapping this until I served it in the evening. Which would be triumph or disaster!
It was a true triumph and super easy as this beast is so well-tempered. KP requested it again when a bunch of golf mates were coming round and there would be fifteen of us round the table. I made my own version of Tony’s rub. Prime Gourmet, a good butcher in Dubai, sold me a monster brisket of well over 7 kilos; a day and a half of cooking later I was asked for the recipe several times as friends tucked into tender, slightly smoky, spiced, meltingly soft slices of beef.
Texas-style barbecued brisket
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- 80ml (1/3 cup) soft brown sugar
- 80ml (1/3 cup) coarse sea salt
- 4oml paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground chipotle
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder (or more if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon crushed chillies
- Generous amount black pepper (about 25 twists of the grinder)
- 3 tablespoons smooth yellow mustard (I used American style)
- 4 1/2 – 71/2 kilos brisket trimmed of all but a cap of 2-3 cm of fat
You will also need: a very large disposable aluminium tray, a rimmed baking tray or similar that you can place on the barbecue upside down, a meat thermometer, wood chips, a smoker box (optional), a meat thermometer (digital preferred), lots of foil.
Method
- To make the rub: lightly toast the fenugreek in a dry, non-stick pan, then add the black mustard seeds and remove from the heat when they start to pop. Mix with the sugar, salt and remaining dry spices.
- The night before you are going to cook the brisket, rub the surface of the meat with mustard then sprinkle with the rub. Press into the surface all over. Rewrap and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove the meat from the fridge about 45 minutes before you start to cook to bring to room temperature. Soak about five large handfuls of wood chips, reserving some dry ones. Check that your barbecue drip tray is clear (a lot of fat renders), put the baking tray upside down on the grill bars and light the barbecue for indirect cooking (with my Weber it is by lighting the outer burner only). Put two large handfuls of the soaked wood chips plus a few dry ones in the smoker box or into a piece of foil scrunched up with an opening at the top. Place this at the edge of the grill and close the lid. Bring the temperature of the barbecue to 107-121C (225-250F).
- Unwrap the brisket and put into the disposable foil tray. Place this on the upturned baking tray on the barbecue grill and close the lid. Top up the chips every hour if necessary (depending on how smoky you like your meat). Keep at a constant 107-121C (225-250F). Check the internal temperature of the meat – it needs to reach 71C (160F) – this will take at least 4 hours.
- Once the thickest part of the brisket reads 71C (160F) on the meat thermometer, take the meat off the grill in its foil tray. Remove the smoker box or wood chips. Close the lid of the barbecue to retain the heat.
- Put a big piece of double layer foil on the counter, take the brisket out of the foil tray and place the meat in the middle of the foil sheet. Baste with some of the juices from the tray and then seal the parcel well. Put back onto the barbecue (on top of the baking tray). Keep the barbecue at a constant 107-121C (225-250F). Check the internal temperature of the meat by inserting the probe through the foil (do not unwrap) – it needs to reach 88-90C (190-195F) at its thickest point – this will take at least 2 hours.
- Remove from the barbecue and leave to rest for at least 1 hour. It will rest without problem for several hours – just put in a very low oven (50C). When ready to serve carefully unwrap the meat reserving the juices.
- Carve across the grain into thin slices, basting with the reserved juices if you like. NB. My pictures are not of the whole cooked brisket and taken the day after. I went light on the smoke hence no pink line at the edge of the meat.
*From Weber’s Way to Grill
This beef, from Australia, was butchered before shipping and comes in a sealed bag. Here’s what 7 1/2 kilos looks like packed, mustard-coated and then rubbed.
We served this with sweet potatoes with orange and angostura bitters; tomato, onion and roasted lemon salad – both from Ottolenghi’s Plenty More, a green salad, baby new potatoes and a sourdough bagette. A big piece of meat is my preferred way of feeding a crowd especially for a barbecue. Jeanne from Cook Sister agree with a whole leg of lamb and Franglais Kitchen makes hickory-smoked slow roasted pulled lamb. Both sound delicious.
Have you tried cooking a Texas brisket? Do you do anything differently?
What makes a good vegan cookbook?
Veggie teen has decided to do one month on, one month off, being vegan. I’m supporting her decision, in fact veganism is something I have thought about myself as the choices for ethically raised meat and dairy become more scarce (see below*).
I found the first month quite tough in catering terms despite veggie teen pointing out that a lot of the things I cook for her on a regular basis are vegan. I want to make sure that she’s eating a varied, complete diet and make things that she’ll love, not just like, to eat.
So I’ve welcomed two new vegan cookbooks into my kitchen with optimism – one I bought from Kinokunya and one was sent to me to review. How did they deliver?
The Fresh Vegan Kitchen – David and Charlotte Bailey
The by-line for this book is ‘Delicious recipes for the vegan and raw kitchen’. The authors sell vegan street food and the recipes are high on spice and influences from the Far East. Instead of ‘veganising’ recipes, with the odd exception such as beer battered tofu and chips, David and Charlotte have drawn from vegan recipes from other lands, or adapted nearly vegan dishes to suit.
Everything looks light, vivid and healthy. The pictures are attractive, down to earth and quite understated; when you make a dish there is a good chance it will look like their version. It’s an attractive book with clear type and a square format which means it’s easy to hold and flick through.
As stated in the by-line, many recipes in the book are raw. Raw Phad Thai made of ribbons of vegetables and tropical fruit is high up my list of things to try (especially now I have a spiral slicer thing). The raw borsht (called barszcz if you are Polish descent like me) also sounds delicious; a blend of beetroot, celery, onion, lemon, carrot, cabbage and ginger.
On my list of ‘cooked’ recipes to try are korma, a stack of crispy vegetables in a fragrant coconut sauce; herb-laden arancini (Italian rice balls) in an interesting fresh tomato sauce; smoky Mexican cowboy beans (where you smoke the onion with woodchips); and pearl barley risotto with pumpkin and sage.
Other chapters in the book are useful. Pickles, spreads and treats includes instruction on how to make raw nut cheese, raw cashew cream, Mexican pate, walnut pate, kimchi and kale chips. I tried their recipe for sauerkraut but sadly failed as the plastic bag filled with water to weigh down the cabbage (as instructed by the book) leaked. As well as chapters for breakfasts, drinks and smoothies and salads, the ‘basics’ includes a wide variety of their homemade curry pastes, stocks, salad dressings, dipping sauces, how to sprout beans and grains, and how to make seitan (a wheat gluten, meat substitute). The instructions are quite sparse – I don’t think this is a book for a beginner cook.
Sweet potato, quinoa and lime corn tortilla with refried beans. I will make the beans from scratch next time
Another big thing to note is that a lot of the recipes in this book are gluten-free. This isn’t an issue in our household and while this will appeal to many. It’s way different to any other cookbook I have and while I like the balanced tone of the authors in the introduction, quite sensible, practical and non-faddish, to cook solely from this book would be quite a leap for us (especially KP).
Veggie teen’s verdict when looking through to bookmark recipes that appealed was: “I like the breakfast solutions, and they don’t try to imitate meat. Too much Asian stuff for my liking.”
Sadly she’s not keen on Far Eastern flavours – bit of a drawback with this book on this basis! Her top ‘to eat’ recipes were scrambled tofu; sweet potato quinoa and lime corn tortillas and refried beans, choc chilli mole with black beans; borage and blueberry snow cones; churros and silken tofu choc mousse.
I found the book could do with a glossary of ingredients as I had to turn to Google several times including to search for tamari (similar to soy sauce but made without wheat). My ideal would be to cook vegan using the items in my cupboard without the need to buy a lot of new ingredients. The recipes in this book do use a few unusual vegan-centric things such as nutritional yeast, vegan mayonnaise, almond milk, flaxseeds, raw cacao powder, egg-replacer powder and agave syrup. There are also things that I find hard to locate in Dubai such as smoked tofu, tempeh, dried soya and fermented black beans. On the whole, they focus on fresh, wholesome produce and really good spice mixes. I’m staggered therefore that they include puffed rice like rice crispies in one recipe (notoriously bad processed food due to its manufacturing method).
I know a lot of people who will absolutely love this book (The Cinnamon Fiend I’m thinking of you!). It’s probably too far down the raw and gluten-free path to make it my sole source of vegan recipes, but it’s fresh and accessible in many ways and definitely a keeper for ideas. Visit Wholefood Heaven to read more.
But I Could Never Go Vegan! – Kirsty Turner
This book sings the deliciousness of the recipes from its pages. The photography of the dishes is fresh, vibrant and seductive. It seeks to convince you that you won’t miss your everyday meat-based meals. It draws on many American staples from Southern Biscuits with sausage and gravy to Cheeseburger Pie. “You CAN live without cheese” it claims on the cover.
This vegan lark seemed like it was going to be a doddle. Once I started to cook from the book, however, it was as though I needed a whole different way of shopping. Dried onion and garlic powder, kelp granules, vegan cream cheese, liquid smoke, vegan sugar, jackfruit, liquid aminos and spirulina. I made the mac n cheese (without the tempeh bacon and pecan parmesan). It looked and tasted exactly like mac n cheese i.e. the stuff that comes out of a blue box (don’t ask me how I know what this tastes like….taste being the operative word here). Veggie teen thought this was pretty good, elder teen ate it but without enthusiasm, I found it pretty revolting. I don’t think I CAN live without cheese!
Making Mac n Cheese (without the tempeh bacon etc.) – couldn’t find vegan butter and used Marmite instead of white miso
Surprisingly for someone who hasn’t eaten meat for more than half of her life, veggie teen listed tempeh bacon mac and cheese and BBQ bacon burgers in her top five ‘to make from the book’ list. Chickpea omelets, falafel tacos and broccoli and quinoa tabouleh with tahini-herb dressing were others.
Her verdict: “They give a good recipe for everything you’ll miss as a vegan and everything is hearty. Too many alternative ingredients though.”
Elder teen was drawn to more in the first book than the second, and as a budget conscious student felt that the lists of obscure ingredients were way out of her reach. “Making vegan cheese looks interesting but I probably couldn’t get agar flakes at Tesco.” She felt that vegan recipes should be about cooking and celebrating vegetables so much you don’t miss meat and dairy (like the hot aubergine salad in The Fresh Vegan Kitchen).
So what makes a good vegan cookbook?
In the words of elder teen your reaction shouldn’t be ‘it’s vegan and it looks nice” rather “it looks delicious and oh it’s vegan.”
I’ll report back when I’ve cooked more extensively from these two books. The new V is for Vegan cookbook by Kerstin Rodgers (aka Ms Marmite Lover) is on my wish list too.
*Big agriculture and corporations have taken over our food supply and factory farming provides meat and dairy at a price which I am not willing to pay, the hugely detrimental cost to the animal and our environment. Milk in my tea and cheese would be more difficult to give up than meat for me. Right now I’m dealing with carnivorous eating by making the best choices I can, putting only free-range eggs and meat in my shopping basket, and eating much less red meat and very little chicken.*
Thanks to Pavilion who published and sent me a review copy of The Fresh Vegan Kitchen. All views my own.
What makes a good vegan cookbook in your opinion? Could you go vegan (if you are not already)?
Visiting Dubai? Top tips on what to do before you travel
Planning a trip to Dubai? We’ve welcomed scores of visitors to stay since we moved to the U.A.E. in 2000 and here’s the checklist I send them. Some knowledge we’ve gained through living here could be so handy for new travelers to Dubai. Whether your trip is for business or pleasure, here’s my guide to making your visit stress-free and enjoyable with these insider tips of things to do BEFORE you leave home.
Beat the immigration queues
Improvements are being made, but visitors to Dubai can face a long wait before passport control. For a small fee you can be whisked through and have a personal escort. There are three levels of service – if you book bronze make sure you look for your name on the screen and make yourself known. With silver and gold a meet and greet person will seek you out with your name on a board. Well worth doing especially at peak travel times such as Christmas – book Marhaba online here (also available in Bahrain).
Book your Burj Khalifa visit
Want to go up the tallest building in the world? It’s a great view from the observation deck and the whole attraction is well-planned and packed full of background info. Make sure you book At the Top ahead of time. Fast track tickets on the day are in limited quantities and more than double the price. Even pre-booked slots sell out fast. Book the Burj Khalifa observation deck now on this link.
Sign up for a Frying Pan Adventure
This truly is the best way to see a completely different side of Dubai plus you get to eat your way round nooks and crannies of the city while learning about different cultures. The tours are so popular they need advance booking to secure a slot. Arva and Farida are good friends but I can vouch for the tours as I have done at least eight to date. Browse and book your Frying Pan Adventure here. If you have missed out, order their little pocket guide to the Spice Souk – highly recommended..
Book a mosque tour or cultural meal
The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is housed in a beautiful old building in the Fahidi District which is worth a visit alone. Their cultural meals (I love the breakfast) are relaxed, entertaining and will give you a better understanding about the Emirati people whose country you are visiting. Tour a mosque and see another side of Islam to the one on the news or just wander through a fascinating and beautiful area with a guide. Calendar and booking details here.
Order wine
As a visitor you will not be able to buy alcohol in Dubai outside hotels and licensed restaurants as the liquor stores are for residents only. You can order duty-free fine wine and premium spirits starting at 100 AED from Le Clos in advance of your journey. A staff member will text you when you land and hand over your purchases packaged in attractive bags, just before passport control. If you are staying with people (who drink), duty-free wine is always welcome as there is a 30% tax in store; your limit is up to 4 litres (i.e. 5 bottles of wine). You can also buy wine and spirits in the duty-free shop after passport control before baggage reclaim. Order ahead on the Le Clos website (you may need to email but online purchase will be live soon).
Check your medication
Codeine based medicines and some opiates, which might be legal in your country, are banned. Check online and get a doctor’s note to verify that they are prescribed if in any doubt. Unwitting travelers have been jailed. There is a list of medication banned in the UAE on this website.
Check your pockets
Famous DJ Grooverider is not alone in going to prison for having a miniscule amount of hashish in his pocket. Even traces of drugs on your shoes or clothing can get you into trouble. “It’s for personal use,” will not wash here and there is zero tolerance for possession. Poppy seeds are classified as a drug by the way. For more info plus interesting comments section read here.
Find out if it’s a full moon
Tours to camps in the desert are common but one that only happens once a lunar month is Dubai Desert drumming. With all the usual trimmings such as Arabic food and camel rides, the unique attraction is playing African drums in the middle of the desert under a full moon. It’s fun, quite a communal bonding experience (get to know the people on the next cushion to you), great with or without children and good value. You have to find your own way to the camp by taxi or hire car but I’m sure the organisers would be able to advise the best way. Full Moon Desert Drumming details here.
Check what’s going on
Dubai’s social calendar is packed full of events. International artists and bands (here and in nearby Abu Dhabi) are a regular feature and going to a concert in the UAE is (in most cases) a very stress-free and enjoyable experience. Since 2000 we’ve seen scores, ranging from Sting and Robbie to Kasabian, The Stranglers, Black Sabbath and many, many more. Other major events include Dubai World Cup (racing), Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Dubai Desert Classic (golf), Dubai Food Festival, Dubai Rugby 7s and Art Dubai. Dubai Calendar lists all the major events and you can download an event guide. Time Out Dubai is a great resource for information and one of the main ticket sellers too.
Abra on the Dubai Creek
Get a deal on eating
There are hundreds and hundreds of restaurants in Dubai ranging from the highest luxury to the cheapest street eat and everything in between. Licensed restaurants are only in hotels and clubs so the bill can mount up. All you can eat buffets are very popular in the city and with a mind-boggling array of dishes from sushi, to oysters to live cooking stations. Brunch is a Dubai institution with ‘free-flowing’ all in deals for most. Time Out and Zomato have listings. If you are visiting for a week or more it could be worth downloading the Entertainer app which gives ‘2 for 1’ deals on a whole range of restaurants. There’s a fine dining version or more general one (which includes offers on activities such as Wild Wadi water park).
Currency exchange
Actually this is one thing to leave until you get here. Rates at money exchanges are very competitive and the head cashier often has some leeway so ask for ‘your best rate’ if you are converting a reasonable amount. Al Ansari is a major chain but there are branches in most shopping malls and throughout the city.
Make travel easy
Public transport in the city is pretty good and taxis are reasonably priced. Buses, the metro and water ferries require the purchase of a Nol card which you can top up with cash (available at Metro stations and some bus stations). Taxis can be ordered on 04 2080808 or hailed from the street but at peak times the RTA Smart Taxi app is useful as it picks up your location. Other geo-located apps are Uber and Careem. Download SmartTaxi, Uber or Careem before you leave.
Plan a tasty trip with insider tips
While the big websites have a lot of information, get an insider’s view from people who live here to plan your stay. Dubai in 48 hours by The Hedonista is excellent plus browse the site for restaurant reviews and travel within the Emirates (such as the heritage safari in old jeeps). Foodiva is the best, most comprehensive, source of unbiased restaurant reviews (mainly high-end) and you can even book a ‘Dine around Dubai‘ 5 star dining tour. Like a Tourist in my own city by Ishita Unblogged is crammed full of things to see and do. Geordie Armani specialises in honest reviews of mid to lower priced family restaurants, and Do in Dubai does what it says on the tin. Dive into hole-in-the-wall eateries and street food via I Live in a Frying Pan.
Other things to consider
Find out if you need a visa from your country; arrange travel and medical insurance; google car hire companies; check data roaming packages (you can also buy a tourist sim on arrival) ; buy sunscreen, mozzie spray and a hat; bring a universal adapter (the UAE has 3 pin sockets like the UK). More info: UAE travel Advice of Gov.uk ; Your first time in Dubai ; Dubai – What to pack.
So all set for your trip? What are your tips for things to do before you travel to Dubai?
Disclosure: My Dine around the Palm trip with Foodiva was courtesy of The Entertainer. All opinions my own (I was not obliged to write about it or the app).
The calm after the storm – in my kitchen
Here’s what’s in my kitchen at the beginning of April (take a closer look and read the captions by clicking on an individual image, use the arrows to navigate).
March was wonderful but a bit crazy. I can’t believe that the Emirates Festival of Literature, Art Dubai, Taste of Dubai, Dubai World Cup and Arabian Youth Orchestra were all in one month. And yes I went to all of them plus more.
I turn to my kitchen at times like these for relaxation. We need to eat so I have to cook – it’s a necessary but creative and calming activity.
Have a snoop around many more kitchens through Celia’s monthly event – look for the list in her sidebar.
What’s in your kitchen this April?
Slow Cook Italian and other slow cooking cookbooks
My slow cooker has been the best thing I’ve bought in years. Pressure cooker – sits in the cupboard; Kitchenaid – I use less and less; Vitamix – soup making and smoothies only. But my slow cooker, a quick, cheap impulse-purchase from Lakeland, has been used at least once a week since it found a place in my home.
Of course, I did what I always do; went out and bought some new cookbooks to go with it. Slow Cook Italian by Gennaro Contaldo has just been published, so let’s see how it compares with the other books I’ve road-tested.
Slow Cook Italian – Gennaro Contaldo
Gennaro Contaldo rose to fame due to Jamie Oliver who credits him on the cover of the book “Beautiful, classic recipes made with passion, by the man who taught me everything I know about Italian cooking.” Slow Cook Italian is different from my other books as it’s not written specifically for the slow cooker. It’s a collection of Gennaro’s recipes which fall under the slow cooking banner. The photography is simple interspersed with a few pictures of Gennaro with his family; not every recipe has a picture. As well as soups, stews and savoury bakes, there are chapters on pasta, light dishes and leftovers, roasts, breads, cakes, desserts and preserves. Where a recipe is suitable for the slow cooker, there are specific instructions. Gennaro confesses that he never uses a slow cooker but sticks to a pot on the stove top, harking back his parents generation when all cooking was done on coals or wood.
As I was hosting two 17-year-old boys flying in from Kuwait to attend Arabian Youth Orchestra this week, some hearty comfort food was certainly in order.
Gennaro says that although a ragu is one of the most popular pasta sauces worldwide, the Bolognese is often made badly outside of Italy: too much tomato, not cooked for long enough and usually served with spaghetti. I pride myself on a good ragu so wondered if this recipe – the official recipe of the Bolognese association of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina would be that different. Turns out I’d fallen into the trap of making it too tomatoey and this super simple slow cooked version was really excellent. It’ll be my ‘go to’ ragu in the future. I also bought some tagliatelle against KP’s wishes (who refuses to eat anything but spaghetti).
The ingredients list for Pollo all cacciatora (Hunter’s chicken) was fairly simple too – chicken with herbs and lots of cherry tomatoes (from our garden). This was seriously good and got a massive thumbs up from the boys. I also used the recipe for Pomodori esiccati a casa (home-dried tomatoes), to use up our glut from the garden, which didn’t differ from my normal method.
On the slow cooking front Goulash Tirolese (Tyrolean beef stew) and Stufato dia manzo al cioccolato (slow-cooked marinated beef with chocolate) are next on the ‘to try’ list. There are more non-slow cooker recipes but many look appealing including panini al rosmarino (rosemary bread rolls) which pop up in Jamie books but Gennaro makes his a lot prettier. In fact all of the breads look really intriguing including some rolls with aubergine baked inside them. The recipes for baked pears with amaretti biscuits and almonds, and almond tea cake (there’s a theme) look really tempting and the apricot and hazelnut tart is begging to be made.
If I’d been browsing in Kinokunya where books have to grab your attention within a few turns of the page, I probably wouldn’t have taken this home as it’s quite understated. But after cooking from it, the true value of simple, authentic Italian food shines through for the slow cooker and beyond. I’m so glad I have it as I know this book will definitely be on my counter more than on the shelf. Gennaro captures a time when life was slower too and conveys this through delicious dishes.
The Essential Slow Cooker Cookbook – Lorna Brash
This book did stand out in the bookshop and, whereas many slow cooker cookbooks have a domestic science look about them, this one shouted ‘pick me I have delicious recipes and, by the way, they are made in a slow cooker’. The detailed instructions (about settings in particular) show the author really knows her way around this method of cooking and there are many ‘I didn’t think of making that in a slow cooker’ moments. She addresses the ‘wateriness’ issue (some slow cooking recipes don’t seem thick enough) too and gives advice on adapting our own recipes for the slow cooker. Nearly but not all recipes have a picture with them. My favourite to date have been:
Mediterranean slow-roast lamb shanks, Louisiana beef chilli, Provençal slow-roast lamb shanks with rustic beans, chicken with creamy leek and tarragon sauce, and Mediterranean stuffed peppers. Not sure why I haven’t made the ginger crème caramels yet – they are calling my name.
Slow Cooking for Vegetarians – Annette Yates
This book covers just about anything you could ever dream of and whacks it in a slow cooker. Bought with veggie teen in mind it’s been the inspiration for so much more including porridge, cakes, Christmas pudding and vegetable stock. There are pages of veggie stews, soups and braises and everything is with recognisable ingredients although it does include some Quorn recipes (I avoid this processed food). The head notes are tempting but this book is without a single image inside. It’s also proved that some things should be done the traditional way; slow cooker cranberry sauce is horrid.
200 Slow Cooker Recipes – Sara Lewis
A small low-cost book, which I’ve used the least. Usually I turn to it when developing a recipe for something that’s in my head and I need to check temperatures and cooking times. It has a lot of similar recipes to the Lorna Brash book but without the gorgeous photography but with a surprising amount of detailed instruction and a good recipe layout, plus every recipe has a picture. A good starting point but I might not miss it if it disappeared from my book shelf (after I’ve tried out the lemon custard cremes recipe).
Do you use a slow cooker? Any cookbooks you recommend for slow cooking or Italian food? Do you own any other Gennaro books? Please share your thoughts below….
Disclosure: I bought the last three books myself from Kinokunya, Dubai and Amazon.co.uk, and was sent Gennaro’s book to review by Pavilion. All opinions my own.
Spiced butternut squash muffins with margarita sour cream
It was butternut squash’s fault. It waved at me from its nest among the vibrant fresh greens, the crisp peppers, the baby potatoes (their cousins were already in my bag). Suddenly it was in my hand and within half an hour it was part of my weekly farmers’ market vegetable still life which had already spun out of control in the ‘how can we possibly eat all this in one week?’ stakes.
This innocent vegetable is on the list of ‘things we will not eat’ designated by both KP and veggie teen. No surprise that it was looking at me reproachfully at the end of the week. I’d have to be creative, and inspired by Kate of Veggie Desserts my thoughts turned to something sweet…. but not too sweet.
Healthy and wholesome was my aim, but not so extreme that it would fall upon me to ‘tidy’ them all up myself. I sampled one while it was still warm from the oven, then swanned off to the Dubai World Cup with the memory of their moreish spiciness lingering on my lips. On my return their numbers were depleted – these were a hit – and they seemed to have got better overnight. The butternut moistness is complemented by the slight earthiness of the wholemeal flour, and none of the spices dominate (I often find cinnamon too overpowering). I’m keen to try this using all raw honey next time but my precious golden jar was getting low.
The cream is a frivolity, but oh so good, a tangier (tangy-er?) version of one that Nigella makes.
If you wanted nuttiness, a handful of chopped walnuts would be great; or even chocolate chips, but we couldn’t claim to be quite as virtuous then.
Who knew a plain, brown muffin could be quite this good.
Spiced butternut squash muffins with margarita sour cream
Ingredients
- 75g melted butter
- 60g raw honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 180g light, soft brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs, free range
- 450g roasted butternut squash (cut in half and bake in a medium oven for 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft, then scoop out and discard the skin and mash the insides with a fork)
- 300g wholemeal flour
- 1 1/2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 1/2 level teaspoons baking powder
- 2 rounded teaspoons mixed spice
- scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
Put the melted butter, raw honey, vanilla extract and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat in the eggs.
Stir in the butternut squash with a spatula then fold in the remaining dry ingredients.Do not over mix.
Place paper cups in a muffin tray and fill to about halfway with the mixture (I use an ice-cream scoop).
Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C for 15 – 20 minutes. When you insert a skewer it should come out clean or with a crumb attached. Cool on a wire rack.
Margarita sour cream topping
Combine the juice of 1 lime, 1 dessertspoonful each of triple sec and tequila and 3 dessertspoonfuls of icing sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Beat in 175g creme frâiche until thickened. Serve immediately (it may split when stored).
Looking for more ways to use up veg in your sweet baking?
Beetroot and walnut muffins – My Custard Pie
Roasted beetroot and raw cacao nib cupcakes – Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Skinny zucchini muffins – Recipes from a Pantry
Spiced sweet potato muffins – Fuss Free Flavours
Sweet potato, celeriac and sultana muffins – Jen’s Food
Carrot cake cookies – A Mummy Too
Spiced pumpkin muffins – Cook Sister
Parsnip and lime marmalade cake – Kellie’s Food to Glow and many others on her site
And pretty much everything on Veggie Desserts including kale and lemon muffins
My veg mountain, including the butternut squash, from the farmers’ market
Do you ever get carried away while food shopping? What do you do when you have a veg mountain?
Fancy going to Dubai World Cup 2015? Yes you could be there
I don’t do many giveaways here on My Custard Pie because I’d rather chat with you about other things, but this is just too good to miss. If you live in the U.A.E. you could win two tickets to the Dubai World Cup of Racing 2015. Read on for details of how to enter…
Here in Dubai, milliners are flying in, there’s a concentrated effort around frock buying, and excitement is gathering for the highlight of the racing season. The Dubai World Cup is also known as the richest horse race in the world due to the size of its prize money pot. The race track is very different from where I grew up in Cheltenham, with its sweeping oval nestled beneath the Cotswold hills. Dubai is about flat racing, bathed in flood lights and held in a sinuously curved stadium where everyone has an incredible view of the action (and the people-watching) and the atmosphere is electric.
Racing in Dubai is also about the build up, whether you arrive by bus from Irish Pub McGettigans or book a limo, enter the fashion show (winners take home a new Jaguar F type for a year), the entertainment (a firework start and a big name act to finish – this year it’s Kylie) or sip the finest Champagne in style. I’ll be doing the latter this coming Saturday in the exclusive Le Lounge hosted by fine wine retailer Le Clos, in prime position in Apron Views. I haven’t been to the races for a few years although went a lot in the past and I’m now super excited. And you can too…
Dubai World Cup ticket luxury giveaway
Le Clos, the fine wine and luxury spirits retailer based at Dubai International airport, is offering up two Apron Views tickets to the Dubai World Cup this weekend, to one lucky My Custard Pie reader. With these tickets, you will get access to Le Lounge, where you will be treated to a bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne*.
If you fancy coming, pop your name on the blog in the comments and a quick line telling me why you’d like to win the tickets by this Thursday (26th March 2015) and we’ll settle this in the usual way, picking one name at random.
And that’s not all…
At the Dubai World Cup this weekend, race-goers visiting Le Lounge will have the chance to capture their style moments in Le Clos’ photo booth. Visitors to Le Lounge who get snapped in the photo booth can take away a printed image of them and their friends on the day; plus there will be a Le Clos roving photographer to capture DWC style. For a chance to win the ultimate Champagne dinner for 10 people (valued at 20,000 AED), race-goers must tag themselves on the Le Clos Facebook page. The more interaction the photo gets, the better. 20 bottles of Grand Cuvee Marque are also being given as prizes, so there is a real incentive to get tagging.
Very old pics of me and my sister in the free section at the old stadium on a normal race night. How times have changed!
If you’ve ever flown into stay with me in Dubai, you’ll know that I order and pay for wine online from Le Clos and a nice man greets you before passport control and hands it over. It’s something I look forward to when I arrive back in Dubai and a great way of buying fine wine duty free (or there is a branch at Al Hamra Cellar if you drive to RAK).
I’ll let you know what I get up to on Saturday – follow my tweets and instagram if you want live coverage! Otherwise I’ll try and share the highs, lows, bubbles and, of course, what we ate asap next week.
*T&Cs:1. Competition closes on Thursday 26th March 2015 at 11.59pm GMT+4.
2. The prize draw is open to any UAE resident over the age of 18 who complies with local laws pertaining to attending this event and consuming alcohol. To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me why you’d like to win the tickets (and make sure you leave your email in the box provided).
Sorry to all those outside the U.A.E. (unless you want to hop on a plane). If you are planning to visit Dubai anytime, put the Dubai World Cup in your diary.
Disclosure: I am a guest of Le Clos at the Dubai World Cup, but have received no remuneration for this post and opinions are my own.
How to cook quails eggs
“How many?” Adil the farmer asks me. Actually he might just have gestured; his English and my Arabic are on a par. At 1 aed each (about 20 pence) I can afford to buy lots. He starts to count the dainty, speckled eggs into a plastic bag cushioned with strips of paper. The lady at my elbow asks “what do you do with them?”. This is part of the pleasure of shopping at the Farmers’ Market on the Terrace, the chatting, the friendly camaraderie, the exchange of information about food with people of many backgrounds and cultures.
My first ever quail egg could have tasted quite ordinary but I was won over by their stylish presentation at a party where the food was by fashionable London caterers ‘The Admiral Crichton’ in the private garden in a London square. The eggs nestled on straw in a wicker basket, some peeled, some still in their bluish, mottled shells. We’d been warned by our MD that the first cocktail would be very strong to relax our clients and get the party started with a bang. Food seemed sensible and these were immensely moreish. I was a lifelong fan from that moment.
My girls loved snacking on them when they were little – the perfect toddler fare – and their nimble fingers soon picked off the papery peel. As an easy starter to take to a friend’s house (who is wheat-intolerant) this weekend they were ideal. I arranged them on a white linen napkin inside a basket with a shot glass full of celery salt for dipping. Quails eggs can be used in any way you’d use chicken eggs but it’s nice to make the most of their Lilliputian size:
Hard boiled quails eggs
Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over a medium heat. Time for 2 1/2 minutes after they come to the boil and then drain and plunge immediately into lots of cold water.
Serving ideas: Peel and use in salads, dipped into celery salt, or with home-made mayonnaise. If you have a lot of patience you could make miniature Scotch eggs (thanks Kavey). Or pickle them.
Fried quails eggs
It’s quite hard to crack a quail egg without breaking the yolk. I peel off the end of the shell then pinch the membrane to break it. You can pour the egg out of the shell quite easily then. Otherwise carefully saw off the end with a serrated knife. Lightly grease a small non-stick frying pan and place over a low to medium heat. Slide the eggs gently onto the pan and cover with a lid (or large plate). Check after a minute (glass lids are great) and once the white is set firm, gently lift out with a fish slice.
Serving ideas: with shoe-string fries; on thin slices of toasted baguette with a sliver of crispy bacon or chorizo; or on rye bread rounds on small slices of smoked salmon.
Poached quails eggs
Gently crack your eggs as above onto a flat plate. Bring a small frying pan of water to a gently shimmer and slide the eggs into the water very carefully. Keep the water at a temperature so it hardly bubbles. Remove the quails eggs when the whites are set. If using later plunge them into a bowl of iced water and reheat in simmering water for 30 seconds.
Serving ideas: mini eggs Benedict or Florentine; on top of tiny fish cakes; with baby asparagus and shaved Parmesan.
Last Friday’s Farmers’ Market haul
So you love quails eggs like I do (KP won’t touch them even though he adores hard-boiled eggs – that’s just weird)? Are you a quails egg virgin? Any other serving suggestions to add to this list?
P.S. All these pics taken on my iphone – do you think that matters? Would love your feedback.
Escape to a desert island – visiting Sir Bani Yas
“How much does one giraffe eat?” asked the small Emirati boy. “About 75 kilos per day” replied Johann our safari driver. Murmurs of surprise from everyone in the car as we watched three of the tallest animals in the world lollop along in front of our jeep heading towards their feeding area.
We were mid-safari on Sir Bani Yas island (meaning dome of salt) just off Abu Dhabi’s Western coast, the former private island of Sheikh Zayed, late, revered first ruler of the United Arab Emirates. A private Majlis at the highest point of the island is still frequented by the present Sheikh and groves of olive, tamarind, pineapple, mango, banana, apple, orange and lemon trees provide fruit for the palaces. Three types of date palms grow there too and I can vouch for their exquisite sweetness and texture as they are offered as a welcome in reception along with cardamom scented Arabic coffee.
How would you fare if you were stranded alone on a desert island? As a regular listener to Desert Island Discs, I’ve noticed that there are three answers to Kirsty’s question. Some people absolutely dread being on their own and would miss civilisation unbearably, others look forward to the challenge of self-sufficiency and usually plot how they would engineer their escape, the last group welcome tranquility and the appeal of solitude. After a really hectic spell I was definitely in the latter category. Luckily my desert island would be complete with five-star hotel, so I headed off from Dubai for a simple if boring drive of three and a half hours for a weekend ‘staycation’. Ferries run about every 2 hours to take you on the 15 minutes transfer to the island (your car is safely parked in a special place by the dock).
There are three places to stay on the island and a driver took me to Desert Islands Resort and Spa. The hotel entrance is fringed with a lake dotted with flamingos, while the guest rooms look out on the sea. All three resorts are run by Anantara and the decor of the lobby is African game lodge meets the Far East, which means there’s a touch of elegance but cosy at the same time.
I wandered down to the beach where a row of sea defences, speckled and mottled from the lapping water, looked like the emerging coils of a gigantic sea serpent. Reporting for duty at a cooking lesson at the Samak seafood restaurant actually meant that I dressed up in an apron and a chef’s hat and watched while the real chef cooked and then he looked on as I ate it. Worn out by all the excitement I poured fragrant oils, from the little urns provided, into steaming hot water, lit a candle (how thoughtful), had a warm bath and an early night.
Breakfast is served in the Palm restaurant and the lighting is a little weird – much better to sit outside. A gargantuan buffet with every item you could conceivably desire covers at least a third of the place, from cronuts to Bircher muesli via Arabic style laban, olives and cheeses to a full English and more. Many people looked as though they were hunkering down to stay and eat for hours. However, my date with Johann was on the horizon so I ordered from the egg cooking station. There’s an omelette they do in Middle Eastern hotels where they add chopped onion, tomato, cheese, herbs and chilli. This set me up for anything the wild animals could throw at me.
Looping our way through the game reserve in an open sided jeep in early light meant we were up close and personal with hundreds of gazelle-type creatures who were milling around waiting for their feed. Sheikh Zayed saved the Arabian oryx (Al Maha), from extinction when he created the reserve. It’s the national symbol of the United Arab Emirates. He also rescued the black-faced Blackbuck (this curly horned mammal can run at 90 km per hour), the Mountain gazelle (Al Domani) and the Sand Gazelle(Al Reem) ; copious numbers mixed in with deer and other breeds were pottering about munching. They are also munched… more of that later.
The ‘greening of the desert’ was a Sheikh Zayed initiative and the island is planted with thousands of Sidr and Do’ani trees in neat rows (to facilitate irrigation). Grass is planted for grazing and this whole micro-climate attracts a wonderful array of bird-life. Other rulers started to give gifts of animals to Sheikh Zayed and our next aim was to track down some of the big game. The sight of a row of Reticulated giraffe, purposefully moving their impossibly long legs in rhythm was thrilling. They seemed so at home in the landscape and completely ignored us as we parked up close to them while feeding. Ostrich and more assorted gazelle mingled in while osprey glided overhead.
A young male cheetah rested on a hill gazing out over the landscape. He’s one of five who roam the reserve although he has his own fenced off territory to prevent over breeding and excessive fighting (a cub was killed a while back). The cheetah help keep the exploding population of gazelle – now far from extinct – in check as they hunt for their food.
General Manager Mark Eletr takes me for lunch over at the Olio Italian restaurant at the nearby Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort. Thirty private villas cluster around a low-level, Mediterranean style building fronted by a serene, uncluttered (minimalistic?) beach. It’s comfortable, tranquil and elegant without extravagance. There are no real surprises on the Italian menu but the Chef, who has an international pedigree but talks in a voluble Italian accent recommends the special of day. We gaze out over the white sea and azure waves, pausing only to shoo away an overenthusiastic bird which looks like a fluffy grouse which scuttles onto our table now and again. Chocolate volcano cake to follow? Oh go on then.
Lying on a massage table the window to the beach veiled by a gauze curtain and the waves audible through the plinky-plonky spa music was the perfect thing to follow lunch. You could even have your massage on the beach itself in an Arabian style tent. Stress and computer work goes straight to my shoulders so I’ve road-tested many, many massages over the years and this was a good one.
It would have been foolish to ignore Mark’s recommendation of Amwaj for a sundowner and I lost count of the photos I took of the dramatic colours over the ink black lapping sea in the sweep of the bay while sipping an excellent Negroni. A fire pit was lit against the chill of the evening, the soundtrack was relaxing funky jazz, but eventually I tore myself away to eat authentic Middle Eastern food on the terrace.
Up at dawn the next morning, I walked round the lake and followed a group of gazelle trotting ahead at a wary distance. Flamingos were silhouetted against the rising sun and I counted five heron swooping up and down on the water. It was utterly peaceful and the 5km solitary amble the perfect foil for the noise and lights of Dubai.
At breakfast, I had my own wildlife display when jays spotted the remains of my poached eggs on toast. I sat very still and watched as they got braver and braver, one hiding behind the teapot and then popping out to dive in for the spoils. The lady who said she was afraid of animals while on our safari would have hated it but this feeling of being on the edge of nature was the highlight of the stay for me.
My room on the ground floor opened onto a small terrace and when I wasn’t eating, drinking or communing with nature, the warm sun, pleasant breeze and sound of the birds all did their stress-busting magic.
One last meal, which sadly was a bit rushed due to my imminent departure by ferry was nevertheless really special. The Al Sahel Villa Resort is within the reserve itself and another small collection of private villas in surroundings modeled on the African bush . My table at the Savannah Grill restaurant looked out onto an area of trees and bush grass where it’s possible to book private dining at night. Gazelle grazed leisurely on the lawn, a peacock wandered over to inspect me and any thoughts that a bobotie spring roll might not work as a concept or be too greasy evaporated as I took a bite.
The return journey by chauffeured four-wheel drive and ferry had all the services of a short flight, with a departure lounge and baggage handling. I even had someone to load my bag into my car on arrival. My desert island experience renewed my mind, body and spirit, the kilometres slipped away and it was a bit startling to find myself back in Dubai’s chaotic metropolis.
There are many reasons why you’d visit Sir Bani Yas Island. As well as the wildlife and safari, you can kayak or play tennis. There are bikes for hire for a whizz round the island, they’re the ones with a motor for those who want to save their legs. You can dive offshore, go horse-riding and of course there’s the spa. You can even take a tour of the remains of a Christian monastery dating from the 6th Century.
Is it a culinary destination too? I ‘d expected standard hotel fare, a quality international menu without any excitement. In fact given my frazzled state they could have served me Marmite on toast all weekend and I’d have been happy. There was an element of the same old, same old, but with a noticeable difference. The island isolation seems to have unified the culinary team to meet the demands of the guests above and beyond the norm (you can’t go down the road for an alternative so the chefs try to make something you’ll like). The ‘ceviche’ at the Samat restaurant was precooked as most of the guests don’t like raw fish (sadly I do!). They did however make the most delicious steamed sea bream however and do not serve endangered hammour on any menu for environmental reasons. GM Mark told me that they couldn’t ignore the issues faced in the seas lapping at their shores. Big tick of approval there.
The Middle Eastern food at Amwaj was really well executed showing off the talents of Lebanese chef. It wasn’t the hummous, muhamarra and Dijaj Meshwi that showed off the high quality here although they were all delicious. It was the spankingly fresh salad of whole lettuce, cucumber, tomato and herbs demonstrated respect for good ingredients. The cocktail list (to go with the setting sun and fire) was excellent, but the Lebanese wine the only palatable red choice by the glass (a Portuguese Merlot? seriously?). It’s worth visiting the Olio and Savanna restaurants for their settings alone but the enthusiasm and skill of the head chefs shone through in the dishes I tasted. The filled seafood pasta flavoured with squid ink by the Italian chef was outstanding especially when watching the waves lapping at the shore a few metres away.
Savanna was a place I could have taken root at and spent the whole afternoon watching the gazelle graze, the peacocks wander and the long grass wave in the breeze. I thought the bobotie spring rolls sounded odd but ordered them anyway and was won over as the thin, crisp, perfectly dry pastry crumbled to reveal a spicy, meaty filling paired with a homemade fruity chutney. The strength in the hotel team is that several of this band of mixed nationalities and backgrounds have worked together for years within the region and patently love what they do. A special mention has to go to one chef who popped up whenever and wherever I ate (his name and title was so complicated but he’ll know who he is) . He appeared late at night down at Amwaj to make sure everything was OK and made a superb poached egg for me for breakfast.
The hotel was relaxed and informal for families and kept thinking how much my girls would have adored this trip when they were younger. My visit in January meant that the hotel was quite quiet and there was a crisp breeze coming off the sea – it gets hotter and busier as the weather warms up but like most UAE dwellers, I get enough sun. For me it was the ultimate weekend decompression chamber, getting closer to nature, peace and solitude in comfort and style.
I was a guest of Anantara for the weekend (excluding the Spa), all opinions my own. Find more details about the resort here. It’s possible to fly to the island from Dubai with Rotana Jet but they didn’t respond to my enquiry.
My Custard Pie 