Ok so I have a total chef crush/obsession with Raymond Blanc. From his unreal food to the way he says 'OOOHLALA' and 'Character' in his perfect and charming french accent, I go week at the knees. I just think he is great and would die to meet him. I used to eat at Brasserie Blanc in Leeds the whole time when I was at Uni there and I would always leave dying to go back.
However now I'm back in London town, cooking his recipes will suffice. So after watching his show 'How to Cook Well-Slow Cooking' on BBC Iplayer I HAD TO make his slow cooked Squid Stew, because 1. I love Squid. 2.I love chorizo and 3. Its fun to try new things!
Picking up some super fresh Squid from Selfridges food hall, snapping up the other ingredients and putting on my chefs hat I began.
The main rule with squid is to remember and I'm quoting Raymond here 'Squid should only be cooked for 1 hour or 1 minute, no longer and no less, otherwise it is horrible'.
So people take note....
After chopping up your onions, add them to the pan and soften until opaque and slightly golden. Next add in your tomatoes. I like to use vine tomatoes as I think they are bursting with flavour, some of mine were oven roasted before. I had them left over from breakfast but coincidentally adding roasted tomatoes to a sauce like this adds a little sweetness.
Bay leaves and basil are essential with tomatoes and tomato sauces. Now I was a slight cheat and my tomato puree had garlic in it but in general one should use fresh garlic always. (I gave myself a slap on the wrist hee)!!
Seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and then throwing in my chopped up chorizo, it was beginning to come together.
After a good mix and slicing up my squid I added it to the tomato sauce. Now all there is to do is wait an hr and wallah it will be done. Well ok with the occasional stir thrown in for good measure!
Although Raymond adds in potatoes, I was in the mood for my squid ink pasta, which I had picked up from Del' Aziz. I Just though the black pasta would contrast beautifully against the bright rich red sauce.
For the final touches I flash fried the tentacles and a few rings for exactly 1 minutes just as he said. And for a little greenery and extra crunch I added a few shavings of raw courgette.
OohLALA doesn't it look good, it tasted fantastic. I hope Raymond would be proud of me ;-).
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This Saturday I wanted brunch with a difference. So on recommendation from Gabs, me and Charlie made the short trip to Fulham Broadway to the home of Del' Aziz.
It offers up Brunch, Lunch and Dinner. The menu varies from the fresh and healthy Mediterranean diet to the tantalizing flavours of the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean as well as the subtly scented and spiced Egyptian style.
Needless to say my mouth was watering, take a look at there sample breakfast menu.
It's interior reflects the food, warm, rustic and inviting. Filled with wafting sweet smells from the fresh bakery. The walls exhibit shelves which are teaming with items I wanted to buy. From Squid ink pasta (which had to come home with me for an up coming recipe), preserved lemons, Halva (a kind of nougat) and of course Tagine pots and shisha pipes (oh so authentic).
Our food came and we tucked in. I had Scrambled Eggs with homemade Gravadlax, Moroccan muffins, rocket salad and granary toast while Charlie chose the Egg and Bacon Bap, toasted tomato bun filled with crispy bacon and fried eggs, served with broad beans and asparagus salad. I had massive food envy when it arrive and had to sample a few big bites.
We both went for the 'Rise n’Shine: Carrot, Ginger, Lemon, Apple/Orange' as our juice of choice, he went big, I chose small.
Everything was perfect to a T, Del' Aziz is my perfect kind of place, fun, inviting and something a little different.
So full and grinning from ear to ear we picked up the bill and made our way off.
I think Del' Aziz is going to be my new favorite haunt. I have to come here on Monday night asap as they offer 50% off any Tagine! They know how to make a girl happy.
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After our girly sleep over at my flat, we woke up to out tummy's rumbling. So after our tradition morning teas and coffee we headed over the bridge to Gazette Brasserie in Battersea. Tucked away off the river front this little french restaurant offers up some of the best breakfast I've had in a while. Plonking ourselves down outside in the sunshine we were eager to start ordering.
Just as exciting as the food were the drinks! Gaby ordered 'Liquid Sun'(Carrot, Apple and ginger tapioca pearl). It was heaven, I have to make this at home.
I was so impressed by their personalized glass water bottles for the tap water. So simple and chic, as the french generally are, it was a lovely touch and made even the water look irresistible.
Rosie stuck to a virgin Blood Mary and I went for an old favorite, green tea. (Hopefully it will flush out the toxins from my previous bad behavior ;-) ).
However I was truly jealous of Sops drink. 'The next morning' (Apple, mint and ginger). She accidentally ordered 'The morning after' which left us in fits of giggles and the waiter feeling a little confused.
We all went for eggs in some form. I ordered Cocotte Tomate Cerise, but opted for poached eggs instead of fried, because poached eggs feel a little more special. Gabs and Sop had Cocotte Champignons and Rosie went for a crepe filled with spinach, goats cheese, egg and tomatoes.
As the food arrived we all all went quite and totally focused on the job in hand....EATING. For me this is a sign of really good food.
And look wouldn't you go quiet or these!!! I loved that mine came in a rustic red saucepan to match my tea pot.
We scraped out plates, saucepans etc clean. Completely satisfied and comfortably full.
I'm 100% coming back here asap and I have a small feeling the other girly's felt the same.
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