Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold - "The cookery book to end all cookery books"

Released in March 2011 - you'll be hard-pressed to find a copy of this monumental book anywhere!

Here's the stats: 2,438 pages, 21 Kg in weight, 1500 copies sold out in days costing over $1Million to print, and and a recommended retail price of £400, that is if you can actually find one to buy. I saw a copy on Amazon.co.uk for £696.95 - ouch!

Heralded by many high profile chef's including Ferran Adrià of El Bulli, who contributed a foreword to the book, claiming "This book will change the way we understand the kitchen."

The book is an encyclopedia and a guide to the science of contemporary cooking. The 6 volumes cover history and fundamentals, techniques and equipment, animals and plants, ingredients and preparation, plated dish recipes and one last volume, the kitchen manual.


This book has already divided opinion - but I can't wait to get my hands on one - though I think I will have to wait until the price drops slightly...

The world's hottest chilli - the Infinity chilli

I am a bit of a chilli wimp but since this international food achievement is so close to home, it was almost inevitable that I would post about it. Seasoned foodies may well be aware of this one, but the world's hottest chilli comes from Grantham in Lincolnshire UK. The 'Infinity' chilli is considerably hotter than other contenders for the fiery crown including the Bhut Jolokia and the Dorset Naga - the former is used in Indian military hand grenades. The title for World's Hottest Chilli, is a tightly fought contest and I'm sure it won't be long until an even hotter chilli is found - I certainly won't be in a hurry to sample one.

Updated: I stand corrected - an even hotter chilli has been found - the Naga Viper... from Cumbria, UK.

If only I could find it in the UK... Tasso Ham

Not the most visually appealing thing in the world but Tasso ham was one of the most delicious discoveries from my time cheffing in the US. Having had the pleasure of working with an excellent chef with roots from New Orleans, Louisiana - I was introduced to many different dishes, recipes and ingredients that I had never been exposed to. One of which was Tasso ham, a specialty of Cajun cuisine. It is a spicy, peppery version of smoked pork made from salt cured pork shoulder. The meat is left to cure briefly, only three or four hours, then rinsed, rubbed with a spice mixture containing Cayenne pepper and garlic, and hot-smoked until cooked through. I have yet to find this most incredibly tasty meat in the UK - I am sure I will have try to recreate my own version at home (not sure where I would find room for hot smoking though...).

Cauliflower - comes in all shapes and size (and even colour)

Now, everyone's seen a cauliflower, but how about an orange one? a green one? or even a purple one? All natural - but incredibly vibrant, these different coloured cauliflowers would be great for brightening up any meal from your usual sunday roast to an experimental curry. You may spot one of these at a farmer's market, or farm shop - but I wouldn't be surprised to find them in a supermarket in the near future either. Particularly as the different coloured varieties featured on BBC TV's Great British Food Revival recently - raising the profile of this occasionally unfavoured vegetable.

Fiddleheads - Delicious, Nutritious and Rarely Used in the UK

These odd looking shoots are indeed edible. I first encountered this very visual and unique vegetable when I worked as a Chef in New Hampshire, USA. They are not cultivated, and  are actually the furled fronds of a young fern, another very seasonal Spring vegetable.


Fiddleheads have antioxidant activity, are a source of Omega 3 and Omega 6, and are high in iron and fibre. They are typically steamed or boiled before being eaten hot, with hollandaise sauce or butter and lemon, or chilled, in salad or with mayonnaise.


I imagine it's only a matter of time before the UK discovers this somewhat specialist vegetable, so keep your eyes peeled - one for keen foragers to look out for!

Wahaca - Mexican Street Food in London

Visited this Mexican street food concept restaurant last week in White City, London. Light hearted and informal - think Wagamama's meets Mexico. I loved this place because it does way more than the average mexican food we are often subjected to in the UK, it's certainly not all about fajitas on sizzling hot plates, nachos and enchiladas. There are fantastic small bite dishes including Pork pibil (slow cooked pork in a special Yucatecan marinade served in a soft corn taco), Black Bean Tostadas, Taquitos, Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas, Seafood Ceviche, and freshly grilled meat and fish. I have yet to have the pleasure of visiting the streets of Mexico - however having spent some time in the southern states of the US and frequented a couple of back street authentic mexican eateries I can honestly say - finally we have something more exciting and representative of Mexican cuisine.

Definitely reccomended for a good cheap eat in London.
Check out the website: http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Everybody is doing it!

La Tasca, spanish Tapas restaurant chain in the UK, has developed a range of cooking sauce to launch into the retail food market. The latest in a string of chains to make the move from restaurant to retail, Pizza Express have been arguably the biggest players in the transfer, with its retail product portfolio ranging from Pizzas, Pasta Sauces, Salad Dressings to tins of Passata! Nando's, Harry Ramsdens, Crank's and Wagamama have also made the ambitious move.

La Tasca's sauces include: Bravas, a spicy tomato and garlic sauce; Marbella, a white wine, garlic and red pepper sauce; Jardinera, a chunky tomato, garlic and herb sauce and Pimienta, a smokey tomato, paprika and red bell pepper sauce. These sauces perhaps recognise the increasing prominence of Spanish cuisine within the UK market.

Spelt Snacks

Sharpham Park in Somerset, UK, harvests organic spelt, one of the best slow-release energy foods. One of their latest new products 'Berry Puffs' are coated with natural blueberry and blackcurrant juice and organic honey to give a deliciously moorish snack or breakfast alternative. They retail at around £3.00 and are available from Waitrose, Wholefoods, Selfridges and directly from the website.

New Discovery: Flower Sprouts

Reported as the first new vegetable in just under 10 years! The flower sprout, is a cross between Brussels sprouts and curly kale. Both kale and sprouts are classed as superfoods because they are good sources of dietary fibre, B vitamins and iron, as well as being high in folate, which is good for pregnant women. The flower sprout tastes similar to sprouts and is said to be best eaten steamed or stir fried.

This particularly interesting discovery is sold at Marks & Spencers, in the UK. Worth a look, perhaps just a novelty but remember in 2002 tenderstem broccoli hit the shelves in the UK and now in 2011 it can be found in almost every retailer.

Black Garlic

Yes, Black Garlic - it's not burnt... it's fermented. As versatile as its regular counterpart, it is known for its use in Asian food, but its rich molasses-like flavour, adds a depth of flavour and balsamic-like sweetness to dishes. Garlic is by far one of the most widely used ingredients in every cuisine around the world and with the prominence of black garlic slowly increasing perhaps we can expect to see it used more commonly.

Black Garlic has the benefits of:

· having twice the amount of anti-oxidants of its regular counterpart
· leaving no smell or bad breath – even when eaten straight from the bulb
· having a much longer shelf life
· being low in fat
· being rich in natural sugars and amino acids, making it a flavoursome cooking ingredient

If you spot it, why not pick up a pack and experiment using it in place of regular garlic.

Unsung Hero of the Vegetable World

Samphire

It's Spring, and that mean's samphire! Other names include sea beans, sea asparagus and even sea pickle. This delicious and slightly odd looking vegetable is an absolutely must. Often naturally occuring instead of farmed, this wonderful commodity grows abundantly on shorelines, in marshy shallows and on salty mudflats. It has a crisp texture and tastes of the sea.
Perfect with firm, meaty white fish such as halbut. Simply blanch the samphire in boiling water, drain, toss with a knob of good quality butter and lightly season. Nothing could be more perfect.

First Post

As you read this post you may well be the first ever simplyfoodie.co.uk visitor! Perhaps a slightly underwhelming achievement - but to be the first of anything is pretty difficult in this day and age. Despite this, I will be using this blog to record any exciting and notable discoveries in the foodie world that I come across in my daily life.

From the odd to the interesting I will be posting anything food related that might be of interest to like minded people.

Catch up soon,
SMcK