Tummyrumble

Vietnamese lamb shanks and posh champagne

Vietnamese spicy lamb shanks, the finished product!
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Came across this amazing sounding recipe for lamb shanks this week. Cook for over 2 hours? Tick. One pot cooking? Tick. Coriander, basil, mint, lemon grass, lime, chilli, garlic? Tick, tick, tick.

Ingredients lined up and ready to go...
Originally uploaded by Manne.

BBC Good Food, wonderful treasure chest of goodness, has the recipe. Other than making it more LCHF friendly by substituting sweet potatoes and rice for carrots and sauteed cabbage and leek I have nothing to add.

We were also celebrating Ing's birthday, which we did with several bottles of bubbly. First a bottle of Bloomsbury from Ridgeview, which turned out to be wonderfully golden in colour with a rich and satisfying taste (if you read my previous post on the champagne tasting at Bibendum I would say Bloomsbury is at the Veuve Cliquot end of the taste spectrum).

Among the English sparkling wines we have sampled lately, this rates very high. Still must admit I put Chapel Down right at the very top though. There is a fresh tingling taste and aroma of apples to their Pinot Reserve that really strikes the right chord in me. 

Floyd would have approved of our cooking this night
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Following on from that we opened a bottle of proper champagne, a Pol Roger which I was told was the favourite sparkly tipple of Winston Churchill. Clearly the man had good taste. Fresh, light and very crisp.

Back to the Vietnamese lamb shanks. Needless to say, any meat stewing away in stock for nearly three hours in the oven will come out tender and succulent. This was no exception. 

The sweet flavour of the lamb worked really well with the Vietnamese range of flavours contributed by mainly the fish sauce, chilli and lemon grass.

Serving it on a bed of sautéed cabbage and leek (cut cabbage and leek in strips, sauté in butter in  pot until translucent, add 2 tbsp of water and pop the lid on for a few minutes, then whack another big knob of butter in and give it a stir just before serving) not only looked pretty, it actually provided a great taste contrast to the much zingier and spicy juices that the lamb had stewed away in for so long.

Took a bunch of photos while cooking, I so enjoy my new iPhone. The carnivore in me likes this:

Browned lamb shanks, ready to go in the stewing pot
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Luvvly jubbly Bibendum bubbly - a most excellent tasting of champagne

While it is far too late to be blogging (after midnight, way past my bedtime) I really feel I want to put fingers to keys before the bubbles consumed tonight fizzle out.

Bibendum Wine, being the great food blogger event organizers they are, recently invited a bunch of peeps over to their offices for another round of wine tasting. This time the subject matter (shouldn't that really be "subject liquid"?) was champagne.

Sadly, it was also the last event where Dan at Bibendum (aka @up_shiraz) was present as he is leaving London for the sunny shores of Australia. Watch out for the killer kangaroos Dan, I hear they are lethal. He was at his best though, making sure we all enjoyed a wide variety of the golden bubbles. As you can clearly see, Dan was very happy to have managed to match his leaving event with the fat bottles from the Champagne region...

Dan the @up_shiraz wine man @BibendumWine
Originally uploaded by Manne.

They also took the chance to introduce a new web site dubbed "Bibendum Times" where the intention is to create a hub around which to present of course news about wine but also other of the great things in life that have a relation to wine. Food, Travel, fun, most notably I would think. Head on over and take a look, it seems poised to become a really exciting project if it takes off. 

On the tasting tables this night were a non vintage, a vintage and a rosé from each of Moët et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin (lovely grape juice, absolutely rubbish web site), De Castellane and Lanson. 

Now, I am the first to admit that I don't know squat about champagne (although I do know I lurv the widow...). Part of the greatness of these Bibendum events is that time is taken to provide some of the basic background of the beverages on offer, and that you have access to really skilled people who you can bombard with the most inane questions and they will happily answer while getting you ever so slightly more sloshed.

During these questions and answers I found out that champagne is always only based on three grapes (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier) in different proportions. Pinot Noir is what gives a champagne structure, base and complexity while a high proportion of Chardonnay produces a much lighter drink with a taste that lingers for a shorter time in the mouth.

Lanson was represented by Chris, while Robert held the flag high for Möet. Hmm. Funny that there is a Swedish character there. Anyway. We started off with Chris explaining to us what is so unique about Lanson.

There is some sort of connection to the Knights of Malta here, but my memory is to weak (or the bubbles too many...).
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Actually, first Stephen from Dinner Diary stole the show and explained the basic process of making champagne. Nothing basic about it really, it seems quite spectacular! Chris then augmented the explanation by informing us that Lanson is one of a very small number of houses that employs a non malolactic fermentation process (this is the unique component) for their champagne. Without going into any detail (which I would be completely unable to anyway) it means that they make things a bit more difficult for themselves. While it requires a longer aging time it produces a bubbly that is fresher, more crisp and fruity.

In other words, Lanson is a good choice if you want to serve up a nice welcoming glass of fizz, or bring a bottle of champers along for a picnic in the park. Light, very spritzy, tastes of apple and lemon, rather acidic in a refreshing way.

While I didn't particularly enjoy the rosé (if the non vintage Black Label was apples and lemons, the rosé was grapefruit to me...), the vintage (Gold Label Vintage 1998) vas really nice.

Done with Lanson but thirsty for more we rotated over to Robert, to get a taste of Möet.

Name is Belgian in origin and the guy was a buddy of Napoleon, is all I remember...
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Now, being a bit prejudiced, I didn't think I would enjoy any of the Moëts. If I am to be completely honest I think Moët is a really worn out brand and it is for me associated with a lot of things and types of people I don't particularly enjoy. I also think their non vintage is rather dull.

That said, as I sipped the vintage (Grand Vintage Brut 2003) I completely changed my mind. Perhaps it is the high Chardonnay content (50%), perhaps it is the fact that (as Robert explained) 2003 was a scorching heatwave year producing interesting overtones of burned caramel in the wine... What do I know. I liked it. B really approved and felt that this was definitely the champagne she would bring with her to keep her company on a deserted island, if she had to choose.

Moët actually owns Veuve Clicquot these days, the brand we moved on to next.

The widow enters the fray!
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Served by Dan's successor Gal (aka @zoharwine) this was to me the treat of the evening. I love Veuve Clicquot. The only champagne I love more is La Grand Dame, from the same house. I have however never ever tasted Dom Perignon, so I guess that sort of disqualifies me from having a solidly formed opinion...

The non vintage is good, but the vintage (Vintage 2002) is to me an amazing drink. Not even close to the ambrosia that La Grande Dame tastes of, but still very satisfying.

If Lanson is the wine you would offer up as a light conversation starter before a meal, Veuve Clicquot steps right in and dominates the stage. Rich, full bodied, with a much more complex nature this is a wine that needs to be matched with food. Gal, who has a sommelier background from L'Anima and The Wolseley)  explained that some restaurants even decant it before serving.

Mainly this is due to the high content of Pinot Noir, 50% to 60%. Clearly the Pinot Noir packs some punch as this makes for a taste that stays much longer in the mouth, and it really makes an impression from start to finish.

My personal opinion is that champagne is a very sly drink. Several champagnes I find start out really nicely in your mouth. It tickles your tongue, gets the party started a bit, releases some lovely flavours but then... Just as you think it is getting interesting it fizzes out and goes away. While this leaves me thirsty for more, which obviously is a good thing, it is really frustrating.

The Ponsardin widow is not a tease. She invades your mouth, opens up a bag of flavours and delivers all the way leaving you satisfied and happy. I am still thirsty for more, but in the case of Veuve Clicquot it is probably more due to me being a greedy piglet.

Enough about Veuve, the last tasting station presented by Gareth and Rachel using proper slides (!) was all about De Castellane.

De Castellane has the cross of St Andrew on the label. Supposedly one of the oldest logos in the age of marketing.
Originally uploaded by Manne.

This was not a champagne I had ever tasted before. While the label is a bit dull (Spanish sounding name, a cross that reminds me of England and the word "CHAMPAGNE" in big letters as if they have to convince the world that they actually are...) I was very pleasantly surprised.

B did use the word "replaceable" about the non vintage, but we both felt the vintage (Vintage 2002) is a really nice champagne that we gladly would drink on its own mingling about on a terrace in the south of France watching the sun slowly go down while lazily painting the hill sides of the Pyrenees a golden red.

Right. First ever post I have written on wine. I think I will stop here, as it is late and I still need to post this, add all the photos in and do all the links.

One final note. I really need to attend more events like this. Through Bibendum I have now met several lovely people, among them of course Dan from Bibendum itself, Niamh from Eat Like a Girl, Stephen and Kerri from Dinner Diary, Patrick from Oestra Edulis and several more who I am afraid I only know by Twitter names.

For several months I have very introvertly tried to figure out why I don't find myself making time for blogging anymore, and why I find it so hard to write these days. Well I think I have figured it out, it is quite simple really: writing posts that excite me needs input, and where better get input to food related writing than through mingling with the food bloggers, underground restaurant entrepreneurs (you are all heroes in my book) and wine lovers of London?

Note to self: get self in front of more food, among more random people!

Best value meals in London - dim sum!

Last weekend I had a colleague visiting from the Swedish Livebookings office in Halmstad, and he and his girlfriend wanted specifically to go for dim sum. Me and W, never saying no to an early afternoon yum cha with friends, promptly started looking around for a good place to introduce the newbies to this great Chinese tradition of drinking tea while eating.

Originally I intended to write a typical review of Phoenix Palace and the great dishes we tried, especially the glutinous rice which was awesome and how well H dealt with the sneaky dish of pickled cold chicken claws... 

Oooh... Challenging!.
Originally uploaded by Manne.

But then as I this morning found this excellent dim sum review on Dragon Castle from Cheese and Biscuits in my RSS reader I figured I might as well let that one do the talking. Different restaurant, equally raving. Do give it a read, and do pay Dragon Castle in Elephant & Castle a visit, it is worth the trip!

I would really like to emphasize the amazing value for money you get when going out for dim sum. Despite each dish being a little work of art, obviously painstakingly wrapped and steamed or otherwise laboriously prepared for you to enjoy in a few seconds, rarely does any dish on the menu cost over £3.50, usually a lot less...

Quite a few times the past year, thanks to W and her friends, I have been for yum cha at a variety of restaurants ordering basically everything on the dim sum menu over the course of a few hours but never even once felt it got anywhere near expensive. How do they do it?

On that note, check out this video from dim sum chain of restaurants Ping Pong, showcasing some of the craft that goes into the tasty morsels. I am especially fascinated by the guy making perfect round dumpling shells from small lumps of dough at 01:35...

Tomato and carrot soup kissed by the sun

Watched "Fat Head" the movie this weekend. I thoroughly recommend it if you want to watch a funny, well researched and very straight forward documentary on how the way a lot of people eat today can lead to obesity and health problems.

Today I incidentally came across an article on the same topic, which argues that it is no mystery obesity is on the increase, just look at how portion sizes have changed!I don't know about you, but I can sit for hours and hours and stare on vats of food and I don't gain a gram. Quite the opposite.

The problem, as Tom Naughton so well points out in the above mentioned funnymentary, is not portion sizes. The problem is a) that people keep snacking all the time to keep blood sugar levels up since b) we consume more sugar than ever. Want to lose weight and feel healthier? Cut out the refined sugar and carbs and eat more fat.

Today was a soup day. How could I tell? Well, first of all I got no sleep last night, which is typical for a night before a soup day. Second, it was absolutely freezing all day. Nothing like a hearty soup to chase away the winter blues.

Found a nice creamy tomato soup recipe over at BBC Good Food which I without hesitation transformed into a more LCHF kosher piece of deliciousness.

Ingredients (serves 2, or provides leftovers for lunch)

1 pack of streaky bacon (250gr), chopped
1 small pack of button mushrooms (150gr)
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp sambal oelek (or chopped red chilli)
250gr carrots, roughly chopped
2 cans of peeled plum tomatoes
8-10 pieces sun dried tomatoes, chopped
250ml chicken stock
1 pot creme fraiche
butter for frying
chives for garnish
freshly crushed black pepper
dash of soy sauce

Method

Steam the carrots for 10 minutes while you fry the garlic and sambal/chilli in a knob of butter in a big pot for a minute or two to release the flavours. Add the sun dried tomatoes to the big pot along with the two cans of plum tomatoes and the stock. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.

When the carrots are done, add them to the big pot.

Nothing like bacon and mushrooms sizzling in lots of fat.
Originally uploaded by Manne.

While the pot is simmering away, fry the streaky bacon in a frying pan on a low to medium heat. When it is a golden brown, add in the mushrooms. Keep it on a low heat to get the bacon really nice and crispy without burning it or the mushrooms.

Take the pot of the stove and blend it all thoroughly with a stick blender while adding two big dollops (like, 4 tablespoons) of creme fraiche. Once it is all nice and creamy, put it back on the heat and bring it back to a simmer. Season to taste, I like a lot of crushed black pepper and some soy sauce.

When the mushrooms are a lovely golden colour spoon some of the mushroom and bacon mix in the bottom of a bowl. Fill up with tomato and carrot soup, then garnish with a small dollop of creme fraiche, some more of the bacon and mushrooms, chopped chives.

My work is done here.
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Serve with a nice cheese on the side, like a lovely manchego or a creamy, nutty comte.

In the BBC Good Food recipe they have a great suggestion for variation towards the end: fry some sliced chorizo and a sliced onion until golden. Blend soup as above but without adding in the creme fraiche, then add in chorizo, onion and 60gr paella rice. Simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is tender (adding some water if it thickens too much), then tip in 250gr mixed seafood and heat through. 

Once piping hot, serve in bowls sprinkled with parsley. I think some grated lemon zest would be lovely as well, to get a fresh and tangy aroma steaming out of the bowls.

Flesh pancake - classic Swedish dish

Swedish flesh pancake. No humans were harmed during the making of this dish.
Originally uploaded by Manne.

Eggs and bacon, eggs and bacon, eggs and... Breakfasts when following a low carb diet can get a bit repetitive. Especially when the only bacon you can get on a poorly prepared Sunday morning is the dull watery type from the offie on the corner.

Thus I this morning decided to try a Swedish classic, even more classic than Flying Jacob (Flygande Jakob)! Fläskpannkaka, literally translated as "flesh pancake", typically served with lingonberry jam and grated carrot. May sound a bit like a zombie's brekkie, but all it is is a savoury pancake batter with bacon that you bake in the oven.

Sans lingonberries and carrots (my offie is not what you even at the widest stretch of your imagination would call a deli) I opted for blackberry jam instead, since it is less sweet than strawberry jam. The thing with the lingonberries is that they have a really nice and tart sourness to them which goes oh so well with the pancake and salty bacon.

I guess this is a bit like a frittata, a really simple no frills version focusing on filling you up and giving you a great start to the day. I make mine with a little bit less flour and an extra egg since I find that while it has to bake a bit longer, it gets lighter that way. Healthier for you too...

Ingredients (serves 4, or 2 greedy pigs)

2 dl flour
6 dl milk
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
200 gr bacon, chopped
Your favorite jam for serving

Sure, this isn't exactly low carb, but Sunday breakfasts are there to be revelled in. For a version that is better from a GI perspective, use spelt or whole wheat flour instead of refined white flour. Spelt has a slightly different nutrition composition, containing more protein and a gluten that behaves differently from "ordinary" wheat. Spelt also has a slightly nuttier flavour. You can buy spelt flour from Sharpham Park.

Method

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius.

Chop the bacon and fry to your preferred level of crisp. Pour it with fat and all into a baking dish (40x40 cm would do fine) and make sure the bottom and sides are greased up.

Put the flour and salt in a bowl, gently pour the milk in while whisking all the time to make sure the flour dissolves nicely in the milk. We don't want any lumps.

Add the eggs to the bowl and stir the mix together, no need to beat it, just make sure it is all blended nicely.

Pour the mixture over the bacon (I usually start pouring from the edges, so as not to push all the bacon out to the rim of the dish) and put the baking dish in the oven. Set time for 20 minutes.

Now, depending on the size of your baking dish (how deep the layer of batter is) the cooking time may vary quite widely. Once the 20 minutes have gone you might need to bake it for another 5 or 10 minutes. The flesh pancake is done when the batter has risen up like a souffle and has a golden brown colour on the top. Give the dish a gentle shake, you will see when the pancake has settled just right as the top will move as if you are shaking a dish full of jelly.

Take out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. The top will sink, which is what it should do. Flesh pancake is supposed to be a flat surface with the edges rising above the middle. Tastiest bits, in my opinion, are the browned edges where you get a bit of chewy resistance and a really savoury flavour that goes great with the jam.

Serve with a spoonful of jam. Swoon.