August 2007

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	August 2007

	It had been a long week, 12 days to be precise. I needed crustaceal therapy, and had declared this on exiting the department on Friday.
	As a warm up for the weekends pigging, Shona had defrosted some steak from Finzean estate, a rather fine farm shop and cafe with an even finer view over the coos to the hills. If George wasn't already our main beef provider, I'd be happy with this. A good inch of wibbly wobbly fat around the edge, which is always a bonus.The bbq was tempered by a blustery wind and so cooked them slowly enough to crust up the peppered surface nicely on the outside. Overcooking was only avoided due to them being almost an inch thick. Some minted potatoes worked really well, and makes you feel it is summer even if the climate does everything to persuade you otherwise. Shonas peppery mix of salad leaves from the garden was a superb cutter of fat, as was my first use of horseradish dug from the plentiful East Anglian verges.
The Differently Abled Lobster	Was Shona's idea for 'The Crippled Lobster'. It just isn't as snappy is it. Anyway, if I open a place by the sea, this shall be its name. On a previous visit to Murray McBay of Johnshaven Shona found out that they sell crippled lobsters for a good deal cheaper than those more pincerly endowed. Apparently, it's quite common for front claws to fall off, with stress or fighting. In no way are they inferior. Allegedly. A look through Simon H's cuttings and 'homard chaud Champeau', after a chef he worked with, stood out. Though on inspecting the cupboard, we were without almost half the ingredients. This is essentially a slowish fry with butter, garlic, cayenne and parsley as the main flavours. The entertainment is in splitting the poor critters longitudinally in half whilst alive. The wee legs still kicking in alarming Terminator fashion. I can hear the music....... They are cooked shell side down in frothing butter i.e. lots. until almost all red. I then added finely chopped garlic, some olive oil and a dash of gin. SH instructs to also use shallot, but we were without. Then flambé with brandy and pastis, but again the cupboards were bare, poor us. Basting the upper side with butter, Simon then finishes them off under the grill. I just turned them over, which was a mistake, since they shrivelled up to a bit of a mess. I'm sure I did this in Oz without the same problem. Maybe crawfish innards are better toned? The juices that spurted out initially I returned to the pan, having removed the beasts. Chopped parsley added to this and then spooned over the lobster halves. As Simon says, one of the finest cooking smells. I might try baking them in a hot oven next time.


	A brief family cycle ride to a mushroom patch turned into a mini epic when the bermuda triangle of the Mearns struck again. This road has led us astray when driving Zoe to the station at Stonehaven, gave me a puncture on Oli's nice road bike (puncture repair kit glue dried up), and punctured another tyre on this trip. Anyway, we got the mushrooms, chantarelles as shown. We also got our first neonatal cep, which I sliced thinly and just dipped in olive oil as antipasti. Primi piatti consisted of fresh pasta made by Rory, ooh, he's sooo advanced. Hum. I sweated some finely chopped onion, then slowly fried the whole mushrooms until the juice exuded. A dash of Palo Cortado sherry, and then shit loads of cream reduced down to a sticky outrageous gloop. Parmesan+++, and parsley would have been nice, had it not been sacrificed to the Lobster. Secondi piatti was some cold roast pork with minted poatoes, broccoli, spiced pears and the bone marrow from the roast. Dulci was not even contemplated. We had actually eaten scones, cream and raspberries on returning from the stunning Inverbervie House Gardens. Wow. A lot of calories.

	I made these for Rory the other day and was quite jealous. I adore Arbroath smokies, and although I love them cold, with some bread and a simple salad, you just can't beat fish cakes. The important thing with potato cakes is to make sure they are made with floury pots, or if not, then use bread crumbs to coat and get super crispy. Smokey skin comes off very easily if they are slightly warmed, or just pour over hot water. Coarsely mash/ bash the potatoes and flake the fish, combine. Divide up into fistfuls, and shape flat. Dip in egg white (I added the yolk to the fish/ pot mix), then bread crumbs and fry SLOWLY. They will acquire a wonderful crunch and golden colour this way. If made from cold, they will also have a chance to heat through.
More chanterelles, this time made it into a risotto with some wonderful agaricus macrosporus.

	Falafel make a very fine snack, though I should have looked back to a previous effort to check, since these disintigrated in the deep fryer. Balls. I had cooked up some dried broad beans, and having been turned away from the Ramsay Arms Hotel, we needed something quickly. The second batch I reinforced with some gram flour. I had also put in a clove of garlic and some chopped mint and parsley. This time I shallow fried them, not another risky dunk in the fryer. Stuffed into a toasted pitta, some yohgyurt/ tahini dressing, cucumber and a few bits of leftover lamb. Who wants to go out for lunch?
	Sticking with the middle Eastern theme, I really fancied making a pilau or chilau rice dish. The rest of the lamb needed using so I thought a stew with courgette or apple would be nice. Shonas mum just gave us some (very tart) new seasons apples. So in went both. A finely sliced onion sweated with a few chunks of lamb fat (there was a big seam of it in the shoulder cut), then the courgette and apple. The smell was so good, it seemed to only need some mint to finish when served. The rice, chilau method, is boiled in excess water till almost done, then strained. Claudia Rodin then melts butter, but there was more lamb fat to use, so I melted that instead. The strained rice on top, then a cloth over the saucpan jamming the lid on top, turned down to a low heat for 20minutes. The crusty bit has a name, 'dig'- most appropriate.
	Two of my favourite puddings, summer pud and strawberry pie.