La Dolce Vita

Residents living near Sheen Lane, London, SW14 are lucky indeed to have such a fabulous authentic Italian restaurant on their doorstep.  I met a friend for dinner on Thursday evening at the recently opened Zia Pia and really enjoyed the wonderful menu.  The choice changes weekly and if I lived locally I'd have to go regularly, so as not to miss out.  It's rare to eat at an Italian restaurant in the UK and feel transported to Italy.  The menu is relatively simple, based on excellent, seasonal ingredients which are well prepared to showcase their natural flavour.  After our aperitivo of Prosecco served with minted pea crostini, we shared an incredibly fresh whole burrata (the king of buffalo mozzarella cheese with a creamy but firm texture and soft centre).  Served with capers, anchovies and a superb salsa verde with toasted ciabatta, this was a heavenly combination.  Usually I'm not a fan of antipasti but the selection at Zia Pia converted me and included salads with rocket, grated carrot and date, along with slow roasted red peppers, tomato, and fennel, plus two different types of salami served with a dish of mostarda di frutta, not forgetting the black olives.  We then progressed to Spaghetti Vongole which was less than half the price and infinitely better than the rather dry version served at the renowned Bentley's in Swallow Street, London, which I'd experienced two days before (£7.50 at Zia Pia compared to £18 at Bentley's).  It transpires the two restaurants use the same fish supplier.  We'd also ordered a special dish from the blackboard of Melanzana Parmigiana - a gratin of baked aubergine in tomato sauce, which had been slow cooked so that it virtually melted in the mouth.  Dessert was a home made (in the good sense) polenta cake served with a blood orange compote and cinnamon mascarpone.  Having asked advice on the best white wine to accompany the meal, the recommended Santa Barbara from Le Marche region of Italy, made from the Verdicchio grape, was the perfect choice.  The appeal of going to the regular wine events which pair a different wine with each course is tempting to say the least.  The next evening is on Wednesday 15th June and at £45 per head offers real value for money.  As a complete Italophile I'm very happy to have enjoyed the delights of eating at Zia Pia and look forward to returning.  If you're looking for a relaxed, sensibly priced neighbourhood restaurant, serving unpretentious delicious food and an inspired selection of interesting wines, the chances are you'll be besotted by Zia Pia too.  Buon Appetito! 

Gordon in Thailand

The "Land of Smiles" charmed Gordon Ramsey on the final leg of his "Great Escapes" culinary adventures in South East Asia, televised in the UK on Monday evening, even though on one occasion he exclaimed "I don't think they know who I am!"  No Gordon, why should they.  British chefs do not have the global reach you may expect and similarly we weren't to know Thailand's equivalent, Chef McDang, who has filled far more prime time television hours with his weekly show.  When challenged if he was a real chef or a TV chef, McDang confirmed he is the real version.  As luck would have it they tied in a draw with their cook-off, so both were happy.  Sparring aside this last programme in the series gave a wonderful insight to Thai food, even though Gordon only had a week to master the intricacies of the balance between salty; sweet; and sour - all combined in a base paste as the foundation to all dishes.  From trying to master handling slippery sausage casing with the Queen of the spicy sausage in Northern Thailand, to fishing for oysters off the Krabi coast in the south, Gordon did actually admit it was a "privilege for him to be there."  From having the chance to participate in a house blessing ceremony, to attempting to learn meditation skills from a Buddhist monk, Gordon experienced a side of Thailand which will provide much food for thought for a very long time to come.

Gordon in Malaysia

Week three of Gordon Ramsey's televised Great Escapes and the intrepid chef tackled Malaysia, or rather Malaysia tackled him.  Happier driving a motorbike with a couple of foodie Hells Angels, not confronting the traffic head on as a nervous passenger in a cycled rickshaw, viewers were subjected to more culinary shocks on this mission to find the most cringe-worthy ingredients.  Malaysia's contribution to the Yuk! stakes being Torpedo Soup for Men (made with bull's penis, apparently a very spicy soup but with muscle gristle texture).  It's amazing that these dishes seem to be in demand otherwise no one would bother making them.

Thankfully the true stars of the region's cooking were the aunties - older generation ladies revered for their expertise in the kitchen, to whom their professional executive chef sons defer.  The multi-cultural influences including Chinese and Indian cooking have greatly shaped how Malaysian cuisine has evolved.  From smoky charcoal grilled satay; marinated chicken; traditional Malaysian coconut rice; to spicy beef rendang, Gordon was introduced to the complex layers of Malaysian flavours.  It was very poignant when he was advised by the Chief Monk on the occasion of Buddha's Birthday, to  "Try your best to do good things; Try your best to think good things; Everything middle path; Try your best not to get angry."  Whether or not that had any impact on Gordon remains to be seen as it certainly didn't influence the level of coarse language.  He did look reflective though.

The greatest adventure of this week's programme was Gordon on a trek in Malaysian Borneo to harvest birds nests made of swifts' saliva (a market worth £5m a year exporting to China).  Involving river journeys, crawling through a tunnel thick with guano ("bat shit") and climbing a tall bamboo ladder - all 15stone of him, the outcome was not so much a culinary show-stopper, but a simple sweet soup which didn't impress. 

My favourite Malaysian ingredient didn't get a mention:  gula melaka (or palm sugar).  It just sounds so fabulous and tastes truly delicious in both savoury and sweet dishes (my winner being ice cream).  If you feel like recreating a taste of Malaysia at home the beef rendang recipe in Sri Owen's Encyclopedia of Asian Cooking is wonderful.  A true aunty's recipe.

Gordon in Vietnam

Refreshing pomelo salad with prawns; moorish spring rolls stuffed with wood ear mushrooms and minced pork; crispy pancakes made with rice flour filled with bean shoots, shredded chicken, coriander, mint, plus lemon basil; and succulent grilled tenderloin of beef with peanut sauce, were some of the memorable dishes I experienced whilst travelling in Vietnam.  Unfortunately Gordon Ramsey didn't fare so well on his second Great Escapes programme, which was as stomach churning as last week's episode on Cambodia.  His description of the Vietnamese being fearless foodies with the approach "if it moves, eat it" was well documented in the hour-long insight to extreme eating, but thankfully there is also a far more appealing side to the delicacies of Vietnamese cuisine.  Snake seven ways probably makes for better television, especially with Gordon downing the still beating heart in a shot of alcohol.  Personally I don't subscribe to torturous dining.  My mind and digestion couldn't cope with it, so hats off to Gordon in the line of duty.  He must have a cast iron constitution.  At least he admitted to his indoctrination to Vietnamese food as being challenging, probably his understatement of the year.  From watching ducks slaughtered by a determined chef nicknamed Mrs Duck, whom amusingly Gordon seemed scared of, to seeing a live mountain rat on display for restaurant diners to choose, the "no waste" culture is often repulsive to Western ways.  Dog is widely eaten in the north of Vietnam (not in the south), yet no reference was made to there not being any dogs around Hanoi - perhaps a distress too far for canine pet loving British sensitivities.  Shock inducing reactions aside don't be put off going to Vietnam for fear of not enjoying the food.  There is a wonderful choice of totally palatable, delicious dishes to discover and the best coffee I've ever tasted, so be adventurous!

Cooking in Cambodia

With more expletives than adjectives Gordon Ramsey's new Channel 4 television series featuring his culinary journey through southeast Asia was difficult to stomach, but the reality is Cambodia is a fascinating country. (His focus for the first instalment screened at 9pm on Monday 9th May).  Profanities aside the programme gave a vivid insight to traditional subsistence cooking from stuffed frogs to deep fried Tarantula spiders. Before going to Cambodia myself a couple of years ago I'd never heard of Khmer cuisine, but here is a centuries old culture with a wealth of delicious flavours waiting to be explored (thankfully with more acceptable ingredients).   I stayed in the chic surroundings of a beautiful boutique hotel in the centre of Siem Reap.  The de la Paix was the perfect location for exploring the stunning UNESCO world heritage site of the temples at Angkor, as well as close proximity to the colourful market and renowned Foreign & Colonial Club or FCC as it's known, complete with ceiling fans and whiff of a gin and tonic fuelled past.  At the de la Paix's renowned Meric restaurant, experimenting with so many flavour combinations I'd never had before from Banana Blossom Salad, to Amok fish (fragrantly spiced white fish in a light sauce served in a piece of hollow bamboo) , to a shot glass of coconut rice sago with an egg cup of palm sugar juice, the gastronomic delights were sensational.  With a backdrop of wonderful architecture, a balmy evening and light breeze perfumed with frangipani blooms, I look forward to returning and experiencing more of this fabulous destination.  Thank you to Gordon for inspiring me to re-visit this unsung gem.

In Praise of Pesto

Purists may argue that true Pesto should only ever be made from basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil.  However, I happen to think pesto is the most wonderful concept that lends itself to many guises.  Having just looked the word up in my Italian dictionary I've learnt it simply means "pounded".  Even more reason for some culinary license.  Inspired by my local farmers' market in Arundel last Saturday I bought a bunch of wild garlic leaves to transform into a Spring Pesto which seemed the perfect lunch to enjoy on such a beautiful day (and to celebrate the freedom of working from home).  In the Magimix I blitzed:

100g wild garlic leaves and stems (washed)
2 shallots (peeled) 
100ml olive oil (I used fruity extra virgin, but whatever your preference)
50g unroasted nuts (I had peanuts and Brazils to hand)

Once this was all combined I stirred in 50g grated Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and a little more olive oil.  All this took less time than the 10 minutes to cook the spelt spaghetti to toss with the pesto.  The quantity made was enough for four portions.  Any remaining will freeze perfectly or it keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days (topped with a little extra oil to seal it).

Making the most of this idyllic weather we are currently blessed with in the south of England I couldn't resist having my lunch in the garden with a glass of chilled white wine.  It felt totally indulgent but utterly wonderful and true to my ethos that life is for living.  As the Italians would say, Buon Appetito!

Mothering Sunday

Inspired to bake a cake for my Mum on Mother's Day I decided to try my hand at her all time favourite, Battenburg.  Quickly realising I was not keen on fiddling around making half the mixture synthetically coloured pink, I also didn't find a recipe I was happy with.  They all seemed to be for plain sponge covered in marzipan.  I realised I wasn't striving to bake a traditional Battenburg after all but wanted to create an almond cake full of natural flavour and not overly sweet which Battenburg's always seem to be.  Blessed with an extensive cookery book collection and the wonders of the internet I still couldn't find the recipe I was hoping for so made one up based on inspiration from various sources to create what I'd been thinking about.  In case you'd like to give it a go the recipe for my almond cake is below.  As with all baking the most essential and invisible ingredient is love.  To miss this out means the cake will never taste as good, so bake in good spirits and be happy.  I used a heart shape tin as I had one I'd never used in my kitchen cupboard and now seemed the ideal time, but any shape 8" or 9" tin would be fine (just make sure the tin is lined with Bakewell paper to guarantee the cake turns out easily).  Also pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees Centigrade:

6 large eggs (separated into whites and yolks in two different bowls)
200g whole almonds (grind in a food processor when you need them for a far better result than packet ground almonds which are often dry and have lost their flavour)
150g spelt flour (or plain white flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon natural almond extract
(Yes, that's right there's no fat in this recipe, but trust me, it works)

Filling - one 10oz / 254g  jar of St Dalfour apricot conserve (reserve two dessert spoons for the topping).  This wonderful French fruit spread is sugar free and a pure fruit taste, but apricot jam works well if this is what you have to hand.

Topping - one 250g tub of mascarpone into which you beat the remaining jam, a tablespoon of sieved icing sugar and half a teaspoon of almond extract. 

For the cake mixture first whisk the egg whites by themselves until stiff.  In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until well blended.  Stir the ground almonds, flour and baking powder into the egg yolks and sugar then add the almond extract.  Once combined fold in one tablespoon of the whisked egg whites and when incorporated gently fold in the remaining whisked egg whites. Turn into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 35 minutes until golden brown and the surface of the cake springs back to the touch.  (After 20 minutes I needed to cover my tin with a sheet of silicone paper to stop the cake from browning too much - it's always worth checking).  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin on a rack before turning out. 

Once cool cut the cake in half through the middle and spread the apricot layer on the base half before sandwiching the top back on.  Spread the mascarpone topping around the sides and top.  The almond cake is then ready to serve, but even better if you cover the sides (and possibly top) with toasted flaked almonds.