Happy Thanksgiving!

Even if this isn’t one of your personal holidays, take a moment and have a quick think about what you are thankful for in your life. It does feel good to step back and realise that despite the daily grind, there is much to be happy about and thankful for. Next, take a moment and think of your cousins across the ocean stuffing their faces with turkey and more carbs than many of us have ever seen in one place. It’s easy to lose sight of what the day might mean when you are sleepy from your big meal and your attention isn’t really held by parades and football on television. However, the camaraderie of spending the day with your extended family and all pitching in to deliver the crescendo that the great meal provides – whether your role was producing a perfect turkey or showing people where to put their coats – is something to be thankful for in itself. It’s been a very long time since I’ve spent a Thanksgiving with my family – and every year I do miss it just that little bit….

I did, however, as I mentioned last week attend a Thanksgiving-style dinner last weekend. As our hostess was a vegetarian, I brought turkey and turkey gravy as well as plates and utensils with which to serve the beast. I also brought gluten free corn bread stuffing (I volunteered for the stuffing as I could not imagine having a ‘thanksgiving’ dinner at which I could not eat stuffing) and gluten free brownies with dried cranberries and hazelnuts (ditto, comments for the stuffing). Fortunately, I’ve invested enough effort in being gluten free – and have enough memory of a time when I wasn’t – that most people don’t realise that they are eating gluten free when I am cooking (or so they are polite enough to say!).

In true North American style, it was a meal that reflected the melting pot that was our group – delicious vegetarian mole, maple roasted venison sausages, mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, green beans – all yum! We did get through a few bottles of wine as well - and while I had high hopes for the Beaujolais rose (pretty dull really – no hint of that intense gamay grapey goodness), and the assorted white wines that we tried (a couple of richer ones like chardonnay and viognier) were fine, the real standout was the Alsatian Gewurztraminer by Cave de Turckheim. It was dry and richly floral and spice scented but had the weight needed to stand up to meat and gravy as well as the rich spicy mole and enough fruitiness of flavour to complement the wide variety of foods we were eating. Highly recommended!

Carrot Surprise…

Since last week I’ve been toying with various elements of a Thanksgiving Dinner – as a transplanted American, I usually do something simple (generally making something involving gravy) to remind myself of the holiday that my relatives on the other side of the ocean are sharing together. It is, after all, one of our nicest traditions – it’s about togetherness and appreciating what we have. Okay, it’s also about food and football – but these are things that people enjoy sharing together and no matter what brings us together, it’s worth appreciating. This year, however, we decided that a more elaborate Thanksgiving meal on this side of the ocean was in order. We’ve gathered a rag tag bunch of assorted nationalities to feast the occasion and we’ve completed all the negotiations about how to make things gluten and/or dairy free (which are my issues) and just how much bird the vegetarians are happy to share the table with (there will be bird but not too much) and very importantly, which wine should we drink with our meal. I’ll happily report on the success of the wine in another post next week…

To prepare, I have spent the past couple of weekends fine-tuning some of my recipes. I’ve been working on the perfect gluten free brownies with dried cranberries, been gradually baking the gluten free cornbread that will be the basis of the stuffing, practicing my turkey gravy and practicing roasting turkey thighs. I think I’m happy with most of my efforts and roasted my final trial run turkey thigh last night. My other half has been more than happy to enjoy these experiments over the past few weeks and has been very pleased to have been the recipient of gravy numerous times. Last night, when asked about his choice of vegetable to go with sliced turkey, gravy and a baked potato – he said he wanted carrots.

Nothing exciting about this request and I didn’t think too hard about it until after they were in the pan (4 large carrots, thick sliced, bias cut), lid on, with a bit of water (2/3 cup) for a light steam (5 minutes or so). Once I lifted the lid to let the water evaporate and the carrots start to brown (adding a splash of oil), I had to make a quick decision - and then one of those amazing things happened, a little light went off in my head and we had a very delicious carrot side dish. Once the carrots started to brown and were nearly cooked through, I added a spoonful of Chinese chili-garlic sauce (comes in a jar, available from pretty much any Chinese grocery) and tossed this with the carrots along with some salt and pepper. I used about a tablespoon of chili-garlic and they were just spicy enough to not overwhelm the other flavours on the plate but still to stand out – chili heat is a very personal decision though so this ingredient is definitely to taste. I tossed these periodically for another few minutes and then added some orange juice to the plan to give a sweet glaze to the carrots, probably not more than ½ to ¾ of a cup is necessary – but again, depends on how much chili you’ve used and how sweet you like your glaze to be. It’s just so wonderful when something so simple turns out to be so delightful. I think we are having carrots again tonight!

Quinoa for Breakfast?

First of all, you may ask, what is quinoa? Or you may not as it is becoming increasingly common. For clarity’s sake however I will give you a brief intro - quinoa is actually a ‘psuedocereal’ (being neither truly grass nor grain) whose edible seed was cultivated by the Incas who considered it to be the ‘mother of all grains’ (thank you Wikipedia). More usefully, it has a high protein content, a complete set of amino acids, a range of minerals and is high in fibre as compared to other similar products such as rice – making it a valuable addition to vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets. It looks a bit like couscous but has a nice toothsome texture when cooked and a slightly nutty flavour. It requires rinsing before cooking (to remove a bitter compound called saponin) and can be cooked and flavoured much like rice (maybe use a bit less liquid). Indeed, I generally use my rice cooker to cook it.

But for breakfast, you ask? Well, yes, for breakfast. I stumbled upon a recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks (The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman) for Orange Dessert Quinoa – the key to which is cooking quinoa in orange juice - and adapted it into a portable breakfast. I can cook this on Sunday and keep it in the refrigerator and for most of the week take a tasty container of breakfast with me to work in the morning – one recipe lasts me about 4 days. I just eat it at my desk with a spoon when I get to work – no fuss, no muss, nothing to add, delicious and healthy and the short journey keeps it from being too cold to appreciate the flavours. That being said, the week I made some cashew cream was a highlight as a tablespoon of this drizzled over my bowl was very nice – other creams would be nice as well, dairy or soy for example if you are so inclined.

To give this wholesome breakfast a try: Take 1 ½ cups of quinoa and give it a good rinse in several changes of water. You will need a fairly fine strainer to keep your precious little seeds from escaping. Put the rinsed and drained quinoa in your rice cooker with 2 cups of orange juice, a pinch of salt, a generous tablespoon of agave syrup (or honey, or a sweetener of choice) and whatever else strikes your fancy. Just set your rice cooker onto a regular cycle and let it go. If you’d prefer to use a pot on the hob, this is ‘absorption method’ cooking so make sure your pot has a reasonably tight fitting lid, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer (low heat) for 15-20 minutes and then just turn the heat off and let the mixture sit in the pan with the lid on to steam for a further 10-15 minutes.

My best attempt yet included about 50g of dried cranberries, 3 tablespoons (or so) of toasted, chopped hazelnuts, a sprinkling of ground flaxseed and a good sprinkling of cinnamon. In my opinion, it was the cinnamon that was the key to my success with this last batch. I may try some mixed spice on the next batch for an even warmer flavour – although I have to admit that orange and cinnamon is one of my favourite flavour combinations.

Beer beer want more beer

To the tune of 'Hail, Hail to Piracy' ... in my inaugural post as a food blogger I hearby plug the latest special offer at JD Witherspoon's, a vastly un-edgy chain pub normally stuffed with office workers and other plebs. Not only do they do a tasty full English / Scottish breakfast for buttons (supersize it into a hard-to-finish Farmhouse version for an extra quid), steak n chips, and perfectly respectable salmon, they do excellent guest ales, and annual beer and wine festivals.

It's the chain's 30th birthday, and this ale fest is even better than usual. For the price of a 1990s pint (£1.69 at my local), you get a beautiful obscurity such as ANKER GOUDEN CAROLUS AMBRIO, a fruity Belgian ale with a reddish colour and slight head. Being dull responsible types 'Spoons only sell you it in halves (it's 8% ABV) for 85p a glass.

A European ale? With foam? Does that happen? By God, I know nothing about beer. But maybe after I've sampled the other 49 I'll be on my way. For extra middle-aged-and-lovin-it fun, rate your ale on the Witherspoons website.

www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/promotions/2009-real-ale-festival/

As a grassroots, hardcore, two fingers to the mainstream type of chap I'm pleased to note that this festival is endorsed by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Only they've been online already giving their ratings and my lovely Anker Gouden only got 2.8%. Damnit, I will not be an entry-level know-nothing! I'm going to crack this ale lark even if it costs me (reaches for calculator) a further £82.81. Just like I cracked whisky by going to that Whisky Live! fest back in September.

While I'm not a fan of seeing the same chains everywhere you go in every city of the UK, if McDonald's had a one-off Bateman's Iron Lady (based on unfluffy former Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher) on tap I'd be willing to attend their birthday party too.

Is it boring to love penne alla arrabiata?

I suppose it is, but I really really do. I use it as litmus to test how good an Italian restaurant is, the same way I used to use grilled cheese sandwiches as an indicator of how good a diner was when I still lived in New York. Arrabiata sauces can range in quality so dramatically, and you can get those thin, watery, not very spicy versions even in restaurants that are pretty good in other respects.

I love the Penne alla arrabiata at Fazzi on Cambridge Street. I don’t know if it’s my favourite, but it’s on my mind because I just had it last night for dinner. The sauce is a bit sparse but nice and rich and full of chilli and garlic. And the best part is, they add black olives! I know olives are one of those things that tend to polarise people, so if you’re looking for a good Penne alla arrabiata and the idea of black olives gives you wiggins, go to Dino’s on Sauchiehall Street.

What’s the secret ingredient in chili?

Do you make chili at home? My husband only cooks a couple of things but one of them is a giant vat of chilli that lasts for several days as well as stocks the freezer for those nights when we need a quick dinner. As an American, I am all too aware of the regional battles that rage over what should go into chili – Texans tend to think that chili is meat and chile only (meat=beef) and abhor the use of beans and tomato (but within Texas endless debate still rages on); Cincinnati chili uses spices like cinnamon and allspice as well as tomato but is as much about how it is served (over noodles with garnishes of cheese, onions, beans, crackers etc.); moving towards the south-western states chili becomes more divided between the traditional ‘bowl of red’ and ‘chili verde’ using fresh green chili peppers and more varieties of meats. I’ve even seen recipes for ‘amish’ or ‘pennsylvania dutch’ chili recipes that are based on spaghetti and canned baked beans with pork! This is of course not to forget ‘white’ chili which is mild, poultry-based, leaning more towards the ‘verde’ end and generally to be found among collections of ‘light’ recipes or the endless variety of delicious vegetarian chilis that are based on different variations of vegetables, beans and protein replacements. Whew!

Fortunately, on this side of the Atlantic we are free of these regional battles, as least as far as chili is concerned. At home, we tend to make our chili based on a) what kind of mince is on sale at the grocery store, b) what’s in the freezer at the moment, c) what vegetables need to be used up, and d) what else can we find in the pantry in terms of beans, herbs, spices and in particular chile powders. I do have favourites of course (as does my in-house chili-master), such as the tubs of the chili sauce that our favourite local take-away gives out with its kebabs (we pop in to buy these specially for chili), canned soy beans in sweet chili sauce (the sweetness adds nice balance to the flavours), cocoa power for depth of flavour (my own chili-master is especially keen on this one) and the use of soya mince to bulk out the ‘meatiness’ with something more healthful than beef or pork.

Handy hints: There’s a difference between ‘chili powder’ and ‘chile powder’. The spellings change (and tend to be frustratingly interchangeable) but one (seasoning for chili) is a blend of chile, cumin, garlic and other herbs and spices and the other is pure ground chile. Chile peppers all have different flavour profiles but you can buy a wide variety, such as generic ‘ground red chile’, varieties of cayenne pepper, hot, sweet and smoked paprika, specific varieties such as Ancho chile powder, New Mexican Chile powder, jalapeno or chipotle powder. For the best selection of chiles and chile powders, as well as a wonderland of other Tex-Mex ingredients, head to Lupe Pinto’s on Great Western Road in the West End of Glasgow (see website for other locations). If you want to know even more about American Chili rivalries, see the International Chili Society website.

I’d be very curious to know what our readers think is key to the flavour in their home-made chili – and, of course, I’d love to know your secret ingredients if you’d care to share!