Tasty Tenby

Wow what a beautiful place! I really didn't expect it to be as nice as it was when I booked our 2 nights away in Tenby, took us long enough to decide that's where we wanted to go and do you know what confirmed it? An article we saw in the Metro on the way to work one morning about a guy who caught the biggest cod (think it was cod) and it would have been a world record if he hadn't of eaten half of it haha!.

4 hours from London, the hotel was lovely, people so friendly, nice hilly walk to the beach, little bit windy so grateful for ear muffs and Barbours and when we got to the coast we were gob-smacked, breathtaking views, the most amazing beaches, beautiful houses and just so tranquil it's exactly what we needed.

Discoveries galore, every corner we turned was aww look at that, wow look over there...just beautiful (that's been my fave word for the last few days).

I'm not going to write about our whole time away but I do want to share some of the best bits....

We found the most amazing hidden restaurant/pub it's called The Plantagenet with open fires, candles and vintage delights..

There we had our first taste of Tenby..delicious, local seafood fish cakes and mussels mariniere..Mmm Mmm Mmmmmm

Wanted to go back the next day but it was closed and instead we got stalked by the chef haha 

That night we went back to the hotel for dinner as the reviews had been so good and we had the best steak we've ever had ever! It really doesn't look that great in this pic so I wasn't going to share  but I had to just cos it was :-)

Sorry upside down couldn't rotate for some bizarre reason!

Next day we went back to the beach to explore the caves and look for crabs...plenty of caves but no crabs! Check this out...

So much to see and discover, so quiet and so romantic..loved every second.

For lunch we stepped into The Bay Tree, now from first impressions I reckon it could have been pretty basic but once again the taste of Tenby didn't fail to surprise us..Mirek must have had the best homemade chicken, ham and leek pie i have ever tasted something I would never have chosen but has now been added to my list of 'must makes'..buttery and so full of flavour it really was amazing!

I was still longing for my Plantagenet mussels so had some again, not quite as good but good!

The rest of the holiday we spent on the juke box in local pubs, warming up next to log fires and chasing the tide. I can't wait to go back, especially for the sail out to see the seals.

12 Bellys, 6 Rellys and Aunty Hanna

Wow...what a feast and a great toast to Beryl! Still can't believe I never met her, but I feel like I have with all the wonderful stories and anecdotes.

Aunty Hanna's new home was special, my eyes wandered round transfixed at all the ornate trinkets and treasures, two tables beautifully dressed like a vintage tea party, olives, pistachios and mini cheddars on the side...aww Beryl would have loved it!

Funny funny night, my still mouth hurts from laughing...Mirek on top form.. Stephen and his bum arms...and PA trying to force feed us with 48 bottles of the best red wine..and books about the Nigerian Civil War..think I might give that one a miss!

The meal was delicious...Pea mousse and bacon shavings with asparagus and baby gem for starters.

Main was sooooo tasty, paprika pork, rice, green bean salad and mini gherkins yum yum, going to make this one Ala'Spoons and share on here soon...

Now I'm not a great fan of desserts, give me a cheese board any day but Mmmm Mmmm mmmm zesty lemon mousse and sweet orange sponge tart to finish the evening was a perfect Topper!

Lovely evening had by all x

Porking Lovely!

The Scotch Hen Egg was delish! The peppery pork, perfectly cooked egg just YUM!  The Pork Pie was lovely but not delicious the pastry a little bit too soft, lacking the buttery crunch when freshly cooked ...would have been YUM if we bought it 3 days earlier! 

But overall we were happy with our F&M delights...even if it was a little bit too early...

Forking & Mason

Lovely afternoon in London, first stop 'Jo Loves' new pop up shop in Mayfair...gorgeous! Next stop..shop..2nd stop..more shop...3rd Fortnum & Mason in search of truffles and goddess olives! No truffle man and no goddam olives.. of all the places I would have expected them but Oh No..and I never would have expected to see these......

BBQ Flavour Worm Crisps, Chocolate Covered Ants and Thai Green Curry Crickets...WTF!! Do people really buy and eat these??? Get me out of here I say, until I saw these....

4 plump pork pies...Mmmmm now you're talking! £14 for 4! Shall we? Oooh yes please thank you sir...just one to share and one Scotch Hen Egg! Picture to follow after brunch tomorrow....

We continued to explore the amazing food hall on the ground floor amidst the champagne n cheese chitter chatter from the rather posh bar, we soooo didn't want to go and join them we'd much rather be the annoying tourists taking pictures of all the amazing discoveries, being smiled at by jealous fellow tourists wanting and contemplating doing the same and then we found this....

Being Polish I've had my fair share of vodka or have I? Scorpion Vodka?? Edible Scorpion Vodka? Why???  Really? Yes really! Could you enjoy that? The only fun I can see in enjoying that bottle is nervously playing a drinking game and getting to the last bit and seeing what poor forker will get to crunch on that beast??? Pure josie grossy gross!

Disgusted we continue our F&M exploration.....but where's Mirek gone?? Found him! With the biggest bottle of Tabasco sauce I have ever seen..WOW that's one hot muther forker!

Amazing and I still can't actually believe that was my first trip to F&M in 36 years??? the fact that it's a 10 min walk from work is actually quite delightfull..I was more excited in there then i was in Selfridges...I'm so glad I don't have a sweet tooth cos if I did I think I would actually be obese!

Lest We Forget...

Goddess Olives and Calamari...yes purrrlease!

Cheated tonight...dinner on Taste London with half of Kandy, Karen...oh so delish!

Goddess olives and Calamari ..Mmmmmm 'Goddess olives' can someone pleeeeease tell me where you can get them??? Waitrose surely must sell them? I'm in desperate need of a purchase!

Anyway nothing better than great company and great food! Thank you Please x

Creamy Chicken Curry

I came across this recipe I think on  'Saturday Kitchen' one morning, but of course I adapted it in my own concoctive way.. it's really yummy, creamy and as good if not better then you would get in a decent Curry House according to Mirek, love him!


Top Tip Essentials: Coat the chicken with spiced flour seasoning before lightly frying and adding to your sauce


Crucials

• One onion
• Three/four chicken breasts
• One red pepper
• Half a pack of mushrooms
• Two big spoonfulls of peas
• One red chilli
• One lime
• One can of coconut milk
• Half a big tub of greek yoghurt
• Black pepper
• 200ml of chicken stock
• Three spoonfulls of plain flour
• Two spoonfulls of Garam Masala
• Two spoonfulls of Turmeric
• Two spoonfulls of Medium Curry Powder
• One spoonfull of Ginger

Preparing the chicken

Mix the flour, garam masala, turmeric, ginger and black pepper in a mixing bowl


Curry concocting

• Chop the chicken into cubes and add to the bowl of spiced flour mix and stir so all pieces are coated 
• Chop the onions and fry until clear in a large deep frying pan
• Slice the mushrooms and add to the onions until they start to brown
• In a separate frying pan fry the chicken pieces until they are golden and brown approx 5 mins then put to one side
• Chop the red pepper and chillis and add to the onions
• Prepare the chicken stock and add to the onions, peppers, mushrooms and chillis
• Pour in the coconut milk and yoghurt and stir
• Add the curry powder
• Add the chicken pieces and peas
• Simmer for approx 20-25mins

Serve with basmati rice and a squeeze of lime...delicious!

Give me Soft Shell Crab anyday!

Writing a brief whilst watching MasterChef Professionals making fresh crab salad using white and brown meat from the main body of the crab only.

Two observations:

1. Dead man's fingers?? what's that all about? not only do they look gross but they're poisonous?
2. Wow what a waste of meat!

Give me soft shell crab from Roka or Yauatcha anyday!

Spice + Spice + Spice = X curry

Loved this article today in Stylist magazine illustrating the maths of spices!

Wild Mushroom, Pancetta & Pea Risotto

Lazy Saturday afternoon on the sofa pre-fireworks, watching endless episodes of Australian Masterchef & Come Dine with Me made us really hungry for comfort food, something tasty, not too heavy and warming before we head out to the Rec to meet the others for the works....what can be more comforting then creamy yummy risotto ooooh and made with the wild mushrooms mum gave us.


Top Tip Essentials: Keep stirring


Crucials

• One Onion
• Knob of butter
• Two cloves of garlic
• One pack of cubed pancetta
• Four chestnut mushrooms
• Handful of wild mushrooms
• Lots of parmesan
• Two pints of chicken Stock
• Half a pack of Arborio risotto 
• Handful of Peas
• Spoonfull of oregano
• Spoonfull of mixed herbs
• Fresh basil
• One lemon
• Salt and pepper

Making the stock

• Add the wild mushrooms into a measuring jug and pour enough hot water over them to cover them
• Leave for 5 mins
• Add a chicken stock cube and pour more hot water to make two pints of stock
• Season with pepper and a spoonfull of oregano

Riiiiiisotto

• Chop and fry the onion with the garlic in the butter
• Once the onion goes clear, add the pancetta and season with salt and pepper
• Add the chestnut mushrooms and fry for a couple of mins
• Squeeze in half a lemon
• Add the risotto rice
• Stir and fry for a couple of mins until all the rice is coated
• Pour in the chicken and wild mushroom stock and stir and let it boil for one minute
• Reduce the heat to simmer
• Keep stirring every time the juices start to settle and become absorbed by the rice
• Add the peas
• Keep stirring 
• Add a spoonfull of parmesan and the mixed herbs
• Season with salt and pepper
• Stir until it forms a really creamy consistency (approx 35mins) you may need to top it with a little more hot water
• Taste to check texture of rice
• When it's ready serve and add loads of fresh parmesan
• Top with fresh basil leaves

Deeeeeelicious!

Picking Porcinis

We used to go mushroom picking as kids, every Sunday as the weather changed from Summer to Autumn, wellies on, baskets and pen knifes in hand off we went..dad taught us which mushrooms were edible and which ones weren't, you learnt quickly as kids, searching under trees, pulling leaves back with our sticks, we found all sorts, amazing toadstools, puffballs we kicked till they burst with clouds of smoke, it was so much fun and trying to find and pick more than my sister made it even better!

Between us we'd pick hundreds then we'd get home dad would clean and prepare them, as we watched on, 50% of them would be crawling with worms and maggots yuk disgusting and what a waste but guess that was all part of the experience, seeing how many mum could dry and turn into her amazing sauce which we ate with onions and cream and fresh bread!

Mum and dad still go most weekends throughout September and October, combined with a pub lunch its a perfect Sunday really...but the only problem now is that I have to beg and plead for her to share them with me, "you only need a few" she says, "Joanna that's enough you don't need anymore!" Ha she's so protective of them as they collect and dry them to last through Xmas and the rest of the year to follow before it's mushroom season again.

 Check these bad boys out a basket full of fungi delights....

Pappa Spoons with two hand picked Prawdziwki...he's a Fungi!

She gave me a batch they picked a few weeks ago reluctantly but proudly and then combined them with real 'prawdziwki' (porcini) mushrooms they brought last weekend all the way from Poland.

The taste is so amazing and until you try them you will never appreciate the power and richness they bring to any dish!

Three Wholesome Words

Whole Foods Market

Putting someone else's words on your plate...

Dare you cook without a cook book? reads a headline on Alexis Gauthier in the Evening Standard tonight! Yes yes yes I heard myself say with a big smile in my mind! 

This makes me happy to read and this image made me happier...  but I did feel a tad of contradiction as I contemplated what recipe to put up as my next post!

Amirekanjo sausage combo

An ole time fave of mine and something I look forward to lots in the Autumn months... traditional sausage'n mash. Deeeeelicious! Got home tonight...weather horrid, miserable, windy, raining, frizzy hair just wanted to be home in my jamas! Mirek had everything going...potatoes peeled and boiling, waitrose toulouse sausages baking in the oven, onions chopped into rings and chestnut mushrooms ready to fry..the only bad thing about this dinner is the smell in the house! Good job we have ridiculous amounts of candles!

Anyway I'm not going to write out a recipe here as I pretty much reckon that most people would do it the same way, how can you possibly go wrong..so I just wanted to share this:

Oh and did I say how much I LOVE Autumn!

Sushi & Manuka

Two things I never used to like until I tried it properly properly! M&S, Sainsburys overpriced Sushi didn't quite tickle my taste buds but cheapo sushi from a proper sushi shop in Soho now you're talking!

Don't get me wrong it does become a bit sickly if you have too much, but I've recently managed to curb my temptation to buy more cos it's cheap and oh do I enjoy it ..... highly recommended, check out this lunchtime delight!

Obviously there was a couple of small pieces I left to the side so not to clutter the plate for the pic, £4 what a bargain!

Manuka Honey....never really understood the hype about honey?? sweet sickly rich and sticky...not for me until I tried Manuka honey drizzled into hot water this morning over a coffee at The Milk Bar with my rather poorly client. It was actually rather nice! Try it he said, it's soooo good for you! So it should be for £20 a pot! What?? And you get an extra pot for 1p at Holland & Barrett...brilliant! Add some lemon, dark rum...yum yum!

Jo's Jerk

I've been umming and ahhing about sharing this one but it's sooo good and I'm constantly getting asked for the recipe,  simple, quick and delicious and not just for BBQ's. Just as good straight from the oven!

Top Tip Essential: Leave the skin on and roast till it's blackened!
It's always good to marinade the night before but if you don't then it's still just as yummy and if you make too much then freeze the chicken before you cook it for another day!

Crucials

• One pack of chicken thighs and drumsticks (approx 8-10 pieces)
• One tub of Island Sun Jamaican Jerk seasoning
• Good glug of olive oil
• Two limes
• Two spoonfulls of honey
• Pepper

Jerkin the chicken...

• Mix three quarters of the tub of jerk seasoning with the olive oil to form a thick paste
• Squeeze one whole lime (roll the lime vigorously on the side before you cut it in half and squeeze)
• Add the honey and season with pepper
• The paste will be thick and rich
• Prepare the chicken by making pockets under the skin and slicing through the meat on each piece
• With a spoon, fill each pocket and rub over the top of the skin too
• Place the chicken into a roasting dish and smother with any remaining paste
• Squeeze half the other lime over the chicken 
• Place into the middle shelf of the oven and roast at 200 degrees for an hour and half
• Check after an hour and with a spoon cover the chicken with the juices
• Roast for half an hour more or until chicken is black and looks like it's falling away from the bone (don't be scared by it looking black and burnt, it's supposed to!)

Serve with basmati rice cooked with coconut milk and kidney beans and a squeeze of lime over the chicken.

Always a favourite at the Annual Spoons BBQ x

Spooner's Special Spare Ribs

I wanted this to be the first recipe that I share, cos it's special! My mum has been making this dish for years, originally it was given to her by my Aunty Liz but mum adapted it slightly and it seriously is amazing, she scribbled it down for me on a post it note and only half of the instructions, 'do it to taste' she said. I made them for the first time a few weeks ago and jeeeesus they were soooo good, actually think they were better than hers.

We invited Kandy over last night for a Halloween Rib Night, and they were devoured...and we're just about to tuck into the leftovers tonight yum. 

Honestly it's perfect for those Autumn / winter nights and so easy! Sweet sticky and spicy!

Top Tip Essential: Make it the night before

Crucials

•  One Onion
•  Six Spare Ribs (combine with pork belly strips, rind removed)
•  Three Garlic cloves (whole)
•  Four big spoonfulls of light brown sugar
•  Two big spoonfulls of tomato puree
•  Half a pint of chicken stock 
•  Three quarters of a bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
•  Black Pepper

Day One:

Prepare the ribs...

•  Wash the ribs & place them straight into a roasting tray 
•  Heat at 200degrees for 30 mins

Make the sauce...

•  Chop and fry the onion in a saucepan with the whole garlic cloves on a low heat until they're soft and see through - season with pepper
•  Add the sugar and tomato puree and stir to form a paste with the onions
•  Pour in the chicken stock and the worcestershire sauce and simmer for approx 30mins
•  Remove the ribs from the oven and drain off any fat
•  Pour the sauce over the ribs and cover with foil 
•  Place back in the oven for at least an hour and a half at 150 degrees
•  Remove them from the oven and take off foil and turn the ribs, put the foil back on and allow them to cool down (i leave them outside overnight)

Day Two:

•  Uncover the ribs and put them in the middle of the oven for an hour
•  Make sure you keep turning them every 15 mins so they roast evenly on each side in the sauce

Serve with Basmati rice and buttery sweetcorn....the meat just falls from the bone....Divine!

Forking love food I do!

Right so here it goes my first ever blog post... have been meaning to do it for ages got put off by Wordpress (apparently it's easy! I will learn) then got inspired by Disneyroller Girl (http://blogger.disneyrollergirl.net/) over a venison puff at Yauatcha! 


Where shall I start hmmm what to write guess a quick introduction to why would be good!!! Why... Cos I forking love food that's why!!

I've known for a long time of my love for food, from blokes thinking it's useful to point out their portion size is equivalent to mine (to mine!! Not theirs ha) to me knowing by the time I leave the house in the morning at 7:30am what I'll be having for dinner that night, is that right? 
Apparently not I've been told! My amazing boyfriend Mirek (have to say that cos he actually is) heard on the radio and pointed out that the average person decides what to eat for dinner at 4:30pm that day that's PM not AM Jo he said!! Who cares better to be organised I guess but it is starting to concern me a little, especially when I saw Karen's fb update a while back saying if anyone else puts up another photo of their dinner I'm gonna de-friend them, then I realised that I actually take a photo of every single meal I make and I send them to Karen! Ha! Sorry hun!

So a few things I want you to know about my relationship with food:

• I love minced beef oh and now pork (errrr amazing why have i only just discovered it!)
• My best dinner ever on a hangover is anything consisting of minced meat or bizarrely fish pie with mash
• I don't actually have a fave fave dinner cos I have too many favourites
• I will eat a mans portion for lunch and dinner FACT - my reasoning behind this is not having breakfast! I know I know! 
• I get upset If someone has more than me on their plate
• I will eat grated cheese with pretty much everything! (Sainsburys west country reserve is currently my fave)
• I am known for my jerk chicken BBQs
• I think that following recipes word for word is a sin and I just can't do it, use it as a guide
• I never really use measures apart from 'spoonfulls'
• I think that eating pasta twice a day is fine
• Mushrooms can be used in every dinner oh and I don't understand mushroom haters
• I would much prefer to eat a pack of Parma ham or a lump of cheese than a chocolate bar
• I actually don't like chocolate much and don't enjoy eating it
• I made myself eat mussels
• I make a mean Paella
• I have made Mirek LOVE food (apparently he never used to eat) still not more than his love for beer..I'm working on it!
• I'm a feeder!
• I compare everything to my mums cooking cos in my eyes she is the best! apart from her roast potatoes! sorry mum!
• Apart from Mirek I am more passionate about food then anything else in the world! Oh and my dog Missy cos she is the cutest most amazing dog ever!
• I am currently cooking spare ribs for 'wib night' tomorrow with Kandy! That's Karen and Andy not the sweet stuff
• I have just eaten a chinese, shared my prawn crackers with Missy and my fortune cookie said 'My talent will be acknowledged' hmmm talent of eating???

Oh and finally I'm starting this blog so I can share my recipes and archive them instead of scribbles on a pieces of paper and emails sent to Lou at work... although for Xmas this year I have asked for this....