Best Of The British Isles

 St.David's Day, the national holiday of Wales was a few days ago. St Patrick's is next weekend. Despite what others have said the UK and Ireland does have some wonderful food. It could be Devon cream teas with rich fruity scones or a Sunday roast, with roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and thick gravy.

So here's the question  - what is your favorite British and or Irish food. I would have today I love colcannon, that flavorful mash with spinach and kale added. I love added huge blobs of plant butter too for creaminess. There's also fish and chips(the vegan version with Gardein's fish fillets)These are the perfect meal for me. 

What do you like? Let us know with an answer or even a picture.

A Culinary Road Trip For Dad

 father's Day is usually about grilling dogs and burgers on the grill. There's the occasional steak but that's it.It's time to liven up dad's special day  with some international recipes.

Red meat is always important to the man of the house. You could go the way of the English and serve him Yorkshire pudding  with roast beef. It's a simple make because the pudding is nothing more than a savory popover. It's a mix of egg flour , milk and water. You can add the roast dripping along with a pinch of English powder mustard if you want. Finish with  chocolate stout cupcakes with a Guinness  infused buttercream frosting. Of course homemade sausage rolls, sausages encased in a flaky puff pastry crust and doused with HP sauce is another British treat dad would love, especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A picnic French style is always a fun way to reconnect with dads. Pack not just the soccer ball and bubble wands but  some good flaky croissants  that can be slathered with Brie or layered with slices of Gruyere and ham. A charcuterie style one is a great way for fathers to sample a variety of cold cuts, cheeses and different breads. Bring along a baguette too for quick sandwiches. Include grapes and wine  - if your local parks allow it.Dessert could be a box of macarons in all sorts of tasty flavors. You could also do a German style with wursts, hard rolls and mustard. Make sure you pack homemade potato salad too.

What father doesn't love Italian food? You could easily treat dad to a sausage straight from the grill and pepper sandwich. The peppers can also be grilled for added smoky flavor and you could add some grilled onions for more taste. A meatball sub  brimming with homemade meat balls and sauce is a fun late lunch.Another idea, and in keeping with the season is pasta con vongole, or with clams.  This is spaghetti made with a very easy sauce of manila clams,garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes.Chopped parsley is sprinkled on top for coloring.What could finish this? Affogato or drowned ice cream. This is a yummy treat of vanilla or chocolate  ice cream drowned in a shot of very hot espresso. Place the ice cream in a glass or metal dish or bowl that's been chilled. This will cool down the coffee somewhat.  Add a splash of amaretto if you want. even better, crown it with some whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate on top.A culinary turn  East and dad could have homemade customized sushi,it is a bit more labor intensive , especially when making the rice. This can be made in an Instapot with Japanese short rice being mixed with salt sugar and rice vinegar. You will also have to have the dried seaweed or nori to wrap it in. Most grocery stores do carry it.. You can fill the rolls with dad's favorite from shrimp to crab for a tasty lunch. Have sake to drink for an authentic lunch or dinner.

Treat the man in your life to culinary trip for Father's Day, it could be an English country lunch, or French or German  picnic. He could feast on Italian Japanese or any international dish for his special day.

A Very British Christmas

Somehow Christmas and England go together. Maybe it's because that one of the best Christmas stories of all, "A Christmas Carol" is set in London of the 1840's , written by that great British writer, Charles Dickens. Or maybe it's because some of our culinary  traditions have come from there. Whatever it is, recreating a very British Christmas is easy to replicate.

The British are big on turkey. It's mentioned in "A Christmas Carol" with Scrooge having a boy buy the biggest turkey in the market for the Cratchit family. You could easily make this, if you're not sick of the Thanksgiving leftovers. If not, the Brits love ham and a good beef roast. The last is always served with the mouth watering Yorkshire pudding. This is kind of like a giant popover being made with ,eggs ,water and flour. A half cup of pan drippings from the beef gives it a buttery , rich flavor. Serve it heaped with slices of the meat. Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes round out the meal. Of course it wouldn't be a holiday meal with out mince pies. This may not be for some thanks to the suet or beef fat added in. You can omit it if you want, and just leave in the dried raisins, currents and various peels such as candied lemon and orange. What to drink with all of this? A sweet port wine has been gracing British Christmas tables for three centuries.it originally came from Northern Portugal, from the Douro Valley.It was during Britain's early 17th century battles with France that they discovered this sweet, rich brew, They hated anything French , including wines and turned to Portugal for them. Of course sloe gin is a must , both on Christmas and on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas.

The Great British Baking Show Master Class  shows have introduced us to a variety of holiday treats. One luscious one is Tunis cake, popular in the northern part of the country. It is a Madeira cake, another holiday bake topped with a thick layer of chocolate ganache. If you want to go full on British Christmas , then think about a steamed pudding. This is an elaborate make with fresh breadcrumbs baking powder and suet blended with raisins, currents and candied lemon and orange peels. Baking soda is added to give the pudding rise and flour is used for body. it's more of a steamed fruit cake, boosted up with  brandy. The batter is poured into a buttered or greased pudding bowl. It's then steamed for six hours in a hot water bath.It's served with brandy butter, a mix of butter, confectioners sugar hot water and brandy. This can also be served with mini mince pies too. Trifle is another fun British dessert that graces holiday tables. It's a boozy mix of Madeira or pound cake, cream, sherry, English gelatin and strawberries. (you could use Jello if you're in the states), Sometimes the meal also ends with a plate of rich Scottish shortbreads.

A British Christmas is a fun one. The dinner will make you burst. The desserts are just as rich and filling. It's a memorable way to celebrate the holiday  - with a Dickensian kind of flair.

Holiday Dinners Light

Holidays meals, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas can be lavish and sumptuous affairs with enough food to feed an army. Yet what happens when there's only three or four for dinner? Or two? A lavish meal can seem wasteful. Then it's time for holiday meal light.

A whole turkey would be too much for three or four people. Even one as tiny as an eight pound one can be too much and can lead to a week of leftovers.  Think one half turkey breast which is three pounds and will satisfy diners nicely.  Cooking time is also cut in half - anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour as opposed to the two or three hours for the entire bird. For Christmas you could roast a half ham or even ham steaks if you have one or two people over. Many home chefs love a standing rib roast for a holiday meal yet it would be like a huge feast for just four people. A London broil would be better . You can still serve it with gravy  - and even better Yorkshire pudding to sop up the juices.It'll also be good the day after in sandwiches or on toast with hot gravy. Seafood lovers always want a briny buffet for their Christmas Day or New Year's Eve dinners. You can still have this even if it's just the two of you. Think the smallest one  such as a one pounder.It's an easy boil or cook and quite filling.  You'll only need one side really if you serve it. Open the meal with a small sized ring of shrimp cocktail that you can easily buy at your fish market or even grocery store.

One thing about having an intimate holiday dinner is that you don't have to go crazy with the sides. Mash potatoes can still be served. You'll only need about a pound and a half of Yukon Golds to create a small pot. Another idea is having baked ones which is a nice change up from mashed. Add small bowls of different toppings - such as melted butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar and bacon along with chive and different spices. You can also do the same with sweet potatoes. If you're mashing them , then use only two or two and a half. If it's individual ones , have little ramekins of melted butter along with cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on. Of course the holiday meal would be nothing without stuffing. You could go the easy route and use Stovetop Stuffing which is great for a dinner party of four. A regular stuffing could be made but be prepared for a lot of it to be left over (great if you're planning on creating take home parcels). As for green sides,  buy bags of Brussels sprouts and broccoli. These steam bags provide enough for three to four people. They're perfect - easy to cook and no cleanup along with no to little leftovers. They can also be served hot or cold as a fun non-traditional salad.

A small holiday dinner can still be lavish in taste.It's just buying and cooking smaller version of the main course and halving the sides. It just the right amount of food for the right amount of people.

British Classics For The Weekend

British food can be a wonderful mix of hearty and whimsical. It's a hearty fair of meat and mash - potatoes or sausages and savory pudding. It is a sturdy meal, easily made.

The New York Times Food section yesterday had a kind of mini salute to the United Kingdom Melissa Clark,  gave us a recipe for a sheet pan supper of sausages with potatoes,  red cabbage and onions.It's an easy  go to  meal for the English, making it as much as we cook roast chicken.It's also easier and less time consuming too.It starts with wedges of red cabbage and halved potatoes.Ms Clark seasoned the cabbage with sprigs of rosemary and thyme.along with lightly crushed caraway and coriander seeds.Next is a layer of thinly sliced onions which will soften and brown, melt into the veggies beneath them. The sausages used are usually pork, chicken or turkey but bratwurst and spicy chorizo can also be used as well. She brushes them with mustard, a practice not widely done in Britain but doing this creates a kind of gravy with the meat's juices. This is great in flavoring the veggies, Use a nine by thirteen  rimmed sheet pan.It should have some depth because the heat will steam the sturdier cabbage and potatoes.It's an easy dish but it does take about an hour to cook with a break in between to flip over the cabbage and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve a good ale with it for a true pub feel.

Famed London based chef and baker Yottem Ottolenghi loves the whimsical sounding Toad In The Hole. Like Ms. Clark, he makes this British classic his own by changing up the recipe.It's a two hundred year old recipe with meat bits being dropped in a Yorkshire pudding batter. Chef Ottolenghi combines what he loves in British cooking well cooked meat - crisp pancake and a velvety gravy.However he deviates with subbing in homemade meatballs in for the sausage. These have an Italian vibe to them thanks to the addition of pancetta., Italian bacon. There's also rosemary sprigs and garlic added along with the surprising lemon zest.Pork, onions and sourdough  are the main ingredients with milk added for moisture. The batter itself is a Yorkshire pudding zinged up Indian pale ale and Dijon mustard. The gravy itself get a boost from the pale ale but it 's mostly a chicken stock also flavored with two small onions, rosemary sprigs and  balsamic vinegar. Flour thickens it to the velvety texture Chef Ottolenghi loves.The batter is prepared first followed by the gravy and the meatballs. After the meatballs have been made, it's then roasting them before encasing them in the batter. It's then baking them in a 400 degree oven for half an hour more.

Nothing beats a hearty British meal , whether it's a sausage sheet pan one or toad in the hole. Have it with a mug of ale and enjoy. It's the best of England at home.

Classic So Cal Dining

People think California cuisine and its' restaurant culture is relatively new. Many think it started in the late Nineties or even in this century. It hasn't The area has had classic dishes and classic eateries for almost one hundred years. These have added to the landscape and history of the LA area.

Tejal Rao, the new Los Angeles restaurant critic for The New York Times wrote about this scene for the paper's Wednesday Food section. As a critic she felt she had to pay homage to the eateries that have endured for decades while trendier places have come and gone.Some attracted stars and still do.One of the oldest is Philippes; started in 1908. It's known for creating the iconic French dip sandwiches. It stats off with   thinly sliced lamb and roast beef on freshly made soft roll drenched with pan seared juices.Another LA classic is Cielito Lindo, a small stand that started when Hollywood was in its' heyday - 1934.They're responsible for the city's love of taquitos, tiny rolls of fried, shredded beef soaked in a thin avocado sauce.Another classic is Dan Tana's where you can eat old fashioned hearty Italian dishes with hearty prices.Ms. Rao had their hefty veal Parmesan with layers of molten cheese. She saw stars such as Alfred Molina and Eric McCormack along with the restaurant's classic Caesar salad that's made tableside.Another timeless eatery is Musso & Frank's, a popular hangout of Sinatra and Bacall.This place has everything from omelets to steaks along with soups and old fashioned salads like a wedge of iceberg lettuce with smoked bacon ,chives and tomatoes.

Another true LA classic is the Tamo' Shanter, a Scottish themed pub in Atwater Village. It has been open since 1922 and was a hangout of Walt Disney's. They offer six ounces of prime rib with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach - a typical old fashioned dinner that is still popular today. There is also a archaic kitsch that works with its' servers sporting tartan skirts and wool skirts. The restaurant also has a banquet room that shows off authentic artifacts of Scotland's Royal Guards. In addition there are  traditional UK favorites as Yorkshire pudding and cold smoked Scottish salmon.A relatively newer place is Langer's which opened in 1953 and is known for their hot pastrami sandwiches and deli sandwiches reminiscent of New York deli ones.There are some new classic eateries too , that Ms. Rao visited one that reflect's the city's new immigration.One such place is Beverly Soon Tofu, which has been in the same strip mall since the late 1980's It's Korean comfort food where diners can have bowls of soup, filled with tofu and any choice of ingredients. It's laced with a special hot sauce that the founder, Monica Lee makes herself.

Los Angeles has always  been known as the city of the new.Yet it has some of the oldest eateries in the US, What is great is that they are still thriving and popular as they were when they first opened.

A Marriage Of Tastes

When Meghan Markle married her prince. it was not just a marriage of souls and hearts but a marriage of tastes. Yes, we have a lot in common with the Brits including some foods. Not much though. It should be interesting to see the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex adapt to each other's cuisines.

The one thing Harry and Meghan have in common cuisine wise is the big breakfast. We got the whole idea of eating meats with eggs along with griddle cakes or pancakes. Most countries around the world, especially on the Continent, start the day with just a roll and coffee.We have adapted some of that here, thanks to Starbucks, offering us versions of cafe au lait and cappuccino. Yet we still turn to the UK for our morning inspiration, with mounds of bacon, ham and sausage gracing a dish of eggs. Lunch is a mash up of American and British. The newest royal couple probably had the treat of McDonald's hamburgers and fries growing up but Meghan was also influenced by SoCal living . Her mother is a yoga instructor so there was probably a push for healthy food with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. She probably continued this with fresh salads or smoothies for lunch.The English Sunday lunch would never work in a town where appearance is everything. Even an every day lunch consisting of fatty sausages in flaky pastry would be too rich  and caloric.This is not an arugula salad with a squeeze of lemon.

Will Meghan ever adopt to the lush English suppers? These are lavish meals, rich with roast beef and gravy soaked Yorkshire pudding. This last is a popover made with three eggs and the beef's drippings. There are veggies, usually the meal is called meat and two veg. These are typically carrots, Brussels sprouts and potatoes. The last is a staple and is cooked in a variety of ways..The most popular is chips, our French fries ,fried in fat. They're best served with fish, usually cod or plaice coated and fried in - what else - chip fat or lard. Do the English  eat California healthy at times? Yes, chicken but it is served but with mashed potatoes and gravy.Meat pies are another British  favorite. Pot pies, which is where ours come from,are usually filled with steak and kidneys, or fish. The last is popular in the romantic , sea surrounded county of Cornwall (of Poldark fame) Stargazey pie which would create shudders in the States is a pie of sardines, eggs and potatoes. Little fish heads, namely pilchards , stick out of the crust, gazing at the sky - hence the name. Will Meghan like it? Or ever taste it? Maybe , if she and Harry head off to Truro or Mousehole in Cornwall.

Meghan and Harry have married each other 's lifestyle's and eating habits too. Let's hope the California girl adds more fresh fruits and veggies to the prince's diet. It'll be a nice change up from traditional fare.

Your Choice Of Holiday Sides

One of the treats of the holiday table is the vast array of sides. From jewel toned cranberry jelly to home bowls of stuffing, holiday feasters can enjoy a wide range of flavors and textures,Best of all most holiday roasts can go with a wide variety of sides.These could be healthy or decadent, yet all delicious.

Sweet sides work well with poultry and pork. Cranberry jelly or chutney goes well with both turkey and capons. For more adventurous home chefs. you can make your own cranberry jelly.This is an easy mix of fresh cranberries cranberry juice, lemon and maple syrup (!) first cooked over a high heat and then a lower one for only ten minutes  or until the mixtures thickens into a jelly. Chutneys also work with fowl and they can be ladled over the meat too for added flavor. Try an apple mango one with a melange of cubed Gala apples and mangoes ,blended with dried apricots  and spiced up with mustard, cloves and black pepper. Pork and hams always benefit with the addition of sweet sides. Grilled , unadorned pineapple rings work with both these meats. You can add a very small sprinkling of sea salt to give it a boost of savory. Apples are another excellent accompaniment. You can try homemade applesauce  to go with a pork loin roast or better yet , a warm apple and onion salad with the addition of freshly fried bacon and a tablespoon of brown sugar. Apples can be sliced into a stir fry, cooked with kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Add some apple cider vinegar for tartness and walnuts or pine nuts for crunch. Sweet potatoes are the ultimate sweet side. Instead of layering them with marshmallows, turn them into tasty fries for the kids or a creamy , buttery mash with a drizzle of maple syrup on top.

There are many savory sides to try as well. Stuffing is always in demand, especially if you have turkey. Make it interesting by using nothing but pretzels for a tastier side. Eggs  and sour cream bind together three cups of pretzel sticks that have been soaked soft in hot water. Onion powder is then added to the mix for more flavor. You can also make it in the traditional stuffing way, with sage and onion being first cooked with celery and then adding in the pretzels. Mind , this has to be cooked on it's own and not in the bird. Another fun side is Yorkshire pudding, perfect with any roast beef or London Broil. It's an easy recipe.It's four eggs, and equal amounts of milk and flour. What makes these tasty popovers sing are the meat drippings. mixed into the batter. They're wonderful, loaded with roast beef slices and gravy. For something a bit more healthier, try the classic string beans almondine.You can use fresh if you can find them or frozen green beans along with almonds browned in butter or margarine. Brussels sprouts are another emerald gem, perfect for the holiday table. Simmer in hot salted water until tender but firm. Drain and then dress with melted butter and a liberal sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Of course no meal would be complete without potatoes. You could have them in a mash but enrich it by adding sour cream and chives or the skins for added nutrients. Scalloped ones are a supremely elegant addition to any dinner or holiday lunch.its just taking sliced potatoes and baking them in a creamy roux.

Sweet and savory sides will add oomph to any holiday meal. They're good ,complementing the main roast or just wonderful on their own. Make one or make them all for a special treat.

Celebrate The 2012 London Games

The whole world has their eyes on London for the next few weeks. This is where history is going to happen along with international comraderie and bonhomie. It's also the place for letting English cuisine and the new wave of British cooking shine. Tradition along with the new will compete for the best dishes.

English food has long had a bead reputation. Yet some of the best beef has come out of the United Kingdom as it has since the 1800's. A traditional and easy dish celebrating this is Yorkshire pudding which is a kind of buttery popover served with the most British of meals the Sunday roast. Gravy is poured over this delicious bread along with thick slabs of roast beef. The English also love their poultry as well and Christmas tables have b een groaning with large turkeys and geese since the Hanoverian rule of the 1700's. Of course there is the working class favorite, fish and chips. This is a yummy deep fried fish , usually plaice in a beer batter accompanied by crispy fries or chips as the Limeys call them.

Tradition has grown into top haute cuisine. During the last two decades the UK has provided the world with some of the best chefs.There is Jamie Oliver who has also crusaded for healthy eating in both British and American cuisines. He has redefined cooking, going for a simple route to making elaborate dishes.. Nigella Lawson , another great cook also has updated classics such as sticky pudding along with that wonderful cheesy dish Welsh rarebit. Of course there is Gordon Ramsay the kitchen bad boy but who has also has some interesting seafood and poultry recipes along with a spicy take on the American dessert classic Bananas Forster.

Celebrate the London Games with British food. There are some good dishes from beef to pudding from fish and chips to Yorkshire pudding and gravy.