Ham, chicken leek and potato gratin
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Ham, chicken leek and potato gratin
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Some chicken and penne pasta soup today.
Not tried this before so not sure how it will work.
Using multicoloured penne.
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Forgot to put some chicken in
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Chunky... I'm liking that!:)
But not as much as the Crocs:D
Marco.
Firey toes.. Comfy and easy to get in and out of. What's not to like.. Lots of folk like them, or they are just being kind [emoji23] https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f5102d4989.jpg
Gave rest of soup to my neighbour, whos wife works at the hospital..
Nice one:)
Today's lunch - just a simple tuna, red onion and Borlotti bean salad, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with bread on the side to mop up the juice!
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...washed down with the remainder of yesterday's Chianti:)
Tonight, it'll be Aberdeen Angus burgers, cooked on the charcoal grill!
Marco.
like big pinto's...
Lol - soz for being thick, but what are pintos?:scratch:
Marco.
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you get bigger ones
They're called Borlotti beans... Where are you getting "pintos" from?:hmm:
Never heard of that word to describe beans, soz...
Marco.
Ah righty... New one on me, mate. Borlotti beans are very common for me, as they're Italian, and tuna and Borlotti beans is a classic Italian dish. I've been eating it since the 70s!:)
Marco.
Ok, for tea... Some Aberdeen Angus beef burgers (from Lidl), chargrilled on the BBQ, with Monteray Jack cheese, spicy homemade relish and fried onions, gherkins, lettuce and tomato, in brioche buns, served with a few chips:
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Gorgeous, but only managed one, as it was so filling! So the other will be enjoyed tomorrow for lunch:cool:
Marco.
Should think you did. They are huge
Lol - the angle of the pic makes them look a little bigger than they were, but they were certainly 'chunky', and yes, bloody good!:D
Extraordinary quality and value from Lidl.... [Yes, I keep harping on about just how good some of their products are, especially anything from their 'Deluxe' range, and such great value, for GOOD reason. Hopefully one day it'll sink in!;)]
This beer-lovin' nutter seems to approve of them, anyway:
https://youtu.be/zm5Sa4pdoqA
:cool:
Marco.
Totally agree with you Marco....the Lidl and Aldi deluxe ranges are brilliant. I had one of the best Cheddar cheeses from Aldi and I've tried a few.
Try the packs of chicken thighs in the chilled isle, £2.65 for between 6-8, gorgous.
It is just gone 7:30 am, I am about to prepare a 2.1Kg boneless pork leg joint for the smoker.
Pulled Pork for tea and leftovers to be made into pies.
Good stuff. I'm just about to tuck into my other burger!:D
Marco.
Had the same as Grant for lunch.
Lots of red wine in there..
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I thought shepherd's were rare these days to make pies out of :scratch:
Spag bol tonight
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Looks nice. Cottage pie though is just one of those things I'm not massively keen on, and so rarely eat. Yours looks great, though!:)
However, it's not really the weather for pies. For me, that's winter food. In this warm weather (currently 22C here), I'm more into nice salads/cold meats and lighter, less stodgy foods:cool:
Marco.
Nice one. Glad that it's keeping you going!:)
Tonight's tea... Chicken schnitzel again (as I love it, especially in this weather) with noodles and fresh green beans, this time topped with a fried free-range egg, sprinkled with smoked paprika and fresh chives and served with some lemon wedges:
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Lurvely jubbly!:cool:
Marco.
A cold collation with pasta salad
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Haha - I was waiting for someone to say that - and trust it to be you!:ner::D
No, but I've been enjoying loads of different salads recently, and the chicken schnitzel dish is really light and tasty! When it's 20C+, the last thing I feel for is some hot meat-filled pie, as nice as that can be...
Marco.
No, they're hard boiled eggs. The Bavarian ham (which was very thinly sliced) & grated cheese both wanted using so I slung them on.
The bowl contains pasta, red onion, red & yellow peppers, vine tomatoes, cucumber & celery, dressed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice & freshly ground black pepper & rock salt.
Ah I see... LOVE the contents of the bowl - just my thing in this weather!
Noted on the thinness of the ham, which sounds nice, btw, and that you had to use stuff up:)
Marco.
Lol - cheers, I've no doubt you could've! Your new title should be 'Roy Big-Dinner Boy'!:D
Marco.
Schnitzel is a fav of mine. Chicken especially.
Yeah, mine too... I got into the Italian version initially (Milanese - see here: http://resourcefulcook.com/recipes/v...-alla-milanese), when my mum made it in the house, then had out in restaurants, and which is often served along with some spaghetti in a tomato sauce. I'm sure you've had that before:)
That's lovely, but there's something even nicer about the (simpler) Austrian version, which just hits the spot, and of course where veal, not chicken, is used traditionally.
The key is in using *very* finely ground fresh breadcrumbs, as that's what sticks to the meat best (using flour and egg yolk), along with a good frying pan-full of fresh oil (I like rapeseed, as it adds a slightly lighter touch than veg oil), and crucially, clarified butter, for frying. About 70/30 in favour of butter. The oil is simply to stop the butter from burning.
The use of clarified butter is *absolutely essential* for generating the right flavour/richness and 'puffing up' the coating mixture (also giving the finished dish more of an attractive golden appearance), which should be very well seasoned and contain a goodly dose of paprika!
Then serve either with some lovely creamy/buttery mashed potatoes, or fresh-egg noodles (spätzle), and as a nice added touch, a fried egg (with a runny yolk) goes really well on top! Takes no more than 30 mins to do:cool:
Marco.
had schnitzel and pasta when at a place in livy for my birthday a couple of years ago. it was alas not really schnitzel at all as the chicken was too large and hadnt been beaten etc.. was nice enough tho.
Yeah, I'm sure it was fine, and at least you were being treated and not having to cook!:)
However, I'm a nightmare when I go out to restaurants (as is Del), as we have high standards, simply because we're used to eating well at home, so when something's not right, it just gets sent back, and we order something else from the menu that they should be able to get right. We also have a low tolerance threshold for shoddy service or ill-mannered/moody staff, and frequently won't pay (or ask for a discount) if something really wasn't right.
Receiving an apology is fine up to a point, but hitting them in the pocket is usually a much more effective way of 'encouraging' them to do better next time!
And we usually always give places a second chance, unless the experience was particularly dreadful. Brits though, are traditionally not very good at complaining. I should add, however, that we also regularly give compliments if the food is good, or exceptionally so, therefore it cuts both ways. If you're willing to criticise, then when it's deserved you should also be willing to praise!
Our pet hate though is when dishes are put on menus, under a certain description (so we picture in our mids what they should be like), and then arrive nothing like how they were described!:doh: Perhaps your average 'Joe Bloggs' wouldn't know the difference, and/or would put up with something clearly incorrect or inferior, but we do - and so don't!:nono:
That's why when we go out to eat we're fussy about where we go, as the standard of food must be at least as good as we enjoy at home, or hopefully better, otherwise there's no point and we're simply wasting money...
Marco.
Nothing worse (well I guess there is) than going to a restaurant and thinking "we do better at home". We do complain but make it clear we are not moaning at the staff, it's not usually their fault. If a meal is naff, they are dead to me, I won't go again as I don't believe a good restaurant can have a bad day.
No. No food. Sex. I want sex. Bring me some sex. [The others call for Storch, but Trapper John points at Hot-Lips] No, no, no, that one. Bring me that one over there. That one. The sultry bitch with the fire in her eyes. Take her clothes off! I want that one, yes. Take her clothes off and bring her to me now.
Mash
Well, the staff aren't cooking the food, so you can't blame them for that, but they're taking the orders and serving it, so I at least expect a friendly smile and overall pleasant demeanour. That's one of the reasons why we avoid large (city centre) establishments or chains, as the (often foreign) staff are usually on 'buttons an hour', and grumpy as hell! Not the relaxing, enjoyable experience we're looking for when we're dining out.
On the contrary, it's usually the opposite in small, family-run places, out with of large towns or cities, where owners often employ people from the local community, and who usually take great pride in their jobs and couldn't be more obliging or friendlier. The food also tends to be much better there too, so those are the types of places we tend to target, and are rarely disappointed:)
I disagree though on your statement that good restaurants can't have a bad day. At the end of the day, they're run by humans, and we can all have a bad day, sometimes for unpredictable reasons outside of our control. Remember that restaurants, just like any other business, rely on staff (kitchen and waiting) and suppliers, so if any part of that 'chain' breaks down, there's bound to be some sort of knock-on effect.
No, in my experience you often get to know more about a restaurant (or any business), and particularly the owner or manager, when assessing how they deal with complaints! If they deal with it well, and successfully address the issues caused from them having an off day, and make up for it by being much better, or faultless, next time, then they'll continue getting our business. That's why we generally always give second chances, as no-one is perfect!
And we've made some good friends/built up good relationships with restaurants over the years, and subsequently enjoyed superb food and service from them, by adopting that attitude:cool:
Marco.