Tell Me Something............Anything!

[Barry]

Are we talking about mint sauce or mint jelly?

Commercial mint sauce is strong and robust in taste, whereas home made mint sauce is weaker, but more subtle.

I don't get too partisan about it.

[Marco]

Sauce, Barry, as the home-made variety I'm talking about is much thinner than a jelly. It's also thinner than the bought stuff found in jars.

Del usually makes it the night before, to allow the mint to infuse into the vinegar and sugar, which improves the intensity of the mint flavour. And you need to use plenty of mint to get the proper flavour!

Sprinkle over some grilled lamb cutlets (when there is no gravy, compared with roast lamb), almost like a salsa verde, and it's delicious!

Marco.

[Marco]

I tend to dislike strong tasting foods. My taste buds are hyper sensitive to them. It's a well known syndrome (but a normal one).


There was a time when I was younger, when I couldn't eat a sandwich, if it had been made using a knife that had previously cut cucumber or onion. I was that sensitive to it.

Ah I see, which will explain why you also hate curry. That's a shame.

I'm the exact opposite, and LOVE strong flavours!

Marco.

[walpurgis]

Ah I see, which will explain why you also hate curry.

Marco.

Exactly!

Although, for some reason, I like strong smelly cheeses.

[Marco]

Yes, but those most often don't taste like they smell...

I have an aversion to bland tasting food, just like you do to strong tasting stuff. It's just what I've been used to since I was a kid. I remember in primary school, when my mum used to make me up packed lunches on a Monday, which would often be a couple of pieces of cold roast chicken (usually a leg and thigh), wrapped up in tinfoil, left over from Sunday lunch.

The Italian way is to stuff it full of garlic and herbs, so that the flavour is really infused, and also the chicken is highly seasoned, and my schoolmates (and also the teachers) used to love it, as the aroma of garlic and herbs pervaded the classroom at lunchtime, especially when they tasted it!

Often when roast chicken is offered outside in UK restaurants, it tastes rather bland to me, as the British way is done much plainer. I also notice the same with the gravy served with roasts, which often just tastes like tarted up Bisto!

I don't 'do' thin, watery-brown liquid, posing as 'gravy' either.... You can't make proper gravy quickly! Don't get me started on 'gravy granules'...

Marco.

[walpurgis]

I think the opposite way. To me, food like lobster, crab, Haddock, roast chicken and so on, taste so nice that adding seasoning to 'enhance' the falvour just messes it up for me. I dislike 'barbeque' flavour food or anything overtly garlicky for instance.

[Marco]

I think the opposite way. To me, food like lobster, crab, Haddock, roast chicken and so on, taste so nice that adding seasoning to 'enhance' the falvour just messes it up for me.

I agree with you about seafood, which has a delicate flavour, but even that can be enhanced with the *correct* and subtle use of fresh herbs, sometimes butter. But seasoning is always very important. It's not the same adding salt or pepper afterwards.

How roast chicken turns out is largely down to how good the chicken is to start with. If you've bought a frozen battery-farmed one, then it'll taste like shit no matter what you do with it. However, if you buy a fresh organic or free-range chicken, then yes, it doesn't need much doing to it to be tasty, other than cooking properly.

We still wrap ours in streaky bacon (or pancetta), to keep it moist, at the very minimum, especially as the bacon (once cooked) imparts a lovely flavour on the meat juices, which make up the gravy.

What's your view then on gravy? Do you just eat roast chicken dry or what?

A proper gravy involves the use of chicken stock, which needs to be made up in advance.

I dislike 'barbeque' flavour food or anything overtly garlicky for instance.

I love barbecued food, but only when it's done right. I don't like things tasting overtly of anything, as if it's like that it's not been done subtly, and that's wrong. With herbs, it's all about subtly enhancing the flavour of the dish, and knowing which flavour combinations work together!

Marco.

[struth]

I prefer my roast chicken cold. dont like it overly seasoned with herbs tbh, although it makes a nice change. I do like it done with bacon tho. Love salmon with corriander and lemon done in tinfoil

[walpurgis]

I don't keep chicken stock (or any other kind).

When roasting chicken, I drain the juices from the pan near the finish and strain then reduce that as gravy base, adding butter, pepper, salt and a bit of chicken oxo, also a touch of Chinese 'Miso' paste, which goes well.

The grand kids prefer cheapo gravy granules.

[struth]

good miso paste is very good. the cheap stuff isnt so nice. think its Japanese, or the stuff i get is.. rice paste. the one i usually get is Yutaka