OK, What's For Lunch or Tea Today?

[mightymonoped]

Today's scran (which I managed to get the princess to knock up, despite being 'out on the lash' last night, lol)...

To start:

King prawns, chargrilled on the BBQ, served with a Thai dipping sauce, dressed greens and fresh lime:



Followed by 28-day aged sirloin steak with a rich red wine reduction, served with baby rosemary roast potatoes, oven-roasted cauliflower coated in wholegrain mustard, braised fennel with fresh dill, and assorted greens. Notably purple-sprouting broccoli from our own garden [yay!]:



A nice loving close-up..



...washed down with a nice bottle of Barolo Riserva 2010

Marco.

Looks fab! Would wolf that down. Only bit I’m not partial to is the fennel (I’m not a big fan of anything of an aniseed or liquorice bent. Sirloin is definitely favourite cut though and everything else is absolutely choice.


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[struth]

yeah the roasted cauliflour looks great; im not a great lover but roasted it looks very much better.

[Marco]

Looks fab! Would wolf that down. Only bit I’m not partial to is the fennel (I’m not a big fan of anything of an aniseed or liquorice bent. Sirloin is definitely favourite cut though and everything else is absolutely choice.

Cheers, mate. Lol, aniseed... I know exactly what you mean! Defo an acquired taste. I detest liquorice (as a sweet) on its own, or classic French liqueurs, such as Pernod or Pastis, etc, which my dad loves.

However, with fennel, it's different, or at least how Del cooks it! The liquorice hit is very subtle, especially when cooked in a classic white sauce with fresh dill.

Basically, Del cooks the fennel first in milk, then uses that milk to make a Béchamel sauce, to which chopped fresh dill is added, before firing it all into the oven. Tastes fab

Marco.

[Marco]

yeah the roasted cauliflour looks great; im not a great lover but roasted it looks very much better.

Yeah mate, both the texture and flavour is quite different from normal, plus the mustard just gives it a nice little kick

It's really about making vegetables a little more interesting and enjoyable to eat, rather than simply boiling them to buggery and dumping them on a plate, cabbage is the same. All these things can be delicious with a little imagination!

Marco.

[mightymonoped]

Cheers, mate. Lol, aniseed... I know exactly what you mean! Defo an acquired taste. I detest liquorice (as a sweet) on its own, or classic French liqueurs, such as Pernod or Pastis, etc, which my dad loves.

However, with fennel, it's different, or at least how Del cooks it! The liquorice hit is very subtle, especially when cooked in a classic white sauce with fresh dill.

Basically, Del cooks the fennel first in milk, then uses that milk to make a Béchamel sauce, to which chopped fresh dill is added, before firing it all into the oven. Tastes fab

Marco.

Yeah, I can deal with that. :-) It always boils down to the chef. Subtle, I can deal with, so I’m sure it’s delish. I always add a tiny bit of crushed fennel seed to sausage etc, when I’m cooking Italian themed meals, as it’s a game-changer when used with discretion. It’s all about balance and Del’s cooking has it. I’d wolf it all then


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[Marco]

Cheers, mate. She's not a bad wee cook

Yup, I agree with your thoughts about fennel, or for that matter any other herbs - you don't want them to overpower your food, which is so easily done, especially with dried stuff which tends to be have a more intense flavour. Therefore, subtle and well-balanced is the way.

You like your Italian food, don't you - if you had to pick one, what would be your favourite dish, or what would be your favourite Italian 3-course meal?

Marco.

[mightymonoped]

Cheers, mate. She's not a bad wee cook

Yup, I agree with your thoughts about fennel, or for that matter any other herbs - you don't want them to overpower your food, which is so easily done, especially with dried stuff which tends to be have a more intense flavour. Therefore, subtle and well-balanced is the way.

You like your Italian food, don't you - if you had to pick one, what would be your favourite dish, or what would be your favourite Italian 3-course meal?

Marco.

I just couldn’t pick a favourite Marco, but I would say that if I were going to go on a ‘food safari’ and pick a country to eat my way through, it would be Italy, no competition.

My main exposure to Italian food is from the Salento region or Southern Puglia, so very simple, but exceptional quality vegetables, seafood, pasta and breads.

I particularly love the pasta (made with 1 or even no eggs) and the tomato sauces where the tomato is the star of the show - nothing will ever equal the revelation of tasting a simple, homemade Pugliese tomato sauce for me.

If the ingredients are that good, they’re the star. Every village and every community believes it has it’s own champion, and in some ways they’re all correct, who am I to argue

I don’t believe you can replicate the conditions or the ingredients outside of those places but it does influence how and what you eat, no question.

For me, it means recognising that you can’t substitute technique for produce. Make the meal about the star of the show in terms of quality and freshness.

I’m still guilty of putting too many things together, when I know I should be emphasising the star of the show with two or three sympathetic ‘supports’ but I think I’m getting better with age and experience.

I would say that I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth so if I had to leave out a course, it would be dessert.

If I’m eating out, I’d rather order something I know I couldn’t do myself at home, either because of the economies of scale, access to the ingredients or just the cooking skills.

Although I wouldn’t say no to a three Michelin Star experience if it was offered to me, my personal preferences are much simpler, great ‘peasant’ food with a local or unique twist of some kind. That’ll do me.

[guy]

Bit late to comment, but delightful - lucky chap

Today's scran (which I managed to get the princess to knock up, despite being 'out on the lash' last night, lol)...

To start:

King prawns, chargrilled on the BBQ, served with a Thai dipping sauce, dressed greens and fresh lime:



Followed by 28-day aged sirloin steak with a rich red wine reduction, served with baby rosemary roast potatoes, oven-roasted cauliflower coated in wholegrain mustard, braised fennel with fresh dill, and assorted greens. Notably purple-sprouting broccoli from our own garden [yay!]:



A nice loving close-up..



...washed down with a nice bottle of Barolo Riserva 2010

Marco.

[guy]

..............

I would say that I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth so if I had to leave out a course, it would be dessert.

.............

Similar here, I tend to go for an Armagnac or Brandy to finish (if I'm not driving) when we go out.
Very few restaurants can produce a satisfying "pudding" in my experience.

[struth]

Salmon in a lemon sauce with veg and chips.

And damn good it was