Overseas with the Portuguese

Dear reader, sorry I missed writing a post last week. I was spending a few days in Portugal and spent Sunday afternoon to evening at Thai Beach; a restaurant/bar with DJ and dancing, at Vilamoura. To be frank, I was in no fit state to write a blogpost.

Whilst having a great time with husband and friends, the vegetarian cuisine was nothing to write home about. We hired a catamaran and kayaked into a small cove for a meal on the first day. My companions tucked into fresh fish dishes whilst I was offered a mixed salad or vegetable stew. This turned out to be carrots and green beans and was a mere accompaniment to the fish. The young waiter explained to me that it was a fish restaurant. It was as if my friends were welcome but I should have stayed on the boat!

The following evening an even larger crowd of us went to a fabulous restaurant called Parilla with beautiful gardens illuminated with fairy lights. After cocktails on the terrace we chose our food. It turns out that parilla means grill and yes, it was a steak restaurant.  Luckily there was a vegetarian option of asparagus and sun dried tomato risotto. It tasted a bit like boiled rice with specks of vegetables but was passable. The starter was delicious; melted provolone cheese with oregano, cherry tomatoes and pesto.

At Thai Beach the following day my starters were served separately upon request but the only dish I could eat from the banquet was Pad Thai noodles whilst those around me tucked in to fish and meat dishes. To be fair, when the heavens opened and we had to rush inside, they reset a table and provided more food. The copious amounts of rose wine and the pouring of sambuca along with the sun reappearing, the dancing and the most beautiful sunset more than made up for any culinary disappointment.

So, on the last day I decided to try Pastel de nata, a delicious Portuguese sweet egg custard encased in a crisp pastry shell. Delicioso!

Saluti

A short break in Venice provided the perfect excuse to drink my favourite wine-based cocktail/aperitif; Aperol Spritz. I prefer this to the bitter Campari Spritz which has a higher alcohol content.

They are made with:-

Aperol/Campari

Soda Water

Prosecco

Ice cubes, olive and orange slice

This time I encountered a third contender. The Hugo Spritz:-

Gin

Elderflower cordial

Soda water

Prosecco

Ice cubes, mint leaves and lime wedge

All delicious and refreshing

Not so poison Ivy

It's Bank Holiday weekend, the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race has been on, it's been my wedding anniversary and YES the weather has been amazing. Yorkshire has been shown in all it's glory - God's Own County indeed.

Our anniversary celebration was spent at The Ivy in Harrogate where I enjoyed:-

Mozzarella di buffalo - asparagus & endamame with roasted pine nuts, pesto & baby basil

Chargrilled halloumi with Padron peppers - red pepper sauce, toasted fregola, San Marzanino tomatoes, olives and a chilli and mint sauce

Everything tasted fresh and was beautifully presented. Thirty-four years on, it's our opal anniversary. 

Red as a Beetroot

Beetroot is the tap root part of the beet plant and the beet leaves can be eaten in salad or cooked Iike spinach.  Both parts are healthy; a source of iron, folate, magnesium, vitamin C, potassium, manganese and fibre.

It can be used in many ways; pickled, roasted, grilled, blended into soup or juice, made into a dip, used in risotto or grated in a salad. Beetroot can even be used to make a red velvet cake (with the addition of chocolate).

M&S sell beetroot wraps.

        

I enjoyed an Arcobaleno (meaning rainbow in Italian) pizza topped with tomato, spinach, avocado, chilli threads, purple basil and pink beetroot "beet balls" at Zizzis. 

I won't beet about the bush ... It was delicious!

Given the runaround

Today the London Marathon saw Mo Farrah come 3rd and smash the British marathon record. This has been overshadowed by Watergate; Mo couldn't find his own water bottle, picked up the wrong one and had to run back to the station to find his own. Why he needed his own bottle I'm not sure. Presumably they all have special, individual additives whereas the main throng of runners have, well, just water. 

As the runners were pounding the pavements in London, I was running 5k around my home village. I drank water before and after the run but the real reward was this delicious brunch.

Avocado with lime juice and chilli flakes on oats and ancient grains toast topped with a poached egg

Greek yogurt with muesli, banana, raspberries and chia seeds

Earl Grey tea

A nice meal at the end of a run is a great motivator. Like the donkey and the carrot. Like Mo and Quorn!

V"egg"ing out

Huevos rancheros (Spanish eggs) make the perfect brunch or supper served with toasted sourdough for dipping or soaking up. I tried making my own fairly recently 'tho' I can't remember whose recipe I followed. There was the fruitiness of tomatoes, a warmth from the onions and peppers, a spicy hit from the paprika and then the creamy soft egg with runny yolk. 

This week I went to Alexander's in Skipton, Yorkshire, and ordered the middle-eastern version Shakshuka. Presentation-wise it was so much better than mine although the toast was burnt and had to be redone.

This had a lot of onions and peppers with the tomatoes and was spicier than my home made version.

Either dish can be tweaked to suit. Cooked aubergine would work with the tomato mix as would a sprinkle of feta cheese on top. Eggs may even be scrambled. Finish off with either a sprinkle of salt and pepper, paprika, chilli flakes or herbs such as parsley or coriander.

Currying favour

Another weekend, another dinner party. A casual Friday night dinner with the neighbours called for curry. I decided to cook chicken, fish and veggie curries and actually used the same recipe for each; an abundance of tikka masala.

Chilli, ginger and onions were finely chopped and cooked

Tikka masala paste was added followed by the par-cooked veggies (cauliflower, potatoes, carrots)

Tinned tomatoes and coconut milk were poured in

(Normally I would add chickpeas but on this occasion frozen garden peas worked just as well)

Cook on the hob for 20-30 minutes

Wilt spinach and inner cauliflower leaves

Serve with basmati rice and naan breads and garnish with coriander, lime wedges, natural yogurt.

The left overs were even tastier the following day. You could say I was currying flavour.