Guest Post from Across the Pond

British culinary explosion

by UK resident Claudia Vilato

British food is bad, and everyone knows it. But for the past several years, it has been undergoing a makeover- or more like plastic surgery. There’s the sultry Nigella with her spoon licking and delighted moans tasting a frittata, the feisty Gordon Ramsay, whose madman bullying has pressured newbies to churn out impressive culinary feasts, and the homey Jamie Oliver, whose campaigns to make Britain healthier and tastier has won him both friends and enemies on this pork rind-eating, beer-drinking island. These chefs have done such a great job that they have won fans even in America.

But there’s one chef who has yet to influence across the pond, and interestingly, has the most to offer: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the man who started River Cottage. Hugh’s project is simple- he wants people to realize that growing one’s own food is the healthiest, most delicious, and most ethical option there is.

And it’s really fun. Hugh and his team not only grow fruits, veggies, and herbs (as in helicopter, not hour), they also maintain (and kill) chickens, pigs, cows, geese, and lambs, and they hunt wild game and fish. He has mentioned that he does not forget for one minute that the animal he is feeding and caring for will end up on a plate, but he derives much pleasure knowing that, because of him, the animal led a good and happy life and died in a humane way. He might be smug, but I admire his thinking as a smart, ethical alternative to boring, bland, and uptight vegetarianism.

What’s more, I admire his cooking!! Lord above, he is good. I remember watching his Medieval Christmas show, in which he made a stuffed 10 bird roast, from turkey to pigeon and everything in between. On another show he made marshmelllows from scratch, and on another, he and his friends went fishing and cooked the catch with a fresh lemony sauce right on the boat. His book is even better because it’s got recipes and it shows readers how to grow food and raise animals for food. All ingredients are fresh from the farm. He makes such things as zucchini and raisin chutney, lovage soup, fresh made pate, and lamb’s kidneys with chili and lentils. He’s even got this one recipe for beef tartare (totally raw ground beef with raw egg mixed in)—not for the gastronomically challenged!!

In America, there might be some tasty international cuisine, but we certainly hold last place when it comes to food politics. From pesticides to pumping hormones and packing animals into cages, we are sorely backwards in this department. It’s nice to see that the Brits have swallowed their pride enough to address the taste issues in British cooking as well as the political ones. I urge everyone to take a simple test- buy organic carrots and non-organic ones, and see which ones you like better…

Tacos for Two

The Mission: Make a taco dinner with all the fixing for two people. The catch: There can be no leftovers! This was the situation I found myself in just prior to our trip to Wisconsin. I had leftover red beans from Monday night's dinner and had a hankering for tacos. But the idea that half a tomato, half a bag of shredded cheese, three quarters of a head of lettuce and seven-eighths of a red onion would be rotting in my fridge while we were out, just bugged me. The solution?

Harris Teeter's excellent salad bar! For less than $5 I got just the right amount of fixin's for a taco dinner.

Add a little bit of elbow grease and voila! Instant taco toppings!

Williams Sonoma Banana Bread

When your bananas look like this:

There is just one way to dispose of them, banana bread! Last week, I tried the Williams-Sonoma Breakfast (Simon and Schuster, 2003) recipe for Banana-Raisan Bread with a few of my own tweaks.

Being a raisan-hater, I substituted chocolate chips and made my own buttermilk (vinegar and regular milk, recipe at About.com). The bread came out pretty good. The recipe called for much less sugar than I am used to and the result is a banana bread that isn't sickly sweet. The chocolate chips fulfilled the raisans' role by adding moisture and sweetness. All in all a good recipe.

P.S. HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!

Ah, Wisconsin!

We spent the weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin visiting family and eating some of the best Italian food we've had in a long time. The food feast started with the Lent special at Mike and Angelo's in Racine. Lake Michigan perch fried golden in a light batter and served with your choice of fries or spaghetti.

After dinner, we headed for drinks at Captain Mike's Lighthouse Pub, the bar where everyone will know your name if you can make it through the 100 beers on hand (30 on tap) in record time. On Saturday we started with a trip to Oliver's Bakery for cookies, and then off to Tenuta's. If you are from Wisconsin, you know this is the place to get any of your Italian staples. Their cheese, charcuterie, and wine selections are impressive as is their collection of dried, fresh, and frozen pasta. We loaded up on Parmesano Reggiano, aged provolone, and dried pasta, but, regretfully, had to leave the pasta sauces and wine for our next road trip.

Tenuta's meatball bombers and seasoned olives held us over until dinner at Wells Brothers Pizza rated one of the top ten pizzeria's in the U.S. by USA Today. Cut in squares, the incredibly thin and crispy crust is piled with savory toppings and cheese in any combination you want: anchovies and garlic, sausage and onions, tomato basil, or simply pepperoni. It is simply amazing how quickly those little squares of savory goodness go down. We tried some of Wisconsin's microbrews with our dinners, but will definitely have to come back for a more thorough examination of the state's breweries.

Finally, we capped the weekend with a home-cooked lunch that bested them all, complete with arroncini [fried risotto balls] made from scratch, fresh ravioli, and my father-in-law's newest invention, an eggplant-topped dish with layers of potato and spare rib meat hiding underneath. Top that off with a Kenosha staple, Cardinali's bread, and what can I say, it was great.

Aprihop at Dogfish Head Alehouse

Last night, we celebrated the launch of Dogfish Head Alehouse's Aprihop beer with our friends Rob and Emily and with Chris. For those of you who haven't been, Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church (they have one in Gaithersburg as well) offers great casual dining and an excellent selection of unique brews that you won't find in many other restaurants of the same caliber. We tasted the Aprihop beer for the novelty (and the free glass), and I found it to be a great date beer. There was a hint of apricot to keep it sweet for her, but enough hops to make it manly for the gentleman. The food tasted great and was delivered promptly at the proper temperature. I ordered the Greek salad to start and shared a pizza, Cajun-Alfredo with Vince. The greens were crisp and not overdressed and the pizza exploded with flavor. I am now on a quest to find andouille sausage to cook with in my own kitchen. Service was smooth and the only drawback I can see to coming here with a large party is the "one check per table" rule. While this is certainly an advantage to the dining establishment, it can make things complicated at the end of the meal, especially when there are so many excellent beers to sample. My advice, bring cash and follow this simple formula recently expounded by my friend : "When the check comes-- PLEASE be sure to account for Everything that you ATE + DRANK + TAX + TIP."

A new spin on Mom's cooking

When we think of "mom's cooking" many of us hearken back to the comfort foods we had as children for some this might be creamy gooey mac n' cheese, meatloaf, or, in my case, rice and beans. But just because these favorites have a special place in our stomachs and hearts doesn't mean that moms can't spread their own culinary wings and try new favorites. For example, this past weekend my mom made a dish I had never her make before in a culinary tradition that isn't ours by heritage. Embellishing on a recipe found in Real Simple magazine, she cooked up some thai-chili shrimp and fried shitake mushrooms served on a bed of white rice and watercress. This was a quick and savory meal that balanced sweetness, savoriness, bitterness, and acidity while still looking beautiful on the plate.

First Picnic 2009

This weekend was a glorious weekend in DC. Warm weather for the first time this year, sunshine at least on Sunday afternoon, and time to relax and enjoy with my favorite people. My sister Ana came to visit and that gave us an even greater incentive to get out and see the monuments and visit Great Falls National park. On a regular day, the teeming crowds would have made me crazy, but this weekend they added to the euphoria as everyone broke free from the cage of winter weather. Even cloudy skies and a little mugginess on Sunday afternoon couldn't dampen our spirits. Saturday we celebrated a peak at spring with a visit to the Eastern Market, hopping with vendors, and a picnic of pulled pork sandwiches on the mall. At night we topped it off with an impromptu barbecue at Chris's house and a fire just to savor the warm air a little longer. One of the unexpected surprises came as we were crossing the Potomac River on 395 with the windows down; up from the southwest waterfront, wafted the incredible smell of crabs and old bay seasoning a taste of the bounty coming in the next months.