London Recap Part 4: Miscellaneous

Shefali and I spent four days vacationing in London on our way to Mumbai. Whenever we travel to a new place, we make it a goal to eat our way from one end of town to the other. This four-part series will highlight our experiences.

Some of our adventures didn't involve a market, restaurant, or pub. Here are a few final thoughts:

- Trafalgar Square was my favorite tourist attraction.
- Bloomsbury was a great part of town to stay in. If we ever go back, I'd likely book another hotel (not the Holiday Inn) near Russell Square.
- We visited a great pub called The Lamb, but there were no tables avaiable, so we went next door for dinner. The pub did, however, leave a lasting memory, because of all the British pubs we visited that had funky, outdated carpet, The Lamb's was definitely the ugliest.
- Jamie Oliver was offering cooking classes while we were visiting. I was all for it, but Shefali vetoed it because it would qualify as "cheating on Bobby Flay." 
- While in Borough Market, I asked a woman buying flounder (better known as sole in Europe) how she cooks it. "[The fishmongers] fillet it for me, then I dust it in flour and fry it in a pan with butter," she said. "There's no need to mess around."
- The cable TV at our Holiday Inn was limited, but it did include two music channels that, amazingly, still show music videos. I started each day with  full session of British pop. Looking back, this wasn't a good use of my time, but I thought this video was pretty awesome:



That's our trip--stay tuned for Bombay highlights. 

London Recap Part 3 - The Pubs

Shefali and I spent four days vacationing in London on our way to Mumbai. Whenever we travel to a new place, we make it a goal to eat our way from one end of town to the other. This four-part series will highlight our experiences.

Visiting the pubs with a pregnant wife is hardly the best way to experience London's beer, but she was a good sport, so we hit several during our stay. Here's my pint-by-pint breakdown:

My first taste of a British bitter (Sussex) came at The Market Porter. I drank it outside the pub on a sunny afternoon near Borough Market in Southwark. Drinking in the street, under a surprisingly hot sun while my wife sipped coffee felt wrong on many levels.

Pint number two (Junction) came at The Center Page near St. Paul's Cathedral. The Pub was located between St. Paul's and the Milennium Bridge, with dark rooms, sticky tables and windows through which you could watch the cold and rain. That alone made the beer more satisfying.

Pint number three (Adnams) came at Chequers Tavern. Chequers is stuck in an alley between the Royal Academy of Arts and St. James' Square. It's been there for hundreds of years and has a unique history as a former gathering place for games of checkers. With just six tables, it appeared to be a popular lunch spot for an older crowd. All around us were couples drinking white wine and talking business. Regardless, the beer was good (I was acquiring a taste for the slightly warmer and flatter bitters) and Shef raved about the apple pie.

Pints four (Fuller's), five and six (HSB) arrived when I finally had someone to drink with. Shefali's cousin, Priya, and her husband Sam hosted us in Fulham the night before we left for Bombay and took us out to The White Horse. It was a classic neighborhood pub and packed on a Tuesday night. The food was somewhat gourmet and served the best fish and chips I ate. It featured haddock instead of cod, and both the fish and chips were fried to perfection. It was served with the obligatory side of mashed peas and an interesting but unnecessary jalepeno tartar sauce.

London Recap Part 2: The Restaurants

Shefali and I spent four days vacationing in London on our way to Mumbai. Whenever we travel to a new place, we make it a goal to eat our way from one end of town to the other. This four-part series will highlight our experiences.

We had barely enough time (and money) to scratch the surface of London's restaurant scene, but we did find some great places. After four days of dining, we reached a few conclusions:

1. Ethnic food is always better in the big city. If you can't travel to the source, it's best to find the biggest city around, where there's a concentration of food lovers that know how to recreate dishes from home. In our few days, we ate drunken noodles, prawn toast, dim sum and curries worth the price of admission. While I'm proud of Durham's food scene, it's rare to blindly visit several restaurants featuring food from different parts of the world and walk out knowing you got what you paid for.

2. Dinner and dessert should be two separate adventures. With only a few days do explore, we ate dinner and dessert at different restaurants. This helped us see more of the city, read more menus, and separate dinner cravings from dessert cravings. For example, after we ate dim sum we said good-bye to our friends, headed north of Soho and found terrific creme brulee and red wine at Chez Gerarde on Charlotte Street.

London Recap Part I - The Markets

Shefali and I spent four days vacationing in London on our way to Mumbai. Whenever we travel to a new place, we make it a goal to eat our way from one end of town to the other. This four-part series will highlight our experiences.

After landing at Heathrow Airport and riding the tube into town, we visited Borough Market in Southwark and quickly learned that London has a vibrant local food scene. The city's diversity brings products from all over the globe, and the food vendors fill three city blocks. Many foods, like fish, eggs, dairy and veggies, are produced locally, but there were dozens of other booths offering goods imported from the regions of the world that know them best.

For example, heavily-accented Europeans handed us samples of blood orange and lemon-infused olive oils from Sicily, white and black truffle oil from Bologna, red-chile hummous (made locally by an Israeli family), and chorizo from Spain, quartered and served with arugula, roasted red peppers and tomatoes in a bun.

In addition to the classics, we stumbled upon less iconic treasures like ostrich burger, Croatian olive oils, zebra meat and vats of chicken and seafood, simmering in Vietnamese, Madras and Thai curries. In short, Borough Market was incredible. If you're ever in London, don't miss it.

Towards the end of the week we visited Shefali's cousin, Priya, in Fulham. Located west of London proper, Fulham has its own farmer's market. Open every morning, Priya explained, its booths cater to the ethnicities--Jewish, Indian and Slovak, for example--that have helped make London famous. Though foods like papad and matzo, produced and shared by families from places other than London, may or may not use ingredients from nearby farms, it definitely challenges the way I think about local food. In a city as historic and diverse as London, perhaps the people decide what's "local" just as much as the geography. If I've learned anything from traveling, it's that people will do anything to recreate the foods they ate at home. As a result, community-supported markets rely on the palates of the residents in addition to the land itself.

Over and Out

Shefali and I are traveling to London tonight, then onto Mumbai for ten days. Stay tuned for updates!

catching up

It's been a ridiculous stretch in NC, but it hasn't stopped us from eating. In fact, my pregnant wife's eating as much as ever, and I'm putting it down right along with her. Amid the baseball season, weddings, college graduations and the conclusion of another school year, there were a few highlights.

- HerbFest. Our friend Todd talked Herb Fest weekend up for two years, and we finally tagged along. The countless varieties of oregano, complementary wagons to fill and Todd, very much a grown man, squealing over cilantro were euphoric.

In addition to our herbs, cooking highlights included:

- grilled flounder with salmoriglio sauce
- ten straight days of grilled pork chops and potatoes (food aversions, anyone?)
- tandoori-style cobia steaks
- marinated spanish mackerel
- pan fried softshell crab
- brunch at watt's grocery
- gorging ourselves at Biryani House
- clams diavolo

Recipes are available - let me know if you want them. There are new adventures on the horizon, so stay tuned!

Mullets in Style

Our spring subscription to walking fish began this week with a bag full of fresh mullets, also known as kingfish or whiting. My fish were small with firm, white flesh, so I wanted to cook them whole. Having never worked with mullet before, I looked for a Sicilian recipe and immediately found Triglie di Scoglio, or "red mullet in onion sauce."

Triglie di Scoglio

- five small Walking Fish mullets, gutted and whole
- flour
- two eggs, beaten
- vegetable oil
- olive oil
- two yellow onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup white wine or sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar

1. Cover the bottom of a pan with vegetable oil and heat until shimmering.
2. Dredge the fish in flour, then then egg mixture, then back through the flour.
3. Fry each side of the fish until golden brown. If your pan is hot, this will take less than five minutes per side. Make sure the fish is cooked through before removing.
4. Once all the fish have been fried, remove the vegetable oil, add the olive oil and heat until barely smoking.
5. Saute the onions over low heat, turning occasionally, until translucent.
6. Add the vinegar and sugar. Stir until the liquid thickens, then add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the fish with the sauce or pour the sauce over the fish. Serve with lemon.

Although I later learned that the red mullet found in the Mediterranean are quite different from the sea mullet caught off the Carolina coast (the two fish aren't even in the same family), it was a quick, easy and flavorful meal. The tangy onion sauce would work well with other fish or chicken. Researchers at bestofsicily.com write that "traditionalists believe this dish is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature." After eating it at room temperature last night and cold this afternoon, I agree that it works both ways.

We ate it with mashed potatoes and stewed collard greens.

Recreating an Irish Feast

I spent my summer in Ireland in 2005, studying creative writing at National University Ireland-Galway. Traveling the country and visiting pubs stretched my student budget to its limit, so I had little money to spend on fine dining. In fact, I ate so cheap that even store-bought jars of pasta sauce were fair game.

Nevertheless, I have nothing but fond memories of Irish food. I ate shepherd's pie in Dublin, a terrific stew in Cork, fish and chips in Galway's city center, and a chocolate caramel biscotti topped with ice cream and a signature sauce (still the best dessert I've ever eaten) on the remote island of Inishbofin. When I did decide to dine out, it was usually for lunch at a pub. One rainy afternoon early in my stay I tried a bowl of seafood chowder, and from that moment forward I was hooked.

Pubs in every coastal town I visited featured their own variation of this hearty soup. It was rich, creamy, chock full of seafood, served with hearty soda bread and great with a pint of stout.

I ate it everywhere, but two particular bowls stand out in my memory. The first found me in Cobh, a tiny coastal town east of Cork famous for being one of the Titanic's final stops. The morning after New Zealand killed the British and Irish Lions in the second match of the rugby team's world tour, my friends and I were out shopping and stepped into a pub for an early lunch. This particular pub had a large display case of exotic desserts near the door, but I was more impressed with the soup's red color and fresh salmon, scallops and clams.

My second came from an ocean side pub in Roundstone. It was a cold, wet afternoon and my classmates and I were returning from our retreat at Inishbofin. We stepped off the ferry and ran for the nearest rooftop and dry seats. The chowder that day included bacon, cod and plenty of parsley, but the bread was even more memorable. Each piece was a dark brown color, dense and a little dry. The slices came to life with a slab of Irish butter (Irish cows are grass-fed).

Upon returning home, I spent months looking for an Irish pub that effectively recreates my Irish experience. To date, nothing compares. I crave the meal most around St. Patrick's day, and because there are only so many pubs one can try, I now take a different approach. Every March 17, I recreate my Irish feast at home.




The Soup

It was difficult to find a recipe at first, as chowder isn't authentic to Ireland and none of the Irish cookbooks I own has a recipe that resembles it. A few hours on the Internet provided some options - first on the blogs of travel writers and amateur cooks, then later on the web pages of the country's most famous chefs like Kevin Dundon, Darina Allen and Donal Skehan.

In 2009, I followed the directions of Judith Kadden. I turned to Armida Amador in 2010. Earlier this month I stumbled upon the cooking blog of Michael O'Meara, head chef at Oscar's Bistro in Galway City. He writes about how chowder recipes vary greatly by nature and experimentation is a must:

As with a great many traditional foods it is likely that chowder takes its name from the iron cooking pot in which it is traditionally cooked a Chaudière. Although the actual name chowder was first used in North America, specifically Canada in the 1730’s.The term Chowder would not be specific to a single soup but rather a number of interpretations of chowder exist ranging from rich creamy recipes through to light broth like soups often thickened with water biscuits, although all interpretations would indicate a hearty and very satisfying soup. The use of salt pork in seafood chowder is essential according to many traditionalists and will add a superb extra layer of flavour as will the use of potato. Clam chowder is possibly the most well known form of the soup and although very simple to make is one of the world’s great soups. Indeed the line between when chowder becomes a stew is often very thin indeed which makes chowder a great choice for a mid day meal on a sunny summers day. Experimentation is the order of the day when it comes to making chowder with the use of different fish and shellfish making the soup both fun to make and better to eat, although the recipe I have included may not be a chowder in the most traditional sense it will yield a hearty soup and will work a treat as a light meal or as a first course to a more substantial dinner.

His comments helped me draw some conclusions about the similarities in all the variations I'd eaten. I've concluded that a good chowder has a few universal ingredients:
- butter
- flour
- milk or cream
- veggies (onions, leeks, potatoes, carrots, celery,etc.)
- water or stock
- shellfish
- fish

It can also include some or all of the following:
- smoked fish
- tomatoes
- bacon
- white wine
- herbs and seasoning

Remembering my best meals, keeping in mind my recent attempts, taking advantage of local ingredients and borrowing much from Michael O'Meara, I created the following recipe for St. Patrick's Day 2011:

Irish Seafood Chowder

1 tbs olive oil
2 onions
2 leeks
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 pound potatoes, cubed
6 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup cream
3 cups fish stock
1-2 pounds mixed fish (I used 1 pound clams from Walking Fish, 1/2 pound cod and 4 ounces smoked salmon)
parsley, to taste

1. Cook the bacon in 1 tbs olive oil.
2. Add the butter
3. When the butter has melted, add the onions and leeks. simmer until soft but not brown.
4. add the flour and stir vigorously for two minutes to make a roux.
5. add the fish stock and bring to a simmer.
6. add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. add and cream and return to a simmer.
8. add the fish and simmer until cooked.
8. add parsley, salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

The Bread

Finding a bread recipe to complement my chowder was a much simpler task. Bread in Ireland is not a recent trend, and Coleman Andrews scoured the country, speaking to famous and family chefs in search of the best brown bread. He found several worthy of the title, and he included them in The Country Cooking of Ireland. I use Myrtle Allen's, found on page 272:

Brown Soda Bread

Butter for greasing
4 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup Irish steel-cut oatmeal or oat bran
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 to 4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. grease a baking sheet and set aside
3. mix the wheat flour, white flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
4. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and gradually pour in the buttermilk, stirring with a wooden spoon in a spiral motion from the center to the edge of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not too wet, with no raw flour left (this will probably take about 2 1/2 cups of buttermilk, but use more or less if necessary).
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Flour your hands lightly, then shape the dough into a flat round about 3 inches thick. Cut a deep cross in the top of the loaf with a wet or floured knife.
6. Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (Alternately, gently push the dough into a nonstick loaf pan and bake until done. The bread should slide out of the pan easily if done.)

The Beer

This is by far the easiest part of the meal to prepare. Pour a pint of Guinnes (or two). Murphy's works as well, especially in Cork.
Bread, chowder and a Guinness. It gets better every year.

Home Food Gets Hip

Some lucky people eat their mother's cooking well into their adult lives. My wife, Shefali, said good-bye to that utopia ten years ago when she packed her bags and headed to college in America. She's lived in the U.S. ever since, but still craves her mother's chicken curry, tikka masala, koftas and biryani. We've found some decent Indian restaurants in Durham and Chapel Hill, but none of them recreate the "home food" that she remembers and craves.

While no one can match her mother's cooking, we got pretty close this weekend when we visited Vimala's Curry Blossom Cafe in Chapel Hill.

The small restaurant features outdoor seating in a courtyard just out of sight from Franklin Street, Chapel Hill's main drag. We followed our noses behind a Malaysian joint, then past a pizza parlor and crepe shoppe. Dodging huge trays of thalis on our way in, we gawked at a simple but exciting menu written on a chalkboard overhead.
Vimala's is a farm-to-fork establishment, so the meats, produce and dairy products come from local farms. Shefali ordered the beef curry, which came with rice, daal, cauliflower, pappad and yoghurt.

I got the Bombay-style fish and chips - a king mackerel steak, lightly seasoned and fried, resting on a bed of rice. The fries were coated in garam masala and featured green chutney as a condiment instead of ketchup. There was also a small seasonal salad.

Because our eyes are notoriously bigger than our stomachs, we couldn't resist trying a side tandoori chicken as well.

Everything was excellent, especially the chicken and fish. Vimala herself circulated the dining area while we ate, carrying patrons' children, getting feedback on the night's special menu items and offering recommendations for customers who had just walked in. She spoke to us for several minutes about Bombay and the inspiration she gets from the street food when she visits. While it wasn't quite home food, Vimala made sure we'd eat it in our Durham home later that weekend, as she packed Shef's leftovers in a to-go box and added extra servings of fresh beef, rice and daal.

Home food is as much a state of mind as it is a meal. In Bombay, we can smell the aromas in the kitchen before, during and after the meal. We're comfortable eating familiar food around family and friends. The atmosphere's casual and conversation easy. Vimala's recreates this state of mind in its own progressive way. We placed our order with her daughter, Manju, and watched people from all walks of life - groups of college students, working professionals, retired couples and everything in between - smile at the children running underneath the tabletops and peek at the food on neighboring tables. The food was simple but thoughtful, and the quality of the ingredients shined.

Every couple of years, we take the 20-hour flight home to Bombay for a meal. When we're not traveling, we'll gladly settle for a 20-minute drive to Vimala's in Chapel Hill.

Walking Fish Delivery 4

The winds calmed down along the coast this week, so I received another flounder this Thursday from Walking Fish. I also picked up a small bag of arugula from the farmer's market Saturday morning. This evening's task was to figure out a way to combine the two. It rained all day in Durham, so I didn't want to stand over a grill. Recipes for flounder are hard to come by in my Italian cookbooks, so I called an old friend who grew up fishing in the ocean. He recommended I fillet it, then season it with bread crumbs and pan fry it.

In order to take his advice, I had to first learn how to fillet a flounder, so I turned to YouTube and viewed two how-to videos - one crude but informative clip and another that was more thorough but less entertaining.





The two narrators give essentially the same directions, so I tried it myself. A few minutes later I proved I'm not quite ready to try it on while bobbing up and down on a boat, fighting the wind and holding the still-flapping fish steady, but I did manage to get rid of the bones and skin and still keep most of the meat.

After sprinkling salt and pepper on each side of the fillets, Shefali dusted them with flour and pan fried them in butter and oregano while I boiled a pound of pasta and tossed it with a simple sauce of garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, white wine, lemon juice and the arugula.

In all, the fish turned out great, but pairing it with spaghetti wasn't the best decision. The pasta stretched the arugula pretty effectively, and would work well on its own or with a grilled meat, but if I were to do this one again I'd likely use the greens in a salad.