Mainland munchies....

 

Only 3 weeks left of our 10 week trip away. This week we're in Cornwall for New Year and then off to Thailand for a two week (very late) honeymoon. We start in Bangkok, then onto Cape Panwa and Koh Phi Phi. I am mostly looking forward to the Bangkok street food which everyone says is fantastic. I'd love any good food reccomendations for Thailand. Anyway here is some of what we've been eating in the last few weeks.....

 

 

Treacle Tart and Vanilla Salt at The Scarlet, Mawgan Porth.

 

 

Crab raviolo with Mylor prawn bisque, tarragon foam, rouille and crostini at The Scarlet. Probbl one of my food highlights.

 

Cocktails with bridesman Alex in London.

 



 

A chocolately delight at The Porthminster Beach Cafe, St Ives.

 

 

Japanese mackerel broth at The Porthminster Beach Cafe, St Ives.

A load of pollocks.....

Yesterday I saw a swallow fly over Samson Hill. Swooping over the garden, gliding in the sunshine. It flew off towards Tresco like it was doing a rekke of the islands before the mass migration from Africa begins and you see hundreds on a daily basis. After a day of showers, this week's been beautiful. You can find a sheltered spot, put your face up to the sun and imagine summer barbecues.

Gareth decided to go fishing yesterday with some of our guests and took a boat to the south coast of St Mary's. They caught a bag full of pollock and a tiny mackerel. Maybe it's the sunshine, maybe it's the swallow, Scilly seems firmly in springtime.

Pan fried pollock with lemon butter sauce....(serves 2)

2 pollock fillets

a tbsp flour

salt and pepper

Cornish rapeseed oil

1oz/25g St Agnes butter

a squeeze of lemon juice

On a plate, season the flour and place the fillets skin side down. Heat up a heavy frying pan on a medium heat and add a tbsp or two of oil. Add the pollock skin side down. In another pan put the butter and lemon and put on a gentle heat until melted. Whisk together and put aside.

Once the pollock is cooked halfway up the fillet (about 4 minutes), flip over and cook for another couple of minutes.

Serve with the hot lemon butter sauce and a little fennel.

Hake cakes for chilly day....

We took a rare day off today as we've got friends staying with us from London. We've been blessed with some beautiful days since Christmas and it's easy to see why so many people decide to holiday here out of season. We wandered up to the shop to fill our baskets with fresh Cornish hake for tea, sausages for tomorrow's breakfast and a few beers to celebrate our friends arrival. After a wander around Samson Hill and a stroll along Rushy Bay we decided to walk to Tresco. Every now and again the tide between Tresco and Bryher is so low you can walk between the two islands without getting your feet wet....

We went for lunch at the New Inn on Tresco which was filled with other hungry islanders who had done the same thing. On the boat back we watched the crisp afternoon sun starting moving west and we knew we'd made the mistake of one layer too few as our hands started to freeze. We shuffled home across the beach as quickly as we could our coats pulled high around our necks. When you're that cold there was only one thing I could do with the fish I bought earlier. Something cosy and warming.....

Hake fishcakes with garlic and lemon mayonnaise..... (served 4 chilly people)

400g of hake fillets (usually about 2)

800g potatoes

a knob of butter

2 gherkins

a little flour

For the mayonnaise

1 egg yolk

sunflower oil

4 garlic cloves

a squeeze of lemon

Peel and boil the potatoes in salty water. When they are cooked take of the heat and drain. Put them in a bowl with the butter and mash. Add the chopped gherkin and season.

In a pan put a little water (about a cup or two for the fish to sit in.) Bring up to simmering point and add the fish. You don't really want the water to cover it. Let it cook half way up the side of the fish then carefully flip over and take off the heat. Leave for five or ten minutes. Remove from the water and peel off the skin and flake into the potato. I try to create big chunks because once you start mixing it all breaks down. Carefully mix together the fish and potatoes.

Shape into fish cakes (about 12) and dust with flour. Fry in a mixture of sunflower oil and butter. Carefully flip over when it is browned. I had to do this in two batches. Pop in a 180'c oven for another 10 minutes.

While it's in the oven make the mayonnaise. Put the egg yolk in a clean bowl and give it a whisk. Slowly start dripping in a little oil at a time while continuing to whisk. (This takes a while). If you want a measurement for the oil it should be somewhere between 150ml-200ml but I tend to go less rather than more. But keep tasting it to see if it looks and tastes like mayonnaise. Crush the garlic with the salt and add to the mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon.

Serve the hake cakes with a wedge of lemon, some steamed spinach and the mayonnaise.

The Trengilly Wartha Inn....

The thing about hidden gems is that they are far too hidden away. This afternoon I've spent a sulky afternoon on Gyllyngvase Beach at Falmouth. It was too crowded for me, too many children kicking me in the head as they ran past waving their spades around. And that's why beaches like Treen are so special...because they are so blooming hard to get to most people don't bother. And it's the same with lunch venues. This morning I spent about an hour driving along every single track road around Port Navas, Constantine and Gweek trying to find the Trengilly Wartha Inn. It gives clear directions on the webiste. I just couldn't find it. 'User error,' my boss would say.

I was going there to meet up with my husband and his triathalon training friends. I was three more fist shakes away from giving up and driving home when I saw the sign and finally made it.

We sat outside in the burning sun enjoying the gorgeous gardens and lovely drinks. We mostly ordered ploughmans. Me, Cornish blue and the husband a mixed cheese one.

The hidden gem in the ploughmans was the delicious homemade pickles. It's rare you hear people enthusing over pickled cauliflower but it was completely wonderful. Sweet, spicy and crunchy. I think the other pickle was cucumber, it had small lumps of chilli which gave a great bite.

Two of the cyclers had lovely pots of rusty red fresh crab with all the same pickles and bread. We seemed to have a lot less salad than the others, having a plate of leaves but they were dressed so beautifully we didn't mind. The chips even came with homemade mayonaisse. I'm not sure I've ever been to a pub that does that. It was one of the best lunches I have had in a long time. A real hidden gem. I'll be back..if I can find it.

Trengilly Wartha Inn, Near Constantine, Falmouth

01326 340332

Ploughmans £9.20

Seabass with chorizo and sweet red onions....

This is the last of my blogs about Arty Williams' Fish Masterclass at The Cove in Falmouth.

I learnt a lot in the two hours and have already eaten a lot more fish since. I'd like to thank the people at Cornwall Food and Drink who arrange for me to go on the course as part of Spring Feast Fortnight.

Seabass with chorizo and sweet red onions....(serves 2)

2 seabass fillets (make sure the fishmonger pin bones them)

a little oil

2 red onions

150ml red wine

3/4 tbsp redcurrant jelly

1 tbsp apricot jam

1 tbsp brown sugar

juice and zest of 1 lemon

4 slices chorizo.

Preheat the oven to 180'c. First make the red onions. Slice the onions thinly. Put all the ingredients except the onions in a saucepan. Reduce the liquid until syrupy and sticky. Add the red onions and turn the heat to low. Stir well and cover. After 10 minutes remove the lid and cook until the mixture is sticky and sweet. Put aside.

Heat a pan with a little oil. Place the fillets skin side down. Cook for a few minutes and then pop in the oven for a few minutes more. While the fish is in the oven, fry the chorizo.

Serve the fish with the warm onions and chorizo.

Crustacean Celebration......

There are some foods which just scream spring to me. Crab is one of them. There's nothing like that first crab sandwich of the year. Thick white bread with yellow mayonnaise spread across it and just a dusting of sea salt. Although the last week has seen everyone in Cornwall raiding their cupboards for flip flops the evenings are still biting cold and a sandwich won't cut the mustard.

Arty Williams at The Cove made us a crab soup at his Spring Feast Fortnight Fish Masterclass. It was garlicky and hot with lumps of sweet crab and lobster. He swirled a brown crab brandy cream on the top and floated a fish mousse dumpling in the middle but that is a step to far for my cooking abilities. Anyway the healthy broth alone will make those springtime shorts a little more bearable!

Crab Soup (serves 6-8)

200g white crab meat (Arty picked his. I cheated as I had some already.)

olive oil

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery

1 leek

1 fennel

1 parsnip

1 potato

1 bulb of garlic

4 tomatoes blanched and de-seeded

1 chilli

a handful of mixed herbs

For the stock:

2 crab shells (I simply went to the fishmongers and asked for some shells. They were happy to give me a bag full. Thanks to Seabourne Fish in Penryn.)

1 carrot

a quarter of a white cabbage

2 stalks broccoli

half a red onion

(I don't think it matters what vegetables you use- as long as they don't fall apart- but I'd put onion in there whatever the combination)

First make the stock. Preheat the oven to 180'c and roast the crab shells for about 10-15 minutes. Pop them in a large pan (mine wasn't big enough!) and pour enough cold water just to cover them. Add the vegetables and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes (making sure you skim off any scum).

Drain through a colander and then through a sieve. Set aside. Discard the shells and vegetables.

Chop the garlic bulb in half horizontally and brush with oil. Pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the garlic is soft.

Chop all the vegetables into small pieces. In a really large pan on a low heat fry all the vegetables except the potato and tomato. Let it fry for about 15 minutes making sure it doesn't catch.

(This photo is just to show you the stock- it makes a lot more than this!) Pop the garlic cloves out of their shells and mash with the back of a knife. Add to the vegetables.

Add the potato and continue to fry until the potato is soft enough to eat. Pour the stock in and cook through. Add the crab and tomato and let it warm through then add the herbs and serve.

Take part in Cornwall Spring Feast Fortnight by clicking here. You can eat out at some of Cornwall's best restaurants for fantastic prices. There are also various courses- like The Coves'- to take part in.

My stomach is grumbling. Loud angry grumbles that force the people around me to stare awkwardly. I'm at The Cove's Fish Masterclass., organised as part of Cornwall Food and Drink's Spring Feast Fortnight. It's 6.30pm and it's still warm at Maenporth. Barefoot children are dancing around a jumping dog while the Cove's customers watch them with chilled glasses of wine in hand. There could be no better week to launch the Spring Feast Fortnight. It's balmy and warm and everyone at the Masterclass is up for learning how to prepare and cook Cornwall's fish superstars.

We learn how to pick a crab with our senses. It was Arty's use of sound I found most fascinating. He cut the crab by listening to the sound of the knife against its shell. Later he sliced fat scallops and marinated them for us to eat raw. I couldn't wait to get home and make them.

Scallop Ceviche....(serves 4)

12 scallops

1 garlic clove crushed

half a chilli finely chopped

1 heaped tsp palm sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 and a bit tsp nut oil

half a tsp finely chopped ginger

1 and half limes

1 and a half tbsp olive oil

Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Make sure the sugar has dissolved. Slice the scallops horizontally into three thin slices. Pop in the marinade and leave for a couple of minutes. Share out between four plates and serve.

There were so many good tips and recipes that I'm going to have to blog about the course in three parts. The Cove does courses like this throughout the season and Arty will convince even the biggest fishaphobe to start filleting!

Take part in Cornwall Spring Feast Fortnight by clicking here. You can eat out at some of Cornwall's best restaurants for fantastic prices. There are also various courses- like The Coves'- to take part in.

If you want more information about The Cove call 01326 251136 or read this blog post.

Crab pasta.....

There is sunshine on my back as I write, warmer than any day this year. Holidays makers and children off school dance along the road outside, their winter coats undone and their gloves in their bags.

Later I go to the beach and think about taking my shoes off to dig my toes in the sand....

I am loathe to say it but it feels as if spring is in the air. Then the bite on my cheeks reminds me that it's still February. That feeling of springtime makes my tummy rumble for something summery. My Cornish Food Box delivered me a large packet of freshly picked white crab meat. After eating some on buttered toast the rest went into a pasta tea.

Crab spaghetti with capers (served 4)....

250g/8oz spaghetti

250g/8oz picked crab meat

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch spring onions

3 tomatos

1 handful parsley

2 tbsp capers

1/2 red chilli

1 lemon

In a pan fry the chopped spring onions and the chopped chilli. Scoop the seeds out of the tomato and chop into small chunks. Add to the onions. Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain. Add the crab to the onion mix and carefully mix through on the heat. Add the capers and the zest and juice of the lemon.

Toss through the pasta and sprinkle parsley over the top.

Dash and crab....

It's like Harvest Festival in our flat. Every nook seems to be bursting with beans or over flowing with flowers.....

Snacks are green beans and meals are 90% vegetables.

Once a week or so I'm all vegged out. This week I wanted pizza. Pizza with no vegetables on it. (Apart from salad, that's not a vegetable in my book.)

Crab and Chilli Pizza......(Serves 1)

I've done recipes for pizza before here. I'm just too lazy to type it out again.

So this time follow the same based and sauce mix. You just need these....

75g/3oz dressed crab

Tabasco sauce

1 handful watercress

1 tbsp pesto

100g/4oz mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 200'c.

After making the base, placing it on a lined baking tray and spreading the sauce over the top add teaspoons of the crab. Tear the cheese and scatter around the pizza. Splash with tabasco sauce (to your taste!).

Pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Dress the watercress with the pesto. Once you've taken the pizza out of the oven top with the watercress.

Potted History....

I'm back at home. Back on Scilly with my sisters. Every morning we get up and one of us goes up to Hillside Farm to buy fresh eggs (leaving money in a box on the stall) to poach and eat for breakfast. The afternoons are being spent lazing in the sun, occasionally turning over to make sure we're not burning. Or walking around Samson Hill sheltering from the occasional shower behind the stone walls of the old farms.

The boys have been fishing (unsuccessfully) but the shrimps have been more forthcoming. They set off with huge nets, scooping under rocks down in Green Bay. We ended up with bucket loads and ate shrimps on fennel bread (picked from Green Bay) with thick slabs of butter.

But there were loads left so after they were shelled my eldest sister made potted shrimps.

Potted Shrimps....(makes 8 ramekins)

8oz/225g butter
1 pint cooked shrimps

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 pinch grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

Shell the shrimps, taking off their heads, tails and body. (This bit is always a bit disappointing as the shrimps look quite big until you take off their jackets.) Shell enough to fill a pint jar. Met the butter slowly in a large pan. Add the cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the shrimps. Spoon into the ramekins and top with the excess melted butter. Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve on toast or with fresh bread.

Sounds fishy....

I hate conflict. I can't deal with complaints. I always say sorry when something isn't my fault. But I'm a Libran. I like to think I am perfectly balanced can see both sides of an argument. There are some foods that just need something else to transport them into the world of deliciousness. A medjool date and a piece of cheese or a tomato and a pinch of salt. But some foods are sacred and chefs are always shouting that they should be messed around with....like a perfectly bland crab sandwich.

But I'm not a chef. And I only ever cook things I like. So I'm not afraid to say it...My names Issy Taylor and I like cooking with clotted cream. If I mention it people gasp a little especially if it's linked with something savoury but it's a brilliant ingredient. I'll admit it's best eaten at room temperature with a finger dunked in the tub. But it's also great with seafood

Clotted Cream and Smoked Mackerel Bake (Serves 2)

1 large smoked mackerel fillet
3 large tbsp clotted cream
3 dsp milk
2 oz Parmesan
pepper

Bread to serve

Preheat the oven to 200'c. In a bowl mix the cream, cheese and milk until running. Flake the fish into large chunks and stir into the cream.

Pour into two small heatproof bowls or one medium sized one.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden.

Serve with some crusty bread of some peppery rocket.