Holiday in France, Pau

Last week of September our family had a week in Pau, south west France , Our villa was looking at Pyrenees and sit on the  top of sloppy vineyard, it was just like a room with a view kind of house.But it was a long drive , spent 2 night on the way, La Rochelle is very charming old port and bustling with holidaymakers.
Pau is very near Bilbao and San Sebastian, we even we managed to have lunch in San Sebastian, and afternoon tea at Biarritz!
Whenever I am in France,  I like to be in a villa with a comfortable kitchen, I do enjoy shopping in the local supermarket, specially the fish counter. I could even buy fresh anchovies there, I use to eat anchovy's/ grilled or stewed in Korea and Greece, believe me, they are so tasty, simply grill with a pinch of salt.
We had  three course set menu lunch at  Chez Ruffet,  one star Michelin restaurant, in the village of Jurancon, about five minutes from our villa. The food was well presented, and we ate in a small, but very pretty courtyard.

I was very annoyed with the head waiter, They all think, we, English never had French food and explain with broken English with manner of superior. I would like shout at them, ' do you know how many French bistro and restaurant in London? do not treat us like we are having lunch first time at 1 Micheline French Restaurant!!!, Having said the starter was excellent,lobster bisque with grilled prawn on the to along with shaved cauliflower top. Main course was very disappointing for me, roast rabbit saddle wrapped in the foil and served on the bed of artichoke moose, 2 tiny leaves of Brussels sprout. the dish was so pale it looked very unattractive , taste was no memorable either. It needed some kind of crunch texture, like salad , only two tiny green leaves look very mean.
Desert was a star, well made brownie with pear and pepper sorbet on the top.

We all had relaxing holiday, a sunny weather was a great bonus. We thought food is not cheap in the cafe or bistro than here in UK or even expensive, but I loved cooking with local ingredients, also price of meat and vegetables are not cheaper than UK, only fish and sea foods are better..
Here are the pohotos of our villa and  lunch at the Jurancon, starter and desert.  

Kimchi, kimchi, kimchi, kimchi /김치

In my fridge 1 have 4 different kind of kimchi, it is due to buying too many seasonal kimchi, ingredients from Mr, Chang, (  from Germany). I was like a little kid in the sweet shop the other day. i buy all my shiso leaves ( in Korean gettnip) from him when comes to UK, I have known him by accident ,one year in New Malden, As I need lots of shiso for my shiso pesto and my Korean cookery, He always calls me in August when he comes to New Malden with all kind of wonderful Korean Veggies. I do not know how he can grow all the Korean vegetables like in Korea, taste and texture.. Well last time I was his shop,(actually a  van in the car park), I could not resist to seeing all the wonderful, cabbage and white radish( daikon) and baby white radish.Thinking I have not seen these and not eaten certain Kimchi for 30 years, isn't it crazy?? as I get older, memory of food is so special, and it takes me to my childhood and in certain place. Is that only me? or I am truly and plainly getting old!

 Making a kimchi takes at least half day, making 4 different kimchi, well, I was very greedy and since I am living far from New Malden, I have to take this chance. Baby radish kimchi is very special, crunch to bite and sweet, spicy. I just have to make it . My fridge is bursting with my 4 kimchi Jars and now I am busy planning with what kind of Korean food  goes well these kimchi.. Hearty beef soup with crunch radish kimchi, Slow cooked belly pork with cabbage kimchi, noodle in the watery kimchi so on. 

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Here are the 4 kimchi.  1. Cabbage Kimchi( Baechu kimchi,)

2. Non spicy Cabbage watery Kimchi( Mul kimchi)

3.Baby radish Kimchi ( Chonggak Kimchi)

4, Radish Kimchi ( Ggakdugi)



 

Samgyetang ( Giseng &Chkien Soup)/삼계탕

This Spring chicken soup has medicinal quality in Korea and specially eat during the very hot Summer, because Koreans believe Heat has to be treated by Heat. It is very oriental way of thinking. This soup is good for the energy boosting , having very long hot, humid Summer in Korea, time to time, we need this kind of highly nutritious soup to boost our energy. I found it's  much easier to make this soup in UK because baby chicken is widely available all year around.

1 baby chicken

2 tbsp sticky rice

1 head of garlic

1 dry small ginseng root

1 small piece of ginger

2-3 jujube

1. Clean the chicken and remove excess fat and  dry with kitchen tissue.rice and soak in the water at least 1 hour, drain and leave for 20 minutes.

2.Soak ginseng for 20-30minutes, stuff chicken cavity with soaked  rice, garlic( skin off), jujube and cross leg to keep the stuff inside.

3.In a large pan put stuffed chicken , ginger, ginseng, add water ( up to chicken)  and boil on the high heat for 20 min. and simmer for another 50min. to 1hour until soup looks milky .

Serve whole chicken in a brown Korean stew dish ,with very finely chopped spring onion and salt and black pepper in the small 2 separate bowls.
4. This is a main meal, usually  1 chicken per person,  cut  off meat with spoon and  mix with sticky rice form the cavity, season with salt and pepper, add chopped spring onion. Samgyetang is a non spicy soup., with garlicky ,light ginseng flavour ,it is truly energy boosting soup!, Also  very heart warming soup.

This soup is a perfect meal for not only hot and humid, tiring Korean Summer but anywhere or any season., I think ! 

Food Festival

I had  a ticket Foodies Festival, at Battersea Park, I had very busy last week of July, guests from Korea, My daughter leaving to Far east for a very adventurous holiday for 6 weeks. I thought too Young to have back packing Holiday ,being 20, young and no fear, what can I do?

Finally Sunday, 31st, I dragged my tired body and mind to the foodie festival, but there were no

   atmosphere, until i got to Spanish paella corner, in the huge pan , cooking paella looked having a party and a lots of people stood ,waiting for their lunch, £ 6 a bowl( smallish),smells good and visually pretty. but £3 would have been a right price. still it does not like festival for me.

I was rather disappointed by all these pop up food festival over the years, and does not look inspiring or even interesting , too small, not too many things in there and you have to pay for it!!!

 or I am too spoiled ,coming from foodie town in South Korea.

This Festival seemed much less things in My hometown, Masan's daily markets. or even French village .Whoever organize this so called festival, specially pay a good money(£15) ,try harder than this more like pop up market.Anyway food is talking about all types of media,

but  All I can hear that modern British working life has hardly any time to cook., Cooking needs only short time if you have willingness. and desire for good food, home food is the best surely!!
I found cooking is my best relaxation and more therapeutic than anything but not everybody will be the same  as me but, i can blame the government not having Cookery Class at school, Can I ????? 

Bought  some fat Turkish spicy olives, it was good, but creamy Feta cheese was too creamy for my taste, I  love grainy Feta cheese we used to buy at the little shop when we were in outside of  Athens.

Coming home ,in the train , my mind was travelling to my hometown, South East Korea, Sea-town, Masan, I loved daily visit to the market, the noise and looking at the all kind of shapes of fish, sea food, sea veggies, you can buy anything, fish, seafood, meat vegetables, fruits,.

One day I love to travel Korea, write  about all regional food, and Spain, south France, Italy are the my dream traveller's food land, well. If only I can afford!!

 I was at Masan,South Korea 2010, very happy to say it was still the same  but only made more orderly and roof has been put up , it was such a joy  walking around to seeing all those my childhood food and the smell!

Still i am painfully trying to recreate my childhood food when I am in England , and hold on to my dearest memory.

Photo; My hometown, Masan's daily open market, 2010
Red  sea- food is the kind of sea squat from only South east coast of Korea, inside this hard skin has soft bright orange colour flesh,  has fantastic earthy and sweet flavour, slightly tangy taste . I miss this most , I have not seen in Europe yet .

Pasta with Chicken (marinated in garlic, lemon, olive oil and shiso pesto)

I made this pasta dish remembering a visit to Bologna. We had pasta with rabbit marinated in garlic and oilve oil, it was so tasty. I came up with this recipe. Since I cannot find rabbit meat easily in our area.  I made it with chicken thigh meat and shiso leaves instead of basil.

4 Chicken thigh/ boneless, skinless 1 per person

Chopped garlic 2tsp

Ex.V oilve oil 2 tbsp

Chopped chilli (1/2, seeded)

Shiso pesto 2tsp

Salt, pepper. lemom juice

1. Chop chicken thigh meat very small( 0.5cm cube), set a side. in a bowl, put garlic, lemon zest, oilve oil pepper, salt and 1tsp of lemon juice , mix well and add chicken meat, leave in the fridge for 2-3 hours at least.

2. Heat pan with oil, cook onion , chilli, chicken meat , add shiso, when chicken is cooked season and add 2tbsp of dry white wine, and cook  brifly on the high heat and check the seasoning, finallay chopped shiso leaves (2 tsp) , mix well with cooked pasta and serve. It is tasty as in Bologna I think, do try at home. 

 

Tteokboggi / Rice Cake with Vegetables in Spicy Sauce (떡 볶기)

Tteokboggi is a very popular street food in Korea, I used to buy tteokboggi on the way home from school in the late afternoon, could not wait until dinner time,  to comfort my empty stomach, Most of Korean audlts have a  fond memory of tteokboggi , and one of the most popular street food for the forever hungry Korean teenagers.

I am often asked by my cookery class ,mostly they are curious about Tteokboggi that have seen in the Korean movie or drama.  I like to make with thin and bite size of rice cake to enjoy with drinks, a snack for the grown ups .

Rice cake/tube or flat 100g

Braising Steak  or pork fillet 100g.

Celery stick, shitake mushroom, carrot, onion, red ,yellow, green pepper 

Crushed garlic, Gochujang ( Korean chilli paste),chicken stock

1.Cut rice cake to bite size ( prefer 3cm cube or thin tube ), Cut all th vegetables like match stick 5m long, meat as well, in a small bowl, 1 tbsp soy, 2 tsp sesameoil 2tsp sugar, 1tsp garlic with a pinch of pepper and stir well,add meat leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

2.   Heat oil in a pan , add onion, mushroom,carrot, celery, cook for a few minutes then rice cake,pepper, In a bowl put stock, add gochujang( 2tsp) stir well and pour into the rice cake mix, add garlic and cook slowly , if you like to have spicier , add more gochujang, fianally put 2 tsp sugar cook  for 2-3 minutes. and serve with a pinch of toasted sesame seed on the top

Kimchi Jjigae ( Kimchi Stew) /김치찌게

Kimchi Jjigae has to make with fermented cabbage  kimchi, freshly made kimchi does not have special flavour that fermented kimchi have. it would be just spicy cabbage stew not kimchi jjigae. It has to be cooked slowly , simmering for loong time. Like any stew ( beef stew etc..) it is tastier on next day . I  am guessing this kimchi jjigae was developed by a changce to use up old fermented kimchi, as all Korean house hold has kimchi all the time, so well fermented kmchi has to use up to make freshe one, all the time.  It is a heart warming dish, and kind of comfort food, specially during  cold Winter month. One of my korean cookery class's lady described kimchi jjigae as a big hug , like a warm loving human touch, I think that was a perfect description. well, we all need a big hug now and then.

1/4 of fermented kimchi

100g shoulder or belly of pork( diced)

1 pack of tofu(hard), 1 onion( sliced) spring onion.

3-4 cups of good chicken stock.

Bean paste( 2tsp) chilli flakes, crushed garlic.

1. Take off stuffing from the kimchi,cut to bite size, chop the onion and pork as well, in a stew pan, heat oil and fry onion first add meat and sliced kimchi cook slowly, add 2 tsp of korean bean paste, pour stock and boil, simmer for 30 minutes, taste add light soy sauce ( if you need), chilli flakes, 1 tsp garlic and tofu( cut 2cm cube) and simmer anothe 30 minutes. Serve in a heated brown Korean stew dish with chopped spring onion on the top.
For the vegetarian: take out meat,  add shitake mushroom for more body, and use vegetable stock, you can add egg , in the middle when you serve ( fried, or raw( it will cook with heat in the stew)