Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year all!! Hope all my readers had a wonderful Festive Season, I was busy with cooking and planning as usual. We had Roast turkey for the Christmas and Roast prime rib of beef for the New Year dinner. We all agreed to have roast Goose for Next Christmas. since 1980 we had turkey for the Christmas, now time for a change. i made most wise decision for this holiday festive cooking which was I made gravy 20th of December for all festive holiday meal. it was so convenient and free hassle on the day. I roasted chicken drum stick and wings with garlic( Whole), onion,carrot, celery stick, leek  and with a lots of red wine (3 glasses), my apple, chili and ginger jelly, it was dark, chocolate colour with smooth sweet taste, it was one of best gravy I've made, most of all I used for the Christmas and New year's big dinner. Knowing, gravy is in the fridge was so comforting during the cooking. I shall do it again and again.

Well, my home made cranberry sauce was a success as well, it was a good to have dried cranberry in the sauce which was my new experiment has paid off, not too sweet and tangy and texture from dried cranberry was very good, also with cheese,Stilton and Goat cheese.

I do enjoy all this once a year over the top kind of Festive cooking, family gets together and talking long hours with wine, candle light, indulging ourselves with drink, eating and a good talk, more ambitious menu plan so on, I do love it. Well until next Christmas ,now back to normal.

My Korean cookery and English cookery will be starting soon, from 14th of January.

Photo;  Baked sea Trout and Chili Prawn
Roast Turkey,
king scallops with Chorizo and Asparagus
Boozy pineapple and ice cream with ginger honey comb.

Home Made Cranberry Sauce

December month is my a mini break month, I am free from all my Cookery, English home Cooking, and Korean Home Cooking. I am starting our own Christmas preparation countdown from 1st of  December

Free range Turkey/ bronze/ has been ordered , now I am making cranberry sauce. I make a lots of sauce to give to friends as a festive season gift, and for us for whole year. I found commercial cranberry sauce is too sweet and too smooth. We like a bit of texture and tangy . I am using 2 bags of  dried cranberry as well for the first time, it will add another slightly chewy texture as well.

1.5kg of  fresh cranberry. 3 oranges juice and zest. sugar. 2cups of port. 300g of dried cranberry.

my kitchen smells like heaven with all this sugar, spice, port! just like Christmas !!

Dry cranberry makes such difference,gives more depth in flavour and texture.

 I stored sterilised jar and small bottles. I am looking forward to wrap and send to my friends.

I found cranberry sauce is excellent accompany with Stilton cheese and  other strong cheese.

Well Well, tomorrow will be on to next on the list, perhaps chestnut, boiled, skinned and freeze for our chestnut, sage onion stuffing.

Korean Restauarants guide 2012 in England / book launch.

 We were invited by Korean Food Foundation to the Book launch of the Korean Restaurants guide book in England , 2012. It was held in Tate Modern , along with my cookery students and dear friends from sugar craft.

looking at the St Paul through evening light was delightful, it was very nicely done with fabulous Korean finger food, all my guest were so impressed by all.

Restaurant guide book contains all kind of information and map, their famous dishes , photo of dishes look so tasty. Perhaps, reading this, you like to have a Korean Restaurants crawl for a month at least.

This event shows how my Country has come long way to the better and grand , shows Korean hospitality is the best in the world , I think.   My mum used to say whoever comes in our house they should not leave without food and drink!

Korean food is getting a lots of attention along with Korean movies and drama, specially to young 30 something generation, Kimchi is also getting popular among the English chefs, it took a long time but it was inevitable, such  complex taste of kimchi can be used many kind of cuisine, I think.

Watch this space, as soon as this guide book is available in London, I will let you know.

Trip to Seville.

We had 5 days mini break in Seville from 5th of November, I , my husband and son,John were celebrating my husband birthday early in Seville. Get up 4:30 AM to be in Gatwick was worst part to using Easy Jet to  Europe. Arrived in sunny Seville was a bonus. Apartment we rent was in the middle of old town, 10 minutes walk  from Cathedral. perfect position and stylish 2 bed room and more importantly, beautiful market is only a few steps from the flat.I have to tell you this new iconic market building. it is not only the market for fish, meat and all the veggies and fruits but also it is a tourist attraction. very modern and quirky , wavy building, surrounded by a big space . It just look like art gallery than the market, I was so happy to see all kind of seafood and fish , even I found small soft shell lobster  here, which I have seen only South east of Korea, Masan where I come from. I had to buy them and cook to show my husband and son. sweet and soft meat is tastier than big normal lobster but they seemed not impressed by messy eating! Well well,
I do envy Spanish having such a beautiful building as the food market, even you do not like cooking, just love to go in, and buy stuff and have a go , British Government should invest this kind of market in every small city or town, I think

 Iberico ham were hung on the ceiling not only in the shops also every bar, very expensive but melt in your mouth, we all loved it with cold glass of beer.
Drink culture in Spain is so enviable , all of bars have full of people with small glass of beer and tapas,they do drink little, eat little and talk a lot and carry on like this for whole evening but actually they do not drink a lot, just happy to chat and laugh and most of all they drink  with food/tapas, it is very healthy way of drinking, we visit a lots of bars, we never seen any drunkenness by youngsters or oldies , even some bars are just in front of church but all very civilised, sitting on the church steps, beer in hand and engaging in deep conversation, they just know how enjoy the life !!

Should we allow only  half pint to the young people and try to avoid a pint glass , in U K?, big is not better always, we should educate and promote less drink culture. That's only my opinion. or campaign for ,drink but eat some food like tapas or even chips!!!.

We stumbled in to the tiny bar, cooking Churo in the morning,and afternoon. oh,boy, it was so good, crunch but light batter with bitter chocolate sauce, the bar man shout like fish auctioneer, Chuuuuuuuro to the old guy who seemed frying only this chuuuuuuuuuuro for 100years!!!, it was perfect !!!

By the way in Seville has full of Seville orange trees,no other tree in sight, well how  appropriate!, we had fabulous meal at the, Veneria San Telmo, Basque cuisine in tapas style.

Photos; Market building from the street.
  Typical Bar(actually, Rick Stein firmed here)
  Fish Market.
Churo

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. 

.

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 !