Risotto with Shallot, Bottarga (Grey Mullet Roe) and Lemon
This is my take on the stunning risotto which I ate at Antica Trattoria Al Gallo 1909 in Ravenna a week or two ago. I have no inside knowledge, but I’ve done some research. They used the salted, cured roe (bottarga) of sea bass, which I had never encountered before. The more commonly found variety…
Read MoreBrace da Donati, San Marino
Brace da Donati Contrada Santa Croce 39, 47890, Città di San Marino +378 335 196 1799 www.bracedadonati.com* * At the time of publication the website was unavailable The Bill (Euros) Tasting Menu (Oops! Didn’t notice) A la carte Antipasti €16.00 – €18.00 | Primi Piatti €16.00 – €22.00 Secondi Piatti €16.00 – €30.00 | Dolci…
Read MoreRisottos – Why Yours Aren’t As Good as The Italians
Our last week in Italy. Their food is simple, but sometimes deceptively so. Let’s consider one of the great, classic dishes, and how to make it better. I have eaten a few phenomenal risottos while I’ve been here. They are silky; they are creamy; they have bite. They are fabulous. I wouldn’t pretend to know…
Read MoreAntica Trattoria Al Gallo 1909, Ravenna
Antica Trattoria al Gallo 1909 Via Maggiore 87, 48123, Ravenna, Italy + 39 0544 213775 www.algallo1909.it The Bill (Euros) A la carte Antipasti €10.00 – €14.00 | Primi Piatti €15.00 – €16.00 Secondi Piatti €16.00 – €22.00 | Dolci €7.00 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Flavour 4.5/5 Service 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL…
Read MoreGnocchi at Home
Well, having considered them on Wednesday, I thought we should cook them today. Teeny problem – not something I’ve ever done. I looked around and came on a piece by Michel Roux jr. Never a bad place to start, I thought. His recipe? Take 1 pack of store bought gnocchi. Hmm. Though I did once have…
Read MoreG is for…Gnocchi
So, what do we know about gnocchi? Pasta’s lumpy cousin? Well, they’re usually made with potato and they’ve been around since Roman times. Actually both true, but pause to consider that impossible juxtaposition. We know that the potato has been in Europe for a mere 400 years or so (see P is for Potato from…
Read MoreTrattoria La Rustica, Ravenna
Trattoria La Rustica Via Massimo d’Azeglio 28 48121 Ravenna +39 0544 218 128 www-trattoria–larustica-it The Bill (Euros) A la carte Antipasti €9.00 – €18.00 | Primi Piatti €9.00 – €14.00 Secondi Piatti €14.00 – €22.00 | Dolci €5.00 – €6.00 The Score Cooking: Starters 8/10 | Meat 2/10 – Average 5/10 Flavour: Starters…
Read MorePorchetta
italian porchetta in a market in la spezia They love their pork here in Italy. The ultimate pork dish surely has to be porchetta. I had heard many enthusing; however, in my ignorance I had thought it was the Italian way with roast pork, just with more herbs. How wrong can you be. In summary…
Read MorePasta I Love Thee. Let Me Count The Ways
During my Royal Mile Tours for guests of the Edinburgh Festival Guides Association in August, I pose a question. How many individual performances were there in festivals in the city in the previous month of August? The answers are always wildly out: the only person who ever got close was a lady who thought she…
Read MoreCa’ de Vèn, Ravenna, Italy
Ca’ de Vèn 24 Via Corrado Ricci, 48121 Ravenna +39 0544 30163 www.cadeven.it The Bill (Euros) A la carte Piadine/Crescioni €1.50 – €7.50 | Antipasti €6.00 – €13.50 Primi Piatti €11.00 – €13.50 | Secondi Piatti €16.50 – €22.50 Dolci €5.00 – €7.00 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value…
Read MorePeaches and Nectarines in Wine
I’m not sure that we ever get the very best of these glorious fruit at home. The reason is obvious. They are at their very best when just picked ripe off the tree. In that case of course, they have no chance of surviving the journey. Ripen at home is an activity fraught with peril. For…
Read MoreHoliday Homes: Why It’s (Sometimes) Fun To Improvise
Today finds us comfortably ensconced in Ravenna, the eastern town, and sometime capital, of Emilia Romagna. Very happily ensconced, it must be said. L’s researches have found for us a second floor apartment with large balcony, ten minutes from the city centre. While the website pictures will show you the accommodation, I would suggest that…
Read MoreCourgettes – Got A Glut?
I was going to do a cherry recipe today, but the season is nearly over. Courgettes, on the other hand, are growing like Triffids. Here’s a tip if you have an allotment. At planting time, discover what your neighbours are sowing. It makes the bartering at harvest time much simpler. We have a healthy specimen…
Read MoreFrizzante Proseccheria, Edinburgh
Frizzante Proseccheria 95 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AW 0131 229 7788 www.frizzanterestaurant.uk The Bill A la carte Starters £5.90 – £11.50 | Mains £14.90 – £27.50 Dolci £2.95 – £10.90 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 3.5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 17.5/25 It was a very fine day. The last tour…
Read MoreSommelier Watch, Featuring Glen Montgomery of eòrna
This is a new feature. As you know we have interviewed numerous chefs over the years, but this is the first time we’ve turned the spotlight on a sommelier. For many years I was a little suspicious, not to say fearful, of the breed. I have now encountered enough of them to make me realise…
Read MoreManifest, Liverpool
Manifest 4a Watkinson Street, Baltic Triangle, Liverpool L1 0AG Whatsapp 07729 129873 www.manifestrestaurant.com The Bill Chef’s Choice 7 courses £95.00 A la carte Snacks £4.00 – £15.00 | Small Plates £12.00 – £17.00 Large Plates £28.00 – £38.00 | Pudding £11.00 – £12.00 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 5/5…
Read MoreSticky Chinese Pork Belly with Non-Chinese Rice
On a whim, I bought a couple of packs of pork belly a couple of months ago, and discovered them in a periodic examination of the freezer contents. The principal reason they hadn’t been used was that I recalled, too late, that L hates pork belly. But read on. It’s August so she was out…
Read MoreTom’s Pet Peeves
Peevish? Our Tom? That Tom, the bloke off Tom’s Food!? Well, these days there are enough of you who don’t know me, I suppose. Or maybe you’ve encountered me only on the Edinburgh tours*, in which case you will consider me a jolly japester as well as a fount of knowledge on all matters to do with…
Read MoreA Couple of Fennel Recipes
After featuring fennel in the Food Alphabetical the other week, I promised a couple of recipes. That ignited a spark in the memory banks, and I see that I published a couple almost exactly seven years ago. I have to say that neither of them particularly appeals. For me, the aniseedy taste needs to be…
Read MoreHighgrove House Hotel, Troon, Ayrshire
Highgrove House Hotel Old Loans Road, Troon, Ayrshire KA10 7HL 01292 312511 www.highgrovehouse.co.uk The Bill Set Menu 2 courses £22.00 | 3 courses £27.00 A la carte Starters £5.95 – £6.95 | Sandwiches £9.95 – £11.95 Mains £15.95 – £34.95 | Desserts £4.15 – £10.25 The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 5/5…
Read MoreChef Watch, Featuring Tom Tsappis of Killiecrankie House
Chef Watch Tom Tsappis Chef and Co-owner Killiecrankie House, Killiecrankie How long have you been a chef? Coming up for 7 years Why did you become a chef? I like to eat and one begets the other Favourite ingredient If I could eat only one carb/protein/vegetable for the rest of my life it would be…
Read MoreCucumber & Lemon Cake with Gin Icing
I’m indebted to new Tom’s Food! subscriber Lynn Funnell for this recipe. We were exchanging messages about the problems when veg growers have a glut of stuff, in her case cucumbers. This is an intriguing sounding cake which is based on a recipe from a website veggie desserts.com. There’s an excellent step by step guide…
Read MoreWee Jimmies, Cowdenbeath
Wee Jimmies 177 High Street, Cowdenbeath, Fife KY4 9QE 01383 511126 The Bill Starters £3.80 – £4.90 | Mains £10.95 – £12.95 Desserts £2.50 – £3.50 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 3.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 17.5/25 Absolutely not a job for a grown man. 20 years on, I can…
Read MoreWhy You Really Should Have a Meat Thermometer
Unless, of course, you’re a vegetarian. But in that case you’re probably not reading this. But if you’re pescetarian it’s relevant for fish too. It occurred to me that in my last few articles on the subject of chicken I’ve been banging on a bit about cooking temperatures and extolling the use of a food…
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