lekowala!

A camp out just by the sea at East Coast. A barbecue is one of the most fun things to do. You are just in the flow and turning the food over and over, placing it on the plate and then eating it. A must have on the grill is of course a large eggplant/ aubergine/ brinjal (Solanum melongena).  After it is nicely cooked over the charcoal, the tasty berry takes on the smoke of the charcoal and really is in a class of its own in terms of taste. Number 2 on the list would be sotong (can wikipedia “sotong”),   seasoned with just about any spice you can find and wrapped in tinfoil with a bunch of herbs… yummilicious.

This is then followed by setting up the tent, mats and a few candles lit on the sand and a kooning session under a Rhu tree, Casuarina equisetifolia, and the gentle sounds of the waves crashing nearby, staring into space, counting the stars, recounting them just to make sure the numbers are correct.

It was time to actualise this recipe that I had read in Rick Stein’s, “Fruits of the Sea”. So I experimented on a few poor souls who apparently said it was pretty ok. Couldn’t find risoto rice so had to settle for risoni (rice-shaped pasta) which actually soaks up the stock nicely and has a nice texture. Especially tasty are the clumps that are slightly burnt…

My “sous chef” did pretty darn well with the manga salsa from a book called “the beach house cookbook” by Barbara Scott-Goodman.

Of course this was in celebration of “Sea”-otter’s voyage on the Indiaman - The Swedish Ship Götheberg.

Rick Stein is one celebrity chef that always is a joy to watch and read.  I just read his Seafood Odyssey.  I have been longing to try his recipes and that book has some that seem simple enough to try out.  Was suppose to cook a 3 course meal for some neighbours but they have to go on a trip so that will be postponed…  I need to experiment on others soon.

Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour was thoroughly entertaining and made me want to go out and order foie gras, but before anyone does that, please spare a thought for the poor ducks.  Check out how Sir Roger Moore (yes, of 007 fame) leads a crusade against eating this “Delicacy of Despair“.  But really, Bourdain makes all foods seem delicious through his writing.

In his book he describes the French Laundry, which was actually a former french steam laundry in the 1920’s but converted to a restaurant in the 70’s.  Thomas Keller then bought it in 1994 and made it into a 3 Michelin star-restaurant.  The cook book is nice to leaf through and he describes cooking and preparation of the food in detail.  In particular, he treats the fish he cooks with the utmost care, even placing them in ice on their belly - the way they swam.  He also describes how one should keep them in ice but making sure the water is allowed to drain as chlorine from the ice water may affect the texture of the fish.  I guess I can just read about the food in his restaurant… check out this “typical check for 2 diners at the French Laundry”.  Can someone please blanjah me.  Here’s the website for the French Laundry