Brighton Food Festival

Every Year in April and September and on a few random days in between, The Brighton Food Festival is happening in and around Jubilee Square and New Road.

I was going to write a Review about it for you, but today my head hurts to much from that nasty cheap bottle of Wine, I thought was a good idea last night.
Maybe a little taste test of the finalists Bloody Marys from the Bloody Mary Mix Off Competition would have helped, but the not so nice man behind the counter wouldn't offer me any...




So I just bought a few Herbs from the Herbal Haven stall and a Chilli Plant from Chilli Pepper Pete for my 'Fire Escape Garden'.
Did you go? What did you think of it? Did you taste the Bloody Marys? I wonder if Ben from The Hove Kitchen will win it. I hope he does. I like him.

On this Easter Monday, as part of this years Events there is a Fish Festival outside the Town Hall in Bartholomew Square and I promise, I will go there with my normal head back in place and tell you all about it then!

Super Crispy Skinny Pizza

This Pizza is so thin and crispy because it is made with Tortilla Wrap as a base!


Ingredients: 
(for 1 Pizza @ 6 Weighwatchers points)

1 Tortilla Wrap
3 Cherry Tomatoes, diced finely
1 tbs concentrated Tomato Purée
1 tbs Water
1 tsp Olive Oil
a pinch of Salt and Pepper
20g Mozarella, torn into small chunks
a few Basil Leaves
1 Long Red Chilli, sliced diagonally (optional)
3 Mild Pepperoni (optional)
any other topping that you like :-)

Mix together the chopped Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Water, Salt, Pepper and Tomato Purée, to make the Base Tomato Sauce.
Spread this evenly over the Tortilla Pizza Base, leaving a little border around the outside.
Dot with the Mozzarella and Basil, Chillies and Garlic and any other toppings you like to use.
Bake in a preheated Oven at 250C for about 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are turning brown and crisp.

Top the cooked Pizza with some lean Parma Ham slices and a few fresh Rocket Leaves for a truly Italian taste.


I think this is probably a girly Pizza, or would any of you guys out there fancy one of these as well?
What do you think?

Spicy Pomelo Salad with Duck

This is another one of those fruit fusion symphony salads that they do so well in Thailand.

Spicy hot, yet refreshing and sweet. I think this combination is what makes Thai food so irresistible, the contrasts of flavours that excite all the taste buds.

It is scientifically proven that when you eat a meal with little flavour you will not feel as satisfied, as when you eat one with many different flavours. Maybe that's why these kind of dishes make great choices for when you are on a weight loss diet. You can simply have a smaller portion and still feel full and happy afterwards. Not to forget that they are full of fresh fruit and veg and lean protein, all the good Stuff!

Pomelo is a large fruit sold in Asian stores, or Middle Eastern Greengrocers. It  tastes like a mild version of Grapefruit with large juicy pockets of fruity bits. It's great for snacking on or as part of a fruit salad,

but here is my recipe for a Savoury Spicy Pomelo Salad with Duck. Substitute the Duck with any meat or seafood of your choice.

Ingredients:

1/2 Pomelo, segments stripped of any tough pith and pulled into chunks

1 skinless Duck breast, sliced into small pieces

1/4 red Onion, sliced

1 Lime (Juice)

1 long red Chilli, sliced diagonally

2 green Chillies, sliced

1 Spring Onion, sliced diagonally,

1 tbs toasted unsalted Peanuts, chopped

1 tbs Fish Sauce

1 tbs fresh Coriander leaves

1 tbs fresh Mint Leafes

a few Lettuce Leaves

Mix all the ingredients (apart from the Lettuce) together and toss lightly with your hands.

Stir fry the Duck over a high heat for a couple of minutes until just done. 

I have used raw Peanuts, so I toasted them in a small dry pan until they start to take some colour, swirling the pan often and once done, take them out of the pan, to avoid them burning in the residual heat. 

Mix the nuts and the Duck gently with the Salad.

Serve the Salad on top of the Lettuce leaves and Enjoy!

If you cannot get hold of Pomelo, I think this Salad could be a new but equally tasty variation made with  Oranges. You  know.... Duck - Oranges, they like each other. Could be fusion food that actually works :-)

Prawns in Pumpkin (Camarão na moranga)

This Brazilian Wonder definitely has the 'Wow' effect! It did it to me when I first discovered it on a lunch Buffet in Sao Paulo.

It was displayed in a huge Pumpkin and the contents were delicious, but I wasn't quite sure what may have gone into it. After researching a little and finally finding a colleague friend of mine from Brazil who could tell me more about it, I have recreated the Recipe here.

It is a low calorie version, but if you like to indulge then of course just use the full fat ingredients.

Ingredients:

(serves 2 @ 5 WW Points each)

1 small Pumpkin (about the size to make 2 bowls from)

240g raw King Prawns, shelled and deveined

1 tsp Olive Oil

10 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

1 red Onion, chopped

1 small Pepper, diced fairly small

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 red Chilli, chopped

100g 5% fat Philadelphia

100ml White Wine (low alcohol)

1/2 Lime

a handful of fresh Coriander, chopped roughly

Paprika

Salt

White Pepper

20ml Brandy

Cut the Pumkin in half and scoop out all the seeds and hairy fibres.

Wrap in tinfoil and place on a baking sheet. bake in a 230C oven for about 45 minutes, or until the flesh feels soft.

To make sure it will stand upright, level the bottom also.

Meanwhile make the Filling.

Marinate the Prawns in the juice of 1/2 Lime, Salt and Paprika for just a little while.

Sautee the Onion in a little Olive Oil for a few minutes before adding the Garlic, Pepper and Chilli. Sweat a few more minutes until everything starts to soften slightly.

Stir in the White Wine and Soft Cheese. Season with Salt and White Pepper. Now add the Prawns and cook them for just a few minutes until they turn pink. Finally add the Tomatoes and Brandy and keep warm until the Pumpkin is ready.

To serve the Pumkin spoon the Prawns and Sauce into the Pumpkin and garnish with Coriander and maybe a whole unshelled Prawn.

With your spoon scoop a little of the pumpkin flesh together with the Prawns and Sauce and enjoy!

As a Table Centre Piece this can be done in a big Pumpkin, Lid and all :-)

Tom Yum with Fish and Magic Sauce

Here I am recreating one of the great dishes I have eaten on my foody tour to Bangkok. The Sauce I do not know the name of, but for me, it makes the dish. I had been going to this little gem of a Restaurant for the past couple of days and the people working there recognised me now. As my purpose for my visit to Bangkok was to taste the real Thai Food, I always ordered a couple of dishes, to get as much tasting done as possible. Not just because I'm greedy :-)

So one of the guys noticed how much I was enjoying the food and he came over with  this little dish  of green sauce.  He said: 'Add it to the Tom Yum' and with a grand gesture skywards:  'It will give it a lift!' 

What can I say,.I have to thank that nice man, it was the best discovery on the whole trip. Tom Yum will never be the same.

Ingredients for the Tom Yum:

1 whole cleaned large Gurnard, cut into chunky steaks

4 Lemongrass sticks, bruised and sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 small Galangal root, sliced

6 long dried roasted Chillies

2 long red fresh Chillies, crushed in a pestle and mortar

6 Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn

6 tbs Fish Sauce

2 Limes (juiced)

1 tbs Coriander stalks 

1 tbs Coriander Leaves

3 Mushrooms, quartered

3 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

Place the Fish into a pot and cover with Water. Add the Fish Sauce, Galangal, Lemongrass, Dried Chillies, Kaffir Lime Leafes and Coriander Stalks and bring to a simmer. Do not cover the pot with a lid to keep the broth nice and clear.

Once simmering turn down the heat and cook until the fish is done (about 5-7 minutes). 

Lovingly remove any scum that rises to the top with a spoon.

Add the Tomatoes and Mushrooms and turn off the heat. Leave to rest for a minute or 2 before adding the crushed Chillies, Coriander leaves and Lime Juice, then serve straight away.

Crush the fresh Chillies in a pestle and Mortar, to release the colour and flavour.

Ingredients for The Magic Sauce:

Place into a Blender...

2 Limes (juice of)

1 tbs Fish Sauce

1 tbs Palm Sugar

2 tbs Coriander, fresh

...blitz until smooth and the Magic is done.

This is my new favourite condiment and it goes fantastically with fish :-)

I had my Tom Yum with some steamed Rice and Cucumber slices (they are for cooling down a mouth on fire)

To eat the Soup, place the Fish on your plate, remove the centre bone, then place the fish filet on top of the rice, add a spoonful of Magic Sauce and enjoy! 

Try adding a little Magic Sauce to the Soup also to give it the all important lift and fresh kick.

Classic Chipotle Steak

I bought a tin of Chipotle Chillies when I was in Cancun last year. Yesterday Nancy in her blog Nancy's Locally International Cuisine posted a recipe using these Chillies and I realised; it's about time that I used mine!
So last night I took my Farmers Choice Skirt Steak out of the freezer and today I went ahead with creating my recipe.

Chipotle is a traditional smoked Jalapeño Chilli Pepper from Mexico. They have lately become very popular all over the Americas. Once smoked the Chillies will be dry and need rehydrating before they can be used. Which is why I find it much more convenient to use them ready to go from a tin with Adobo Sauce.

There is a Classic way to marinate a cheap cut like Skirt or Flank in a Chipotle marinade. However after researching the subject a little more in depth, I came across many different 'Classic' ways.
So I think I may as well call mine Classic, even though it's a first time creation for me :-)

So here are the Ingredients:
(serves 2, but multiply if doing more)

1 Skirt or Flank Steak (mine were 2 small ones, but a large one works just the same), 
Marinade:
2 Chipotle Chillies, from a tin in Adobo Sauce
1 Garlic Clove, chopped roughly
1 tsp Mexican Oregano
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Honey
Juice of 1 Lime
a pinch of Salt and Pepper

Place all the Marinade ingredients into a small blender and whizz till smooth. if you multiply the amounts to make a larger quantity, it can be kept in the fridge for quite a while.
Spread the marinade over the Meat and leave to marinade for about 1 hour in the fridge.
Take the meat out and let it come to room temperature before cooking.

Heat your grill or broiler or BBQ to high and place the steak onto it. Cook for about 5 -7 all together, turning every minute. Brush the steak with more of the remaining marinade as you go.
Then leave it to rest for 5 minutes before carving into thin slices. It's important to carve across the fibres or grain as it is called.

Serve with a refreshing Tomato and Coriander Salsa and Guacamole. Beans also make a great accompaniment.


My Verdict: The Chipotle really pack a punch, but make for a beautifully meaty and juicy steak. I am not sure if it was the marinade or the steak or the way I carved nicely across the fibres, but this was the juiciest Skirt Steak I have ever had. Good on you Classic Chipotle Way!

Linguettine with Stuffed Courgette Flowers

So here is my creation using the goodies, that I brought back from Naples.
I decided that stuffing the Courgette flowers would be essential, to give them more character and make them an important part of the dish rather then a simple ingredient.
Thinking about it, these stuffed flowers could well be a small appetiser on their own, or as it is so fashionable to do nowadays, an 'Amuse Bouche'.


Ingredients:
(serves 2 @ 10 Weightwatchers points each)
12 Courgette Flowers, cleaned, stamen removed, and kept aside
60g Buffalo Mozzarella, torn into12 pieces
1 Tomato, seeds and skin removed then diced and seasoned with a little Salt, Pepper and chopped Basil
120g Linguettine (dried) or alternatively Spaghetti will be good also
1-2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 x 50g tin Anchovies in Olive Oil, drain off of the oil, but leaving about 2 tsp aside and chop the anchovies roughly
a few Basil Leaves, torn


Start by stuffing the Courgette Flowers with a piece of the Buffalo Mozzarella and a few seasoned, diced Tomato pieces. Gently twist the top to close them.



Bring a pot of Water to the boil, season with a little salt and start cooking the Linguettine. They need 6 minutes to cook, however, they will finish cooking in the other pan, therefore I cook them for just about 4 1/2 minutes.
At this time start the other pan off with the Anchovies, it's Oil, Courgette Flower Stamens and Garlic. Bring everything to a medium heat and let it quietly sizzle, while the pasta cooks.

With tongs remove the pasta from the water and drop them straight into the anchovy mixture. Add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water, then nestle the Courgette Flowers amongst the Pasta.
Cover the pan with a lid and let everything heat through on a low heat in it's own steam. This will  take only a few minutes.
Finally sprinkle the Basil Leaves over the top and wriggle them in.
I think it looks nice served right in the pan as it is.

Did I like my creation? The Mozzarella slightly melted inside the Courgette Flowers, yet still retained a subtle chewiness and the tomatoes giving it a tangy lift, I think I have just impressed myself a little bit.