Shangri-la,the Algarvian Orient

Praia Verde (1969 Citroen DS - immortalised by Alain Delon)

The advert says "ssshhh secret places, dont tell anyone, sssshhh its secret".The independent traveler always wants to be the first to discover their own secret place and keep it to themselves. so that if and when they return they will find it still remains unspoilt and not have fallen foul to the hand of mass tourism.In the 1980´s The "east" Algarve was always our secret place. We returned to holiday each year and nothing ever changed very much.The region remained resistent to and untouched by development mainly due to the fact that the coastal area east of Faro stretching to Vila Real de Santo Antonio is the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa.The Ria Formosa lagoon is a system of barrier islands that communicates with the sea through six inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics.Is it still a best kept secret? Yes in many ways, and in other ways what change there is  has been for the good.Casa Rosada is ten years old this year. Some recent guests described us as Shangri-la.This expression has now become synonymous with any earthly paradise, and particularly the mythical utopia immortalized in the 1933 novel ´Lost Horizon`. Shangri-la is a permanently happy land,isolated from the outside world.In the novel the people who live there are almost immortal, living a life of longevity and only very slowly aging in appearance.Although I come from a family where longevity prevails we can not possibly keep up appearances but Casa Rosada can claim to possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities.We want to make our guests feel they were coming home.
The word also evokes the imagery of exoticism of the Orient.Exoticism, by one definition, is "the charm of the unfamiliar"and this is exactly what the Casa Rosada is, the easternmost Bed and Breakfast in the Algarve. Just three hours flying time from the UK or Ireland and you feel you are worlds away,waking up the next day in the "Algarvian Orient."
I can never decide whether it is the weather, the opportunity for the unconventionality or  an escape from the rat race that drives the British to live abroad. Today so many of us have moved abroad that Chianti has become Chiantishire, and one is hard pushed to find an Italian there.While in Spain whole areas have become ghettos, affection has gone while xenophobia often remains. Here in Portugal Algarve became ALLGARVE for a while.An absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful excuse for a gimmick to manage events for Algarve tourism.A survey completed by travellers at Faro airport seemed oblivious to this and showed that 86 percent of the foreigners who holidayed in the Algarve  and participated in the survey left the region unaware of the existence of the Allgarve programme.Only 9 visitors were interested in the events anyway.
The study further questioned 767 residents and non residents in the region, of whom only 32 percent knew about the programme.Thankfully there was opposition and it is no more.As fast as the large letters spelling out the word appeared on billboards or by roadsides the second L was defaced to spell out the original Algarve.
So what do you come to the Algarve for? Gastronomy and beaches were the biggest response from the survey. But it seems everyone else comes here for this too, so if you are in the promoted areas of tourism don´t be surprised to find yourself in the company of non-native speakers.And, more importantly, non-native eaters and drinkers. Nowhere in the country is there more evidence of a bland internationalisation of local food, all done to please money spending visitors.Its tragic.So to discover regionally specific dishes that have avoided  tourist influence you´ll need to get off the beaten track, heading to the far East, the North, the far West and other unspoilt areas of the region.If you venture inland where other tourists and their requests for toasted sandwiches and chicken piri piri rarely venture,you will find the real Algarve.
So is the best kept secret still there? Yes,but you need to check it out and avoid the hotspots.The "orient" that is Castro Marim is so far from "Little Britain" and expatriotism that you might be forgiven for forgetting karaoke hen nights and Brits behaving badly.You never see anyone lying in the gutter here at 10.30 in the morning.Here in the "Algarvian orient" the difference is between oversubscribed and undersubscribed.If where you eat doesn´t matter as long as you can eat and drink this will not be the place for you.The difference between now and then is there are now more distinctive restaurants, purveying interesting menus that delve deep into the regions gastronomic wealth.What luring estate agents were reprimanded for naming "The Spanish Algarve" is only 5 minutes away.We prefer to call it Andalucia and enjoy the ranges of tapas and alimentation on offer there.
98 percent of visitors passing through Faro airport said they would recommend the Algarve as a holiday destination, and 96 percent said they would come back. That is to me almost all of them.Even sunshine on a rainy day is not a bad thing.Try and put what I am saying to the test, you will only regret it if you don´t.Book now by 31st January and get 2015 prices.

Couve Bruxelas pesto( Brussels sprout pesto)

You love ´em or you hate ´em. I just love these barbie sized brassicas and consequently end up buying far too many of them.A little goes along way with a sprout,I have to say.
Even if the Festive period is over, the noble-blooded brussels sprout is still available in the market. I'm convinced the smaller the tastier, so I always prefer to buy the very tiny ones. The maddest left-over idea of making pesto with them came to me I know not how. It was quite obvious to me however to give it a try even if I wasn´t believing something wonderful and fresh would come out of it.Surprise surprise!!! The pesto itself was absolutely gorgeous! It's so easy to make and as soon as I tasted it I knew how I was going to apply it, a creamy pasta dish with crispy bacon. Pesto need not be a summer thing.

Tagliatelle with brussels sprouts pesto and crispy bacon
Guaranteed to turn many a sprout hater into a sprout lover. Lure them in first with the promise of the cream and the crispy bacon

FOR THE PESTO
250g Brussels sprouts
50g Parmesan cheese,grated
25g blanched almonds
Extra virgin olive oil
tsp Flor de sal
Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for  3 minutes.remove and run under  cold water.
Cut the sprouts in half dig out the stalks and the halve each piece again.
Put all the ingredients in the processor until you achieve a thick and creamy consistency,adding more oil as you require.Set aside in a glass jar until you are ready to use.You will have more than enough pesto for at least four portions of tagliatelle.

100g Tagliatelle per person
100g Bacon or pancetta diced
1/2 red onion chopped
spoonful creme fraiche
extra parmesan cheese for topping
parsley for garnish
Fry the panncetta in some butter and oil until crispy,introduce the chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion is golden.While the onion is cooking,boil enough  Tagliatelle for the number of portions you require, according to instructions.Drain the pasta leaving alittle bit wet and return to the pan,toss through the Brussels sprouts pesto and thin with creme fraiche.Toss in the bacon and onion and mix thoroughly before serving.Garnish with extra parmesan and parsley.

Packing a healthy sandwich that’s also exciting to eat isn’t always easy. It’s not rocket salad (we know peanut butter, celery and cream cheese is a doddle ), but the minute you add Brussels sprout pesto, sliced ham or homemade condiments to a sandwich, lunch can get infinitely more appealing.

Food predictions 2016 full of eastern Promise

                                                         Praise the Lard: Lard is back! - Apparently?
                                                         (I was never aware it went away.)

Given the prevalence of pork meat it has always been around in Portugal and Spain.Some cakes also include lard and are all the better for it.Lard is the second most popular cooking fat in Portugal,after olive oil,as far as traditional dishes are concerned.
If not rendering your own, try and buy banha de porco preto,rendered from the black pig.
At the beginning of each new year I like to get myself in tune with how food fads and taste trends are moving.Whats in and whats out? Whats been quietly brewing and is now falling off the shelves. We can now be ready and prepared to make our very own home made versions.I enjoy what the predators are predicting.I dont mean predators do I? I mean forecasters.It's also about predicting when new trends will fail and which will be forgotten.... "This season, maroon is back with a right vengeance                                                           eyes  are popping out while lips are receding".

Die hard
Hear us out, kale stand fasts. Whether you like it or not the fad is over. Grelos (turnip greens) Watercress, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, beet greens and spinach have all knocked kale off the top spot. So let’s move on and experiment with some different leafy greens this year,shall we?

¿Por Qué No? - The demise of the spiralizer
By design, trends are doomed to surge, succeed, and die sad lonely deaths — particularly in the realms of health and fitness, where everyone is looking for the next quick fix.Last years "must have" fast becomes this year´s "don´t want." (Remember how everyone was obsessed with spiralizers). Devastated by the demise of yet another spiralizer? How much can one woman take?! How many gift wrapped boxes when opened this Christmas contained spiralizers? Yet another gimmicky gadget that will go to the back of the cupboard unused,and surface again in a few years time at a car boot sale or flea market stall.

Burned
Smoke and fire are showing up everywhere on menus it seems: in charred or roasted vegetable sides; in desserts with charred fruits or burnt-sugar toppings; in cocktails featuring smoked salt, smoked ice or smoky syrups.Blackened this and blackened that, the  Masterchef finalists nearly set the television alight when they travelled through Europe to Sweden to cook on open fires without either gas or electricity.I would have kept that on the back burner myself.

"woe to the cook whose sauce has no sting"- Chaucer

The Sriracha Effect continues: The hot sauce from Thailand continues to grow in popularity, but will the “effect” be that us cooks and chefs will continue to search for the next hot ethnic flavour in the strive to find lightning in a bottle again.Having learned that Sriracha sauce can add instant ethnic cachet to something as straightforward as a sandwich, chefs are now scouting the world for other assertive flavourings to employ in similar ways. Likely bets: ghost pepper from India; sambal from Southeast Asia; gochujang from Korea; harissa, sumac and dukka from North Africa.Or will it be.....good old piri piri from Portugal that will upset Giles Coren this time.
 
Bye-bye, Sriracha. Hello, harissa
A few years ago, it was the unpronounceable hot sauce that you might only find in downtown Bangkok. Now, without looking for it one finds it in one´s cheese melt of a lunch time.The foodie forecasters are saying the next sauce to experience a sriracha-like rise is Harissa, the spicy and aromatic chilli paste that's a widely used staple in North African and Middle Eastern cooking and as common as ketchup in Tunisia.Like sriracha, harissa is also versatile and can work in a wide variety of applications.
Move over cheese sriracha melt with a side order of sriracha potato chips and get ready for the chicken harissa melt with some honey glazed sweet potato chips— maybe not this year, but some day soon.

The elevation of peasant fare.
Meatballs and sausages are proliferating—traditional, ethnic or nouveau, shaped from many types and combinations of meats. Likewise on the rise are multi-ethnic dumplings, from pierogis to bao buns and kachoris. Escargot is back, too. People are eating snails again everywhere. Guess what? Chefs are using them to dress up their peasant food.

Trash to treasure.
Rising prices for expensive cuts of meat and fish is raising the profiles of under-utilized stewing cuts, organ meats and "trash" species of fish—I have always been a fan of the"use it all" mindset. How about a veggie burger made with carrot pulp from the juicer?

Fill the Greek
Greek yoghurt has been popular for quite some time, and manufacturers are now getting creative with flavours. Trends include mixing fruit with savoury twists like ginger and orange, feta and watermelon, as well as olive oil, seeds and spices. I believe there is even a sriracha mango concotion on the market. Last years vanilla is this years Seville orange and amaretti. Greek yoghurt is a nutritional powerhouse loaded with protein, probiotics to promote healthy gut bacteria, Vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D. New flavours will make this healthy food even more versatile. Dips with crudités.Use it as a sauce,marinade or baste for chicken or fish.

Flying down to Rio
With the Olympic and Paralympic Games to deliver in 2016, Brazilian fare is set to become very popular. This will be a year to savour for Brazil.Think barbecued meats, caipirinhas, lots of rice and fruit.Bring on the brigadeiro,moqueca, coxinhas, pao de queijo.....
Lots more on those stories later.

From sparkling mocktails to Prosecco, we will all be enjoying our bubbles in 2016.

Votos de um Feliz Bom ano novo a todos!!!!

A língua de gato,Um novo bolacha seco salgada

Has the cat got your tongue? It is an expression we use in England about someone who remains silent when they are expected to speak.When you serve up these savoury beauties I guarantee that the cat will have all your guests tongues.They will be at a loss for words and be gagging for more.
I have made these on many an occasion,but only realised this time how much they might be related to the French classic, langue de chat.My version is loosely inspired by an original Ottolenghi recipe, but by the time I have 'deliberated, cogitated and digested' his recipe, it bears little resemblance to the original.Ones first reaction to these "crackers" is one of surprise but served with dips and cheese they become quite an addictive snack.Beware they are very fragile,so handle them carefully.,or you´ll be crying out Oh crumbs.

Flor de sal, thyme and olive oil crackers
Makes 32

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
115ml water
25ml olive oil,plus extra for brushing
1/2 tsp Flor de sal
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp smoked picante paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
Generous sprinklings of Flor de sal mediterranica 

In a large bowl,mix together all the ingredients except the flor de sal to form a soft dough.You can do this by hand or in a processor fitted with a dough hook Work the dough until you get a firm consistency,then cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7.Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface or board.Have a bowl of flour ready at your side for dusting.Use a large sharp knife to cut  off walnut sized pieces (roughly 15g each) from the dough. Roll out each piece as thinly as possible with a rolling pin,dusting with plenty of flour as you go.They should end up looking like long oval tongues,almost paper thin.
Place the crackers on a tray lined with baking parchment.Brush them with plenty of olive oil and sprinkle generously with Flor de sal. Bake for about 6 minutes,until crisp and golden.

Sexing up the Waldorf

Casa Rosada has been asked to cater a New Years Eve party for friends in their villa..The menu is simple but sumptuous. Three canapés, Porchetta with fondant potatoes and stir fried cavolo nero with garlic and chilli.To end, chocolate mousse cake with fresh mandarins. However, as always in the planning stage, several dietary requirements and dislikes had to be taken into account.
Peppers brought out a big NO from the host, so my starter for eight of Piquillo pepper mousse with parmesan crisps was first to be knocked out of the ring.
Salads are always an option.After the holy trinity of Christmas day( Smoked salmon,the bird and the pud) has passed, one craves for the healthier options. In our household we never cease to be disloyal to the trinity.Potted shrimps,octopus salad, duck and trifle are are our most favourite items for the festive dinner.
At this time of year when over indulgence has hit hard, and I speak from my own point of view here, I have a yen for raddicio, little gem and Romaine leaves with hard -boiled eggs,anchovies,capers but I know too many who wage vendettas against one or all of those hapless ingredients not to take the chance.Sigh.
 So,I thought I would sex up the traditional Waldorf salad incorporating among other ingredients beetroot and grilled goats cheese, in my mind always a match made in heaven, but then combine them with little gem leaves and the three main components of the classic Waldorf, celery, apple and a creamy dressing.

Almost a Waldorf Salad
(quantities per portion.Increase the ingredients accordingly per number of servings )
1/2 little gem lettuce per portion
1/4 medium sweet dessert apple cut into small chunks
small handful chopped walnuts per portion
1/2 small roasted beetroot cut into rounds
1/2 stick celery finely chopped 
chopped parsley to garnish
4 medium slices of Goats cheese,cut from a log,preferably chevre,per portion  


Creamy dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp home made mayonnaise

In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
In a medium bowl tear  up the little gem leaves and combine with the celery and apple chunks.Toss in some of the dressing making sure everything is coated.Set aside.
Put the slices of Goats cheese on a roasting tray under the grill until melted and bubbling.
While the cheese is grilling,assemble the leaves apple and celery on a serving plate.Tuck the beetroot rounds in and around the leaves trying not to stain the rest of the salad.Scatter the chopped walnuts over the salad.
Bring the goats cheese from the grill and carefully place them on top of the salad.Add a little more dressing over the salad and finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Better the devil you know now than the devil you did - sriracha devilled eggs

I am constantly noticing newspaper and magazine articles with titles like..."50 things to do before you die".Well in culinary terms it got me thinking.What have I never attempted to cook? What came to the fore was devilled eggs.I have never as much as attempted this classic, let alone meddled with it, so what’s so “deviled” about deviled eggs?
Traditional deviled eggs? I am sure most have you have been there and done that. But with the extra spice kick from next years hot prediction, sriracha sauce? I don´t think you will have.Once you have though, you´re gonna go back and do it again and again and again. Don´t worry, Satan hasn´t  meddled too much with these little lovelies,They still contain the requisite mustard and mayonnaise for the deviled egg traditionalists. But it’s the smidgen of bacon dripping and some of that hot hellish heat that comes in the name of Sriracha sauce that makes these  become something of a crowd-pleasing hors d'oeuvre that are the perfect way to start that ad hoc lunch.They are so easy to make that you can get the party started in 30 minutes or less. Just watch your guests saunter past that buffet table again and again and again to snitch a little bit more.Now I have crossed the threshold I for one will be devouring more than just two or three in one sitting.Bring ´em on......

Sriracha devilled eggs
makes 24 servings
12 large eggs
2 tablespoons  white wine vinegar
1/2 cup  homemade mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon  homemade Sriracha sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons pork dripping
Flor de sal and freshly ground black pepper
Snipped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

Put the eggs in a large pan. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch and add the vinegar, too. Place the pan over a high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer for 10 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat, place it in the sink, and run cold water over the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes to cool them down and stop them cooking further. Transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with iced water and leave them for about 20 minutes,or more, until they’re completely cooled .Remove the eggs from the water, peel them and then cut them in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the yolks and tip them into a medium bowl. You should have perfectly hard-cooked eggs with a firm yolk. To the egg yolks in the bowl stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, Sriracha, and pork dripping and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust any ingredient as desired. Fill a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off with the mixture and pipe it into the egg white halves. (Alternatively, you can simply use the same teaspoon to fill each egg white cavity. Top each with slithers of snipped chives, if using. Serve immediately.

The morning after,cranberry sauce muffins

Spongy,sticky,spicy,Christmasy muffins using lovely leftover cranberry sauce.They’re so easy to whip up, and just perfect for that lazy morning after the biggest day of the year. Cranberry sauce is arguably one of the best trimmings of Christmas – especially when its home made. I went a bit overboard and whipped up way more than was needed.Well If a little is good, a lot is even better! Am I Right? We' ve eaten half of them already.
So lets get to the point, inevitably there are always leftovers. While there are a trillions of things you can do with leftovers, this one really is not only the most inventive "left over"  on the planet but also the perfect morning after breakfast.Make sure you are the first up in the morning and whip up a batch of these little or not so little lovelies.Pop them in the oven and by the time the rest of your household surfaces there will be a warm batch on their entrance.Enjoy.

Left over cranberry sauce muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups leftover cranberry sauce
1/2 cup milk (can substitute almond milk)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take a 12-cup standard-size muffin tin,and add silicone muffin cups.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, milk, vegetable oil and egg.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups - about 3/4 to all the way full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when you touch them and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out dry.

Mousse de piquillos y bocadillo crujiente de parmigiano reggiano-Feliz Navidad

"Tapa, small snack, great pleasure"

"Catch a falling star an' put it in your pocket
Never let it fade away
Catch a falling star an' put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day"
Perry Como

Yes its the countdown to the entertaining season.As fast as Charlize Theron can leg it up a hundred metres of satin Christmas is here.
J´adore the scentimentality of it all. No longer do we have to go around smelling of Tramp.(Tramp by Mayfair was an Oriental floral fragrance for women.The must have Christmas gift  was launched in 1975. The fragrance featured citrus, floral and oriental notes). 
The slushy adverts only encourage us to dig our heels in and ignore supermarkets yonder, beckoning us with promises of a gluten free Christmas. God spare us all,we are wiser.
Nothing seems special any more. Prosecco Valdobbiadene, once nectar of the gods is now available in Iceland,where apparently you can also purchase a chocolate cake, hand finished with a star.Now what makes me think I would not fall for that one.That reminds me ,I must spritz my optimum body areas with Perry Como (my friend Stacey´s endearing term for my 360º by Perry Ellis cologne) on Christmas morning.The Daily Mail´s Maybelle Morgan suggests pulse points,including wrists and backs of knees as preferred optimum body zones.Areas such as the belly button emit heat and maximise scent intensity.Maybe Maybelle knows,or maybe she´s really Maybelline but she´ll have us all into fifty shades of temptation the worse this Christmas if we follow that sort of advice.
I am starting to sound like a bah humbug Katy Hopkins ( not to be confused with Mary Hopkins, "those were the days my duck".No seriously,what is left that is special? Please dont say 3 game birds rolled and stuffed inside each other.Its neither tasty or clever.I think to bring back the magic and make Christmas a little special again you need to go a little off piste and I have to say this is easier if you are living abroad, and this was more than evident on a recent Christmas food shopping trip to Andalucia.I commented on the amazing array of seasonal treats to be had from lovely old fashioned grocers shops where you can sit down with a glass of pedro ximenez after making your purchases.
 Without a doubt tapas are the principal hallmark of Spanish gastronomy as well as one of the country’s principal exports. Many  have created their own versions of this typical Spanish style of eating.
Here is my version of a tapa from  Pamplona, a much loved destination of Hemingway in the 1920´s. Pamplona was his first obsession – a mutual romance. Even now, though sizeable of reputation, the capital of the Navarre region is a small city, hemmed into the north-east corner of Spain. In Hemingway's heyday, this was trebly the case – a little-acknowledged citadel barely grown beyond its medieval youth,like Christmas a secret package waiting to be unwrapped.Nowadays it has become a city famous for its small bites-Tapas.

Mousse de piquillos y bocadillo crujiente de parmigiano
Known as the 'red gold' of Navarrese market gardens, the Piquillo pepper is indigenous to the south-western part of Navarre in northern Spain.They are easily recognisable thanks to their small size, triangular shape with an incisor-like slightly curving tip, deep red colour and smooth texture, and the stamp of the Control Board which appears on every can and bottle to endorse their excellent quality.

150g piquillo peppers
6 garlic cloves,cut into slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons of vegetable bouillon,preferably Marigold
100ml whipping cream
125ml tomato purée
1 leaf of gelatin
2 parmesan crisps per portion
salt and sugar
Poach the sliced garlic in olive oil.When they start to colour add the piquillo peppers and season with salt and sugar. Saute for ten minutes, add stock, cream and tomato purée cook five minutes more.Blitz in  a processor, strain and return to the pan. Put the gelatine to soak in cold water and add to the warm cream mixture, add salt to taste.Fill small porcelain dishes or ramekins with the pepper mousse right up to the brim.Put in the fridge to set for at least four hours or preferably overnight. Make the parmesan crisps from the link above.When ready to serve, stand 2 parmesan crisps in each pepper mousse and bring to the table.

Whats that terrible smell it must be ma griffe!!!!       Feliz Navidad a todos

"Perna de borrego do mar"

 Gigot de tamboril com alho alecrim e anchova

You  might have guessed I am a huge fan of tweaking,yes tweaking not twerking.Unless I am cooking for clients or guests I rarely cook a dish the same way twice.
There are many benefits to being a serial ‘tweaker’. The biggest is I rarely feel bored with my cooking, or like I’m ‘stuck in a rut’. Tweaking keeps recipes  alive and kicking and tasting fresh and interesting.
The other plus is that it allows me to use the ingredients I have in the larder. Which minimizes waste and also cuts down on shopping trips. I was shopping for some sea bass in the market on Saturday and some monkfish tails caught my eye.I love monkfish tail and giving it an edge with rosemary and anchovy is just amazing.
I usually wrap monkfish tail in bacon, or make a monkfish tagine but calling to mind something I read recently about the french term for monkfish tail being gigot de mer,literally meaning "leg of lamb of the sea",it got me thinking.The shape of a monkfish tail is somewhat reminiscent of a leg of lamb so why not lance it with anchovies and roast it in a roasting tray with rosemary and garlic as one would a leg of lamb.Monkfish tails work particularly well if simply baked, as the meaty flesh holds together well during cooking.This certainly made a delicious and comforting Sunday lunch on a chilly and damp winters day.I made a tomato vinaigrette,not far removed from a ratatouile, but without the courgettes and aubergine.What could be more Provençale? -and as Shakespeare once said  "let the sky rain potatoes",and outside it certainly did.I served baby red skinned potatoes roasted with garlic and yet more rosemary.If I was a fish and chipocrite I would be well happy with that for my Christmas dinner.Isn't Ann a vegetarian? Yes, but she still eats fish.

Gigot de tamboril com alho alecrim e anchova

1kg/ 2 1/2 lb monkfish tail
1 tin anchovy fillets
6 Tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
a large bunch of rosemary

FOR THE TOMATO VINAIGRETTE
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp wine vinegar
2 dessert spoons chopped tomatoes

Using a sharp knife make slits in the fish and insert pieces of anchovy. Marinate the fish in a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper for at least two hours.
Lay the fish on a large bed of rosemary in a roasting tin.Pour more oil over the fish (it is the presence of fat that releases the essential oils of the rosemary, this will be apparent at the end of 45 minutes cooking) 
Roast in a pre-heated oven at 180C / 350F / gas 4 for 45 minutes.
To make the tomato vinaigrette,heat the ingredients in a small pan and season to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and pour over the warm vinaigrette.Serve with garlic roasted baby new potatoes.

Em algum lugar além do mar - uma onda cerebral

Somewhere beyond the sea -a brainwave......
How many front covers does a magazine have? The logical answer, one, is a thing of the past.

In an effort to woo readers, and generate additional advertising revenue magazines are now being published with two, three, four or more front covers, typically appearing one after another as if a printing press had run amok, or perhaps just the result of a unanimous decision not having been reached at the monthly cover meeting.

It’s hard to find something with the power of a magazine cover to attract attention,  so when you bring out a surprising version of that cover, it can create a great impact.

Multiplying the number of front covers, each bearing a different image and, on the inside, a different ad  can create a great panoply.In marketing terms covers carrying a variety of images encourages readers to collect them. Applying this principle to gourmet food packaging is something new.Portuguese sardine packaging perhaps being an exception. The Esperao brand of wines have for some years been commissioning famous Portuguese artists to design wine labels for them and  the original artworks are housed in a gallery open to the public.

Fresh from our shores and just in time for Christmas, the creative genius that is Salmarim has launched the second edition of their portable salts in nine different pack designs.The difference from Esperao is that each pack contains the same product, but the packaging is different.Jorge and Sandra, brand founders of Salmarim , invited Patricia Conde, Vanessa Teodoro, Pedro Emanuel Santos, Amélia Muge, António Leal and Francisco Cipriano to design new packaging. The text on the packaging was created by Patricia Serrado.
The options here are never ending. For families like my own, table presents at Christmas were a tradition.At the Christmas dinner table there was always a present next to your place setting.You only spent up to a maximum of €5 per present and one example for adults would be lottery tickets and scratch cards wrapped up.Well, bearing this concept in mind my suggestion for this years table presents is the same present for each person- portable salt, but when the receiver unwraps their present each one is in an individual pack.So say there are 8 family members your total cost is under €40 and you can buy them all under one roof.What have Salmarim got up their sleeve or what trick are they going to pull out of the bag for the next edition? I am already imagining flip packaging,printed in two sections with the back of the packaging becoming the front when turned upside down,or maybe gatefold packaging which fold in or out to form exotic shapes with stories and recipes printed inside......but whatever dont forget to take the salt and a reminder of one of Portugal´s best products wherever you go.

Available now from Salmarim , A vida Portuguesa, http://www.creative-gourmet.com/
and selected suppliers in Central London,UK at a later date.