Spring Breaking

In true, ghastly but brilliant American college style we spent a week “Spring Breaking.” (verb: to partake in Spring Break)  It was, however, less ghastly and more brilliant than inferred. The infamous Imogen Pickles accompanied me. Her name has astounded a number of unsuspecting Americans, especially alongside the story that the Pickles family live near Giggleswick next to Wigglesworth on the River Ribble. (One girl asked if gumdrops fell from the sky.) Regardless, Pickles was an excellent companion and we had an abundance of adventures.

Our first stop was Miami. Miami’s Hispanic community is unlike anything I would have imagined. You could live there and not speak a word of English with very little problem. With rich Hispanic culture comes real and delicious Hispanic food. My friends’ Abuela (Grandmother) cooked us so much Cuban food that we should have been asking the question I overheard on South beach, from the epitome of sorority girl, “hey Britney, on a scale of one to pregnant how fat do I look today?” With little regard for bloating we ate steak and onion Cuban sandwiches, shrimp, red beans and rice, Guava pastries and drank strong Cuban coffee, all of which were full of flavour and unbelievably delicious.

The everglades provided us with an entertaining afternoon watching rednecks risk their lives wrestling alligators after which we stopped at a fresh fruit and vegetable market. As a boy, the owner, Robert, would sit by the road selling his fathers leftover crops from the farm. He had a little sign that said “Robert is here.” Fifty years later he still stands under a considerably larger sign with a line for the fresh fruit smoothies around 20minutes long, but worth every second of the wait.

With Spring Break spirit in hand we then headed for the Florida Keys. Key Largo was a little slower than its more famous counterpart, Key West. Maybe it is the lack of (as quoted directly from the NYtimes) “copious debauchery, its spontaneous bouts of breast-baring, Jager bombing and après-binge vomit” or maybe its because Key Largo doesn’t have the Ernest Hemingway museum. Personally I think the former is more feasible. Key Largo is, however, home to some of the best fishing in the US and we ate fresh Grouper, Hog, Mahi Mahi and Conch to name a few.  We also swam with some bigger creatures but they were spared from our plates.

The week ended with a stay in Cape Coral on the gulf coast, where Kjerstine’s mum cooked traditional food from her home country, the Philippines. We ate noodles with beef, egg rolls, chicken with mushrooms and spring onions. A joyful a high-spirited week had by all, Pickles even flew an aeroplane.

California Dreaming

Last week I took a little trip to visit a great Australian in Los Angeles. Becc is a journalist and was doing an internship at the Santa Monica Mirror. We stayed in a very cute apartment in Venice with a couple who had an adorable Portuguese water dog called Leon. (He could do high fives and everything!)

We had four days packed with sight seeing, hiking, celebrity spotting and appearing on the Jay Leno show (more high fiving can be found on the Rachel McAdams episode.) Amongst the abundant high fiving we found ourselves eating some delicious foods: fresh sushi, duck and foie gras sliders, butternut squash ravioli and funnel cake on the Santa Monica pier were amongst our favourites. The discovery of a store called wholefoods was also a delight. Here are the fresh citrus outside the market.

A highlight for me was Primitivo, a little Spanish restaurant in a quirky and eclectic Venice beach area called Abbott Kinney. We ate juicy, plump shrimp cooked with chilli flakes, patatas bravas with creamy garlic aioli and my personal favourite, bacon wrapped prunes. As you will realise over time I have somewhat of a dubious attitude when it comes to mixing things that I would consider sweet with savoury items. (Somebody please tell me why you would want to put marshmallows on a casserole!) This disposition even extends as far as not being able to put marmalade or jam on toast. However this bacon and prune dish proved me wrong, I have been enlightened. Maybe it was the large glass of Pinot Grigio and the attractive waiter!

Here is a bulldog in a Range Rover…….Enjoy!

Tea at Fiona's

Yesterday we went for tea at Fiona’s house. For those of you who don’t know, tea is a word that the British, especially those from the North, use to mean dinner or an evening meal. A common context might be, “Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, what’s fo’ tea?” And therein lies a potential enlightenment on the title of my blog because, I’m sure to your disappointment and crushing of British stereotypes, I don’t like to drink tea. (If you are experiencing said disappointment I can put you in touch with some avid and committed English tea drinkers)

Anyway; Fiona’s house makes me somewhat overexcited to the point of hyperventilation. Living in a dormitory doesn't pertain to excellent cooking facilities. She has a beautiful kitchen stocked with an array of fresh, organic and unusual ingredients and a double door fridge which could only be available to an American of the most patriotic standing. She even has a vegetable patch and a herb garden. I am temporarily flung into a state of emotional content and wellbeing on a level that is probably inappropriate.

We cooked grilled pork with mustard on the barbeque accompanied by braised red cabbage, steamed garlic infused carrots and a homemade garlic pizza bread with fresh rosemary and lots of black pepper (don’t forget to follow my blog as the secret recipe for this will be revealed by a Giggleswick Granny fresh from her cottage in the not so distant future)

We made a really easy, British style, apple and blackberry pie for after…..

***Peel and chop 4 Granny Smith apples, mix them with a couple of handfuls of blackberries, a generous helping of sugar, half a tspn of vanilla extract, a little sprinkle of cinnamon. Don’t bother cooking the apples before. We bought puff pastry ready rolled as it is one of the rare ingredients that probably tastes better bought than homemade. We lined the pie dish, added the apple mix then placed strips of pastry like a grid over the top, we cut some letters out, be inventive and don’t let any pastry go to waste.

With the leftover pastry I cut a circle and put a dollop of goats cheese in the middle, added a little of the leftover red cabbage and folded it into a little pasty to have for lunch the next day.

Bake both in the oven for around 20-30mins at about 375F.

And so with hot pie with a dollop of good vanilla ice cream in hand, (try it with hot custard if you want to be really British) and our laps adorned with various felines, we proceeded to mock the tasteless film that is L’arnacoeur but felt cultured non the less as it is in French.... Bon appetite!

Ravenous for Red Cabbage

Here is a picture of my marvelous best friends from home (Me, Imogen, Olivia, Sophie, Clementine and Heather).  Like me they love to eat and we often cook together and share stories and debates over the dinner table.

One of our all time favourite things to do together, as a treat, is to book a table at a small locally owned restaurant called ‘Ravenous.’ A couple of the girls have worked there as waitresses and we love that the chef (Richard) makes all his ingredients from scratch. We all set out with the intention of choosing something new and different from the menu but almost always revert to the sirloin steak, covered in a creamy peppercorn sauce with fresh vegetables. What we know before we leave the house is that extra portions of his red cabbage will always be negotiated and demolished.

I don’t know Richards recipe but I do have a quick and easy way to make a good braised red cabbage without the complex timings that are normally emphasized.

*** Shred a red cabbage roughly using a very sharp large knife and rinse in cold water. (this part is important as the water helps cook the cabbage.) Melt a knob of butter in a heavy bottomed pot, add a clove of fresh crushed garlic. Throw in the washed red cabbage and a couple of chopped and diced apples. Season well with salt and pepper and pour in about a cup of red wine and a cup of red wine vinegar (I have to use only red wine at Christmas or Granny complains, she hates vinegar) Add two or three fresh or dried bay leaves and let the pot simmer over a medium heat for around 20mins or until the liquid evaporates and the cabbage softens a little (but not too soft, I like a little bit of crunch) Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Add a little extra water if it dries out too much. It might not be the best you ever had but it beats the complicated scientific recipes I have seen in the past.

Nobody has complained……...yet!

Eating Out

 I have been here in Gainesville, North Florida since August 2011. In which time I have had some thrilling experiences and adventures, studied hard and made some irreplaceable friends. There is nothing that I enjoy more than going out for a good hearty meal.

Gainesville itself is only a small town set amongst throngs (seemed an appropriate plural) of red necks and undervalued alligators. The town is stimulated by ‘The University of Florida,’ host to 50,000 students and a whole load of red cup wielding youths. There is also a wealth of really excellent and somewhat quirky restaurants that reside amongst the fast food giants. I’m going to tell you about some of my favourites so far.

The Top

Situated in Downtown Gainesville, The Top has a relaxed vibe and really well prepared food. The dishes are somewhat original, my favorites include, the Pork Belly over Gnocchi with a creamy sauce and peas, sirloin coated entirely in whole black peppercorns cooked with wild mushrooms (the textures of this are great) Last week we tried the vegan chocolate cake and I would go as far as saying it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.

Boca Fiesta

We went here for my 21^st birthday. The picture shows us trying deep fried alligator, it was nothing to write home about. The burgers were, however, delicious.

Civilization

We tried this one for lunch because the place we originally wanted to try was closed but thank goodness it was. The place is actually a converted gas station run as a cooperative. The term ‘hipster’ is not so commonly known among us Brits so any prejudice was beyond me and I enjoyed the atmosphere and food immensely. I chose the signature ‘swamp eggs’ dish. Home fries under collard greens, melted cheese and two poached eggs covered generously in their signature sauce. I included a picture below. I’m going to attempt a recreation soon so watch this space.

Entrée

So the story goes….British girl immersed in the fabulously deep fried and debatably Southern Sunshine state of Florida.

A year long foreign exchange at the University of Florida from my home University in Manchester , UK, has left me consumed with Gator Football spirit and a desire to share my adventures on both sides of the pond. 

I come from a tiny village in the English countryside called Giggleswick , (moderately amusing, I get it) set amongst the rolling hills of the Yorkshire dales. I study International Management and Business but my real passion lies in the glorious pleasures of FOOD. I love to eat out, cook, experiment, invent and imagine with it.  However I don’t believe that cooking should be scientific, complicated or refined. I don’t fuss over little details but instead find solace in making wholehearted, tasty and easy recipes that anyone could make without lots of utensils or expensive, hard to find ingredients. There are very few foods I dislike (coriander being one and fennel the other) so I appreciate eating out at any kind of restaurant apart from where the cuisine has been not so carefully hand prepared in the microwave. Don’t be mistaken though. I am actually somewhat partial to the microwave as it provides me with the riggings for my favourite food of all…….leftovers!

My blog is designed for anyone who loves food and perhaps doesn’t have time to slave over a hot stove with a timer and some kind of dubiously devised basting instrument. I would also love to share some of the experiences that I am having in such an exciting part of my life as well as some fond memories allied with some great recipes and ideas that I would love for you to try.

You can expect some of my own recipes, restaurant ideas and culinary adventures as well as some lovingly chosen guest participants from a little English country village and the great and powerful United States!

I really do hope that you enjoy it.


Here is a picture of Giggleswick in the snow....