Welsh Tapas - Cregyn Gleision Mewn Marinâd - Mejillones en Escabeche

(Written for the Minhall & Jones Food Blog)

I always cook for one more person than actually exists. It’s an old habit.

Goes back to my childhood I think. It was almost certain that when we were about to sit down to tea, somone would pitch up on the doorstep and there would be an obligation to say ‘come in, why don’t you, have you eaten?’ So it was always prudent to have a pan of something in reserve on the stove just in case.

So … I over-catered on the Moules Marinière the other day, and I really don’t like having seafood lingering on in the fridge, nor do I like waste. So I rustled up a little tapas. (It is safe to cook up left over mussels by the way. So long as it’s well heated.)

There was a bit of Marinière sauce left over too so half the battle was won.

I picked out the orphan Menai Mussels and set them aside.

In a pan, fried off in butter some more garlic, finely sliced carrot, along with some herbs and spices - Smoked Paprika, Bay, Oregano and some ground Cloves.

Into that about 100ml of White Wine. Add the old Marinière sauce and let it bubble a bit, adding the mussels, and some cornichon onions if you have some. I didn’t on this occasion.

I also added some limp Celery cut finely into the initial fry up, just because ….. I don’t like wasting anything.

I sprinkled a bit of Parmesan on top of mine to serve… not authentically Spanish I know, but .. that’s not the object.

Escabeche by the way just means Marinade.

The Mariniere was a stripey top worn by the French Navy in the 19th century, and also by Jean Paul Gaultier.

Educational and tasty!

RJ

Mess Call

(Written for the Minhall & Jones Food Blog)

Temperatures plummeting. Sunny days and clear nights. A full moon. Log burner on the go.

C O M F O R T F O O D

Eton Mess with a twist. Now… I know I am parking my tank on Anne-Marie’s lawn, as the origins of Eton Mess are on the Cricket field. I’ll take the risk.

Actually - no one really knows where this delicious desert came from.

So the popular legend goes, there was a cricket match going on at Eton College (against Harrow) in the 1920’s and an overexcited labrador sat on a basket of food containing a Strawberry Pavlova. The players enjoyed it regardless.

However….

It was already mentioned in documents some thirty years earlier. Albeit still with a cricketing connection.

Why a Mess?

Some say it’s because it looks a mess. Or is it derived from the Latin word ‘Missum’ meaning a portion of food? (nah.) Or because it was served in the military Mess setting. I prefer the Labrador story.

Byron monitors Eton Mess consumption - Photo © Rob Jones

There’s no secret to the recipe. And as usual, no quantities. Add and subtract what you like/don’t like.

Buy some meringues - or make some if you can be bothered. Break them up into a dish. (Get a Labrador to sit on them if you have one available. Pick off the hairs before serving.)

Mix it with some Crème Fraîche. Slice in some tasty Strawberries. That could be it… but ..

My twist…. cook up some Fruits of the Forest mix, add a dash of port, and a couple of spoonsful of Strawberry Jam. Spoon the hot mix over the pudding just before serving.

RJ

Mussels from ... Menai

(Written for the Minhall & Jones Food Blog)

Culinarily speaking, I was a very very late developer.

There’s no comparison to what I ate in my childhod and what I eat today. Maybe one of the reasons why I became such a foody.

Breakfasts were Full English. Snacks were beans on toast. Lunch (which we called dinner) was burgers beans and chips. Dinner (which we called Tea) was poached haddock, or scones. Supper was left overs or bread and jam. Saturday fritters or pancakes.

Sunday lunches were roast chicken, beef, and pork. Salmon only at Easter, and Turkey at Christmas.

Then the Seventies happened. My brother learned to drive, discovered pubs and takeaways. Chinese and Indian food appeared in cartons. Pizzas were a revelation. My Mum tried out all sorts of recipes from a growing number of lifestyle magazines. Quiche Lorraine a popular choice. (Must make one).

I should point out that I was already ‘aware’ of Indian food. My dad was in India for five years during the war, and brought a taste for spices and Camp coffee back with him. But it wasn’t for us kids. To hot. Although we were pacified by being allowed to watch the noodles cooking and curling magically in the hot oil from a Vesta Curry.

I got my first passport in 1980, and flew for the first time - for work, to Amsterdam and Brussels recording pop shows! Then there was no stopping me ….

When living in Belgium, based in Leuven the home of Stella Beer for a year, I explored just about every part of it - inevitably ending up in Ostende, either to travel home on the ferry or just for a day trip to the seaside.

And that’s when I had mussels for the first time… real mussels that is. Never a fan of eating cold out of a tin. Too slimy. I like a big bowl of steaming fresh mussels in a delicious but simple sauce, served with a hunk of gorgeous crusty bread and butter.

Nothing finer than….

Moules Marinière with Cream, Garlic and Parsley

Very lucky to have a mussel supply not 30 minutes away - Menai Oysters and Mussels. (You can buy online).

In a deep pan (which has a lid) fry off some Garlic and Spring Onions in some butter and oil. (I seldom suggest quantities - depends on personal taste. I love garlic.) Add some Dry White Wine. You need juice enough to almost cover the mussels you wish to add.

Well scrub and clean the Mussels and discard any that are already open. Add to the pan and steam the Mussels for five or ten minutes. Give them a stir noisy occasionally so all the Mussels have a chance to bathe in the liquor.

Just before serving, hurl in some Parsley and single cream. Sloosh it about a bit so everyting is all well mixed.

Serve with Granary Bread and Salted Butter.

I miss travelling :-( - Maybe It’s time to do it virtually?

RJ

Crumpets for Tea

(Written for the Minhall & Jones Food Blog)

I am easily influenced. I Confess. And Accept. I am an advertisers dream!

So when I heard someone on the radio the other day eulogising about the joys of Crumpets, it was just a matter of time before a bargain packet would drop into my basket at the supermarket.

And so it came to pass.

It’s something I have always assumed was universal - like pancakes, and faggots. Something everyone knows and eats. But life has shown me that this is not the case.

The oracle of all things - Wikipedia - immediately throws a spanner in the works by linking to a French cartoon series for children called The Crumpets about a family with 142 children, which I found mildly disturbing and entertaining in equal measure. Anyhow, it wasted 30 minutes on a wet day.

Then it flags up the uncertainty whether edible crumpets originated in Wales or were Anglo Saxon.

Then comes the name - I recall as a child, while toasting crumpets on the fire at home, my best friend announced that they were actually called Pikelets! The certainty in my world was crumbling at the edges.

It gets worse - in Welsh, there was a thing called a ‘Bara Pyglyd’ or sticky bread, with a name perilously close to Pikelet. Or does the name come from the Welsh for pancake - Crempog?

You’ll even find some people trying to pass them off as Muffins! don’t go there.

Anyhow it’s a minefield.

When should one eat them? Too bulky for breakfast. To meagre for dinner. It was always a Saturday afternoon in Winter thing in our house, eaten while watching the wrestling and waiting for the classified football results. Always smeared with butter. It’s tempting to add a topping, but why bother.

The key is to butter it several times, so the butter has time to melt and fill up all the holes.

Inevitably have a napkin on hand to wipe your chin and fingers.

Easily made:

In a bowl, stir together 250ml of warm water with 2 1/2 teaspoons of Dried Yeast. Let it stand for a bit. Add a little warm Milk, 50g of Butter, 1 teaspoon of Salt, and 2 teaspoons of Sugar.

Add 450g of plainflour, mix well and leave to stand. You can get it to the right consistency by topping up with warm milk.

Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder, first dissolved in water. Leave for another half an hour.

This is the tricky bit - Get a heavy frying pan, and put over a medium heat.

If you have Crumpet Rings, grease them, and pour the batter in up to about half way. Metal pastry cutters will work, but they need to be deep. Cook until the tops look dry.

Turn them over and cook for another five minutes.

RJ

Comforting Fruit Crumble

(Written for the Minhall & Jones Food Blog)

Further to my hearty vegetable soup … the day didn’t improve weatherwise and so by evening I was climbing the walls with an inner yearning for comfort.

There was only one way forward - Fruit Crumble and Custard.

I always remember at primary school, our teacher Mrs. Francis would pin pictures from the Bible over the blackboard. They were huge so we could all see what was going on. I was usually sat at the back. Then she’d explain what it was all about.

I was always fascinated by anything to do with the Pharaohs. Especially since they were open to any advice on how to finesse budgeting and home economics (along with blood thirsty warfare and mummification.)

One such pictured showed the Pharoah listening to Joseph who counselled that during abundant years excess grain should be stored, which could then be used in the lean years. So preventing famine.

In a small way, the idea has stayed with me, and the freezer is chock full with containers of summer fruits, tomato passata and chopped vegetables. Waiting for their day of glory. My mother and grandmother did the same, only … nothing ever got used. Things stayed in the chest freezer for years, usually until it was no longer certain what it was, especially as the labels fell off.

So - Out comes a block of raspberries, blackberries, red currents and blueberries. Heat them up in a pan with a blob of cherry jam. In a separate pan, I sauteed some diced apple in some butter and some finely chopped ginger - about a teaspoon full. Add the apple mix to the mixed summer fruit and allow to simmer for a bit. Then turf into your baking dish.

For the crumble … 140g of plain flour, 70g of sugar and 70g of butter. Rub together with your fingers till crumbly. I usually place this mix in a thin layer in a baking dish and cook till it’s beginning to go light brown. Then, sprinkle over the fruit mix in the dish and cook for another ten minutes or so.

Leave to cook while you make the custard - 200ml of cream, 700ml of milk in a pan with 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence. In a bowl mix 100g of sugar with the yolks of four eggs and 3 tablespoons of Cornflour. Once the milky mix is warmed through, add it gently to the eggy mix, whisking all the time. Clean the saucepan, and pour the mixture back in and heat gently, stirring all the time till it’s nice and thick.

Photo © Rob Jones

Comfort in a dish.

RJ

The Minhall & Jones Podcast

The Minhall and Jones Podcast - Episode 2

NOVEMBER 2020

In which we discuss:

Celebrating the joy of Pastel de Nata; Maltese Buses; Food preparations for Christmas; The most efficient way to cut a Christmas Cake; and is it ever right to hide marzipan under the dog.

Listen

The Minhall & Jones Podcast

The Minhall and Jones Podcast - Episode 1

In which we discuss:

The missing Madeira wine; possets; how many is too many chicken thighs; tips for cooking rice; posting marrows; and early christmas preparations.

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Snowdon Cafe

Penceunant Isaf - A Snowdon Cafe

An informational website for a cafe in Snowdonia.

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Monkey - Journey to the West - China Plus

Monkey - is an abridged version of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, translated by Arthur Waley. The original is attributed to Wu Cheng’en. It is one of the four great classic novels of Chinese literature.

Sound Design: Lisa O’Sullivan

Monkey - Journey to the West

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Anne Frank Oratorio

Radio Feature - Newsnight - Classic FM

Annelise is a full-length choral work based on the Diary of Anne Frank.  The music is by British composer James Whitbourn with the libretto compiled from the diary by Melanie Challenger.

Movements from Annelies were first performed at the National UK Holocaust Memorial Day in Westminster Hall, London on 27 January 2005. The World Premiere of the full work followed in April 2005 at the Cadogan Hall, London, conducted by Leonard Slatkin with the Choir of Clare College Cambridge and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Anne Frank Oratorio

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Why We Love The Tang Dynasty

Why We Love the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty is considered to be the golden age of Chinese arts and culture. It ruled between 618 to 906 A.D.

At its height it was possibly the most prosperous, well connected and influential country in the world.

Through the practice of Buddhism, its culture spread across much of Asia.

Credits:

Produced for China Media
Written and Presented by Bob Jones
Sound Design by Lisa O’Sullivan

Reviews:

“Absolutely fantastic! I’ve learnt so much about the Chinese culture with this podcast! It is a rich tapestry melded with history from over 5,000 years. It’s no wonder the culture intrigues so many. This makes me understand the Chinese mentality from a much deeper level! When all the mainstream media outlets are saying unfair things about China, I think everyone should listen to this first!”

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Byron the Water Dog

Byron the labrador reflected in the waters of Llanberis Lake - 16th September 2020

CLASSIC FM - 24th - 28th August

CLASSIC FM - 24th - 28th August - Cover presenting - 0100 - 0600