Morimoto - the new art of japanese cooking reviewed. "Beautiful, sublime, informative but utterly bonkers"

I'm trying to compile my full list of cook books - it's going to take a while I think! Here are some to be getting on with...

A stunning overview of the 21 regions of Iberia highlighting the different gastronomic variations in each - written with style and a clear love of the landscape, people and food of the area

Nobody Does It Better: Why French Home Cooking Is Still The Best In The World - on the evidence of this passionate and entertaining book, French home cooking is still in pretty fine fettle.

So there I was at my local greengrocers on Easter Saturday morning when the boss, Angie, took me to one side and said "I've got something for you..."  And there in a little plastic crate was a small pile of brown gold - morels.

Morels are one of the few wild mushrooms to fruit in Spring.  And they seem to be as rare as hen's teeth.  I for one had never seen them fresh in a shop before - I think most that make it to these shores end-up in high falutin restaurants.  Even dried ones are hard to come by.

Needless to say, I took the lot.  We had them stuffed for tea that night with baked salmon - recipe to follow and we had them with roast lamb on Easter Sunday too. 

There are a few things to remember with morels - firstly, their hollow interior makes for great stuffing and presentation, but also a great hidey-hole for bugs - they need good cleaning.  Indeed the brain-like outside harbours bugs and plenty of dirt.  The good news is that, unlike most mushrooms, morels don't really absorb water that well - so you can wash them under the tap.
The other thing is that they are one of the mushrooms that require long and slow cooking rather than the more usual quick and hot.  Stew them gently in butter for 10-15 minutes... 

 

What could be better for Easter Sunday lunch than roast leg of lamb (hogget really), rubbed with garlic, rosemary and olive oil and left to marinade over night, served with creamy dauphinoise potatoes, steamed purple-sprouting and these delicious marsala-cooked morels?

Marsala-cooked Morels
Slice the mushrooms in half lengthways and give them a good wash or brush off to rid them of any livestock (add any trimmings to your gravy pan of course).  Heat a knob of butter or a squirt of olive oil in a small frying pan and add the mushrooms. Cook gently for around 10 minutes.  Add a generous slosh of marsala (maderia might work too) and reduce down further for another five minutes.  Stir in some parsley and serve...

I'm not sure that I've ever blogged with such a heavy heart.  I feel like I've been bereaved.  My village butcher is to close his doors at the end of May.

I've only been in the village for 18 months now, but my weekly trip to the shops (always in the same order: fishmonger, butcher, greengrocer and perhaps the wine shop) is a highlight of the week.  The whole dynamic of that Saturday morning sojourn will change for the worse once the Crown Roast in Lingfield closes.  My only hope is that the loss of this business doesn't rub off on the other retailers.

Why is it closing?  Well, I'm not sure.  As grain prices go up, so do meat prices - and price-conscious shoppers go off to the supermarkets just a few miles away. 

Perhaps the Crown Roast could have done more - for example, selling cooked meats (ham etc) at a premium.  Perhaps they could have marketed themselves more or better (there was little in the shop to tell new customers that they cured and smoked their own bacon or that practically all of the meat was locally sourced).  But at the end of the working day, life as a small retailer is just too difficult in the face of supermarket competition.

The little ray of light at the end of the tunnel is that the Crown Roast will continue to serve its customers through internet/telephone ordering and free home delivery.  But I wonder how long for?  Given their lack of marketing, how will such a business attract new custom?  Would you buy from a butcher over the phone?  I'll certainly be giving it a go, but we'll see how long for.

One thing is certain, there are farm shops around and I will never return to buying my meat from the supermarket.  We haven't bought a scrap of fresh meat from the supermarket for over a year and we aren't changing now.

 

I couldn't help myself.  The butcher had a little tray of voluptuous pink lovehearts on Saturday morning.  Perfect little lambs' sweetbreads for lunch it was... and all for me (Spud wasn't for touching them, I'm sorry to report).

Firstly, let's dispell the myth:  SWEETBREADS ARE NOT TESTICLES.  I don't know where this myth comes from - sweetbreads are in fact the thymus gland of the lamb or calf (though sometimes, confusingly the pancreas also falls under this moniker).  They are pale pink in colour and have a beautiful and mild kidney taste.  They are probably the least offaly-flavoured offal you can get (with the possible exception of brains - another post, another day maybe).

Traditionally, sweetbreads are poached before being fried - though to be honest, I think this is an unneccesary step - lambs' sweetbreads can just be fried as is.  They do need a little preparation though - just the simple matter of a short soak (an hour) in cold water, snipping off any gristly bits and 'skinning'.  The skinning is simpler than it sounds: The sweetbread is covered by a thin transparent membrane which just pulls off between finger and thumb.

Lambs' Sweetbreads with Frissé
(serves 2)
12-14oz lambs' sweetbreads - prepared as above
Salt & pepper
Flour for dusting
Butter for frying
Frissé lettuce
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or good red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp capers, rinsed
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Put a knob of butter to melt and foam in a frying pan over a medium heat.  Season the sweetbreads well on both sides and dredge in the flour.  Knock-off any excess flour and add to the pan.  Gently fry the sweetbreads until slightly crusted all over and cooked through, turning occassionally (10-15 minutes).  Remove from the pan and plate-up with the lettuce.  Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and reduce a little.  Whisk in the olive oil and remove from the heat.
Pour the oil & vinegar over the lettuce and a little drizzle over the sweetbreads. 
Sprinkle with the capers and parsley.  And serve.  And enjoy...