The Omnivore's Hundred

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I've seen this posted on a couple of blogs now and thought I'd join in.

Andrew over at Very Good Taste, posted a list containing 100 food items (well some I think you can call food if you're very adventurous), that he believes every omnivore should try in their lifetime. He encourages everyone to have a look at the list and see how they're doing with it.

So, without further ado here is the list. The items in orange are the ones I have tried and the ones that are in italics (I couldn't figure out how to do the strike through thingy) are the ones I don't think I could bring myself to try without getting very, very drunk first and even then the chances would still be rather slim.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht (definitely something on my to try list for this atumn/winter)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (Someone suggested that the German Töttchen is pretty much the same and I have tried that when I was very little, didn't like it though!)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I have had both, but never at the same time.)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (Do all those flies count that I have swallowed whilst cycling in the summer?)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (of course I have, I'm German)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (my dad once ran over a pheasant and my mum, plugged it, gutted it and put it in the pot)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (Two stars had to do for me so far, I'm afraid)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Go on try your own results and write about them on your blog, this is what Andrew wants you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Okay, I guess I'm not doing to badly 49 out of 100 I have tried (50 if you count the flies swallowed while cycling) and there are only 3 I wouldn't try. I have to admit though that I'd struggle with the Phal, because twice now I have attempted to try a Vindaloo and hated every bit of it. That's just too hot for me and the reason why I wouldn't try the Scotch Bonnet. I guess I'd try it though if it meant completing the list. It's the sweetbreads, brain and intestines that I'd really struggle with. I have had kidney and liver and like neither (strangely I do love pate and the foi gras wasn't that bad either, even though I have no intention of ever eating it again), so I don't think I'd want to try the others.

Sweetcorn Fritters

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The other day I bought some cobs of corn and they'd been lying around in my fridge waiting for me to eat them. Usually, I would just grill the corn as it is and have it with a herb butter or just simply with some butter and salt and pepper, but I didn't really have anything to serve alongside and didn't want to go out spending more money on groceries this week either. Plus, tomorrow I have to draw the contents of my fridge for an artist book project I'm involved in, so I don't want to fill it up with more stuff (Be honest, is there ever a time when you go to the grocery shop and only pick up the thing you actually went in for?!), instead I wanted to empty it out a bit to make my job easier.

I've been meaning to try and make some sweetcorn fritters in ages, so I went searching the net and combined a number of different recipes to come up with this one. I had them with a simple tomato, cucumber and pepper side salad and some sweet chili dipping sauce. You can easily double the recipe and I'm sure frozen corn would work just as well instead of the fresh.



Fresh Sweetcorn Fritters (serves 2)

60gr plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pinch of salt
2tbsp milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cobs of corn, cooked and cooled
1/4 red pepper, chopped finely

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper and salt.

Add the milk and the egg and whisk until you get a smooth, thick batter.

Slice the corn kernels of the cobs and add them to the batter together with the red pepper, mix in well.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and place one heaped tablespoon in the pan for each fritter, pressing it down to spread the batter out a bit so it can cook evenly.

Fry until golden brown on both sides, place on some kitchen towel to soak up any extra oil when done and serve with your favourite dip.

Returning with a Giveaway

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I am back and this time I should be around a bit before going off again, at least I hope so. I have survived the camping trip ( I never doubted that I would really, apart from maybe those hours I was kept awake during one very stormy night), getting back late on Thursday night. My sister and I had a lovely time. (Thank you I. for taking me with you!) Ireland has changed quite a bit since I last went there in 1995 it is definitely a great place to go on holiday.



Because I have been gone for so long and haven't been able to blog, I thought I'd do a little something special on my return. I brought back a cookbook from Ireland to give away to one of you. It's called The Irish Spirit by Margaret M. Johnson and contains recipes inspired by Irish drinks. So, if you like cooking with booze, or just like cookbooks and would like to add this one to your collection, all you need to do for a chance to win is to leave a comment on this post before 31st August 2008.

I'll be randomly drawing one name out of a hat once the deadline is gone, to determine the winner. If you're the lucky person I will then post out the book to you wherever you are.



Good Luck!

Banana Bread Muffins

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I'm back on the net since yesterday and can't believe how disconnected I felt from the rest of the world without it. Whatever did I do before the days of the world wide web?



I christened my oven by baking Banana Bread Muffins when the bananas in my fruit bowl had gone past their 'pretty enough to eat' stage. As you can see from the pictures I'm still getting used to my new oven and the muffins turned out a little dark, but they were good nevertheless.

I used a recipe from Recipezaar, which you can find here. It was the first banana bread recipe I ever tried and at the time I loved it. Since then this Banana Bread recipe has become my favourite though. I did everything as stated, apart from making muffins rather than a loaf, so I reduced the cooking time to about 20 minutes. Oh, and I topped them with peanut butter chips.



I know I only just got back online, but I'll be off again for another few weeks as I'm going camping to Ireland on Sunday. Once I'm back I will get back to looking after this blog and reading all yours properly though. Promised!

It's done

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Just a quickie to let everyone know I'm still alive. I moved last Saturday and am now living in Box Central. I have just about unpacked all my kitchen boxes, but still got loads of other stuff do do and some bits of furniture to get.

I'll be back on the internet from home some time next week so I'll be able to properly get back into blogging and sharing recipes then!

It's all peachy - Peaches and Cream Pie

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I'm still busy packing and sorting things out with not much happening in the kitchen. I never knew I had that much stuff. It always amazes me how much things I manage to accumulate over time and I'm not even a horder, well not that much of a horder anyways.

All my baking pans and trays are already in the bottom of one of my kitchen boxes and I have got other things than baking cake on my mind, but luckily I can just say: 'Here's one that I did earlier.....'



Peaches and Cream Pie

1 pie crust (shop bought or made using a basic shortcrust pastry)
3 cups peeled and chopped peaches (fresh are best, but tinned work well, too)
1 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 180C/ Gas 4.

Place the peaches into pie crust.

Mix 1 cup caster sugar, 1/3 cup flour with the salt in a bowl.

Add the beaten eggs and sour cream and mix well.

Pour the mixture over peaches.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the butter until you get a crumbly mixture and sprinkle it over the pie.

Bake for about one hour, until golden on top.

This can be eaten warm, but I think it's even better when it has been in the fridge for a good few hours or overnight.

Packing Boxes and Sesame Chicken Wraps

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Well, as I said things at work have gone back to normal as the term has finished and all our students have left for the summer. My life is still topsy turvy though, as I'll be moving in two weeks, which means a lot of stuff to sort out and boxes to pack, so I don't know how much I'll be around and how long I'll be without regular internet access.

For now I'll share this quick, simple and light dinner with you in the hope that I'll be able to post again soon. If not please keep bearing with me. I will be back! Promise!



Sesame Chicken Wrap (serves 4)

2 1/2 lbs, chicken breast fillets, pounded flat
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 tortilla or deli wraps
1 avocado, sliced
lettuce, chopped
sour cream, to serve
salsa, to serve

Mix the sesame, cayenne and salt and coat the chicken on both sides.

Grill the chicken either on your BBQ, George Foreman Grill or using the grill in your oven until cooked through.

Times will vary, but it won't take too long as you've pounded the chicken breast fillets flat.

Slice into strips and divide between the warmed tortillas/wraps.

Top with avocado, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

Krautsalat or German Coleslaw

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Things have finally settled down a bit at work, so I'm back in the kitchen rather than living on take aways and sandwiches. Thanks to all of you for bearing with me and all the well wishes.

Krautsalat has always been one of my favourites and I really can't give you a good enough reason why I have never tried to make my own before, especially as it's not available to buy here in the UK. It is so simple and really satisfied my cravings!

The difference between the German coleslaw and the one you usually get in the UK and the US is that instead of a mayonnaise based dressing, it is made with oil and vinegar and it doesn't have any carrots in it either. There are loads of slight variations, but here's the recipe I used, it can easily be doubled or trebled to feed a crowd.



Krautsalat

1/2 head white cabbage, shredded
1/2 green pepper, shredded
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
black pepper, to taste

Place the cabbage and pepper in a decent sized bowl.

In a pan, bring the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and cumin to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the hot liquid over the cabbage and stir well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least twelve hours.