Thornbridge Italia

Thornbridge's Italia was a beer that I'd been waiting for with particular interest; I'm a big fan of Lager - when done right, good Lager can be so good. But we don't get a lot of that good stuff over here. Italia (4.8%abv) is the result of a collaboration with Maurizio Folli of Birrificio Italiano; properly lagered, and is loaded with Hallertau Northern Brewer, Perle and Spalter Select hops.

But is it any good? I bought this the same weekend as Sharp's Monsieur Rock, but held off drinking them both in the same session - I feared they would be too alike. I was quite wrong - Italia is unashamedly Lager; Uber-Pale, good carbonation, and meant to be served chilled. There's the malty, biscuity backbone that I was hoping for; a creamy, malted-milk heart. On top of that there's Lime and Lemon, and I actually thought the Lime-zest nose got more intense as the pint wore on. It's citrus all the way, but not too sweet. I liked it a lot, but I don't think I could drink a lot of it - it's not a session beer; the flavours are too big. But that's not a bad thing.

In fact, it formed part of a very enjoyable meal - chunks of Coley, dredged in flour, paprika and pepper, deep fried until golden and served with a Garlic and Lime mayo. Perfect finger-food, and accompanied by a great, sharp, citrussy beer. Hang on - Lager. Watch out for it on keg at various pubs around the country.

Fish And Derks

Ok - not something I do often - but this is pretty much non-beer related post. This story in The Sun yesterday really brought a smile to my face, however, so I thought I would share. Plus, I know that all of you who read and comment on TGS are foodies as well as...well, beeries. People of taste, basically...

Anyway, the gist of it is that some boffins have surmised that the humble dish of Fish and Chips is keeping regional language dialects alive. Mundane? No, I don't think so, and neither do the boffins at Leeds University and The British Library, who are all in hand-wringing agreement.

I know there's a lot of regional differences in how we all dispatch an order of Fish and Chips, but I didn't know there was this many. I've had plenty of arguments with mates (non-Yorkshire-born mates, I might add) who argue that 'Scraps are weird' or that a Breadcake is, in fact, a Barm (or possibly even a Stottie). This article is pure pub banter, as we argue over whose term is best - or even who does the best. Again; mundane? Well, that's what passionate people do.

Anyway, Fish and Chips does link in with beer. Although personally I prefer a cup of tea with mine when at home, Fish and Chips is usually the first on any self-respecting Gastropubs' menu - the epitome of hearty fare, sitting alongside such chalkboard staples as Pie or Sausages and Mash - although usually encased in a beer batter, of course. It's comfort food - and not a dish to be taken lightly, as I found out when I managed to bend the ear of Peter Scott of Bretts in Headingley.

Not only did the man make us some of the finest Fish and Derks (see what I did there) I'd tasted in a while, he took me round the kitchen and explained his secrets - from what fish to use and where from, to the exact temperature of the fat used to fry the fish. This lively man was happy to talk fish and chips all night, and a great night it was.

Oh - and before you ask - I do refer to Fish and Chips as 'Fish and Derks' - although not when ordering. I've never called them 'Nerks' . It's just a bit of eye contact and a firm exclamation of 'Once' or 'Twice' to be heard over the din of the fryers. Mushy Peas? Optional, for me. I do, however, find it hard to believe that only 27% of 'Londoners' have tried a chip butty. Really? I think some 'Londoners' are keeping up appearances there - surely?

A Good Weekend

Yeah, in general. A Good Weekend. Firstly, Leeds United finally won a game and - more importantly - kept a clean sheet away at Brighton. Cue a collective bout of fist-pumping (oo-er!) and fratboy style high-fives in the household.
As if that wasn't enough, we'd decided to treat ourselves to a Tapas supper at our Mediterranean joint of choice, Dos Amigos. And it didn't disappoint - although it never does. Deep-fried whitebait dunked in pungent Aioli, Salt-Cod Croqetas, Bread getting soggier by the second due the amount of crushed tomato and garlic smeared on top, a luscious ragu of slow-cooked, rosemary-tinted pork belly, prawns in a chili sauce...the dishes just kept coming. /all washed down with a few pints of draught Cruzcampo, a lager I never tire of. The Best tapas in Leeds, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Waking up this morning with that still in mind, I slung a bottle of Otter Bright in the fridge to chill to obscene levels (something I wouldn't ordinarily do) whilst I whipped up a spanish-inspired fish stew.
In a pan went one tin of plum tomatoes, which I simmered down with a pinch of salt, some chili flakes, a massive splash of olive oil, a pinch of sugar and a squirt of tomato puree. Next, a small fillet of Cod (any firm white fish will do: I've made this with Monkfish and got good results) was chopped and added to the sauce to cook. In a separate pan I then lightly sauteed some sliced chorizo sausage - just enough to leach out that lovely, saffrony pork fat - then dumped the whole pan into the stew along with a handful of chopped, pitted black olives. Simmer all together for five minutes and serve in a suitably rustic bowl with warm bread and Tabasco to taste.


The Otter Bright chilled down well, and added an inoffensive fruity coolness to the rich, hot stew. and what do you know - as we were eating, the sun came out. Lovely.
Dos Amigos
68/70 Abbey Road, Kirkstall,
Leeds, LS5 3JG. Telephone: 01484 720338

I did try to take some pictures of the food at Amigo's but for those who don't know it, it's very dark and very cosy. I didn't feel like taking a flash to ruin the atmos for the sake of the blog. You'll just have to go to find out what it's like!

A Postcard from Bulgaria #2 - So, What's to Eat?

So, there’s not much out there about food in Bulgaria worth reading, so I thought I’d cobble together a few words and pictures, should any of you ever visit.

Food in Bulgaria is a strange mix – the heat and the setting feels distinctly Mediterranean – indeed the first glances at menus reveal kebabs, souvlaki, fresh salads, grilled meat and fish – but then you’ll also get a wide range of soups and stews. This reminds you with a jolt that you are in fact in the Balkans.

First up, the salads. Why do tomatoes always taste better in the sun? Shopska Salad, a Bulgarian version of ‘Greek’ salad, with tomatoes, onions, cucumber and mild, creamy sheeps’ cheese, is actually – gulp – nice. Very nice, in fact, I formed a slight addiction whilst over there. And I generally don’t eat salads on their own.

One thing that surprised me greatly was the seafood – the quality of the fish where we were based (the very bottom of the Black Sea coast) was excellent, and much better than our recent forays to Greece and the sadly depleted Med. The Bulgarian classic ‘Fish On A Roof Tile’ (translated) was an outstanding example of Bulgarian cuisine. Whole fish, usually Mackerel, laid in an earthenware, trough-shaped tile, topped with a rich, red-wine and shallot sauce, then slow baked. Like a fish Stifado, if you will. And possibly one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. It’ll pop up here sometime soon as I try to recreate it in my own cack-handed way.

However, the real deal for me was lightly battered and quick-fried clams, mussels and squid – doused in lashings of salt and squeezed lemon. Lip tingingly good. A bowl of this in an open-air seafood place and the sun going down...that’s me. Kill me there and then, I’m done. All that was missing was a good, zingy Weisse to wash it down with. Clams and smoked, sweet bacon were often stirred into fried rice with tonnes of fennel and parley, to result in a kind of Balkan risotto. Wonderful.

As if that wasn’t enough, pork was often eaten chopped, fried in a huge pan with gherkins, mushrooms, peppers, and topped with smoked cheese. Then delivered to your table, spitting all over you but you don’t care because it’s a loaded skillet of pork and smoked cheese. I didn’t make a note of what this dish was called – if anyone knows, help me out!

I’m slightly obsessed with Gyro; but we found that Bulgarian gyro tends to have sour cream instead of tzatziki, and use chicken and pork instead of lamb. For me, although a great snack, the garlic and fennel suckerpunch of Greek tzatziki was missing, big time.

Sozopol is divided into two parts; new and old town. All the best restaurants are in the Old town; Check out Neptune for the best seafood (in fact, the best food) on the Island, although Rusalka runs a close second. The Windmill offers a great dining area and good, hearty soups and stews, and Tavern Chuchura for the sizzling pork/cheese skillet. Finally, El Greco (next to Rusalka) does an amazing creamy seafood pasta, and has wonderful fresh Anchovies.

....And as for Beer...well, forget it. Nothing at all except generic Bulgarian lager that goes down ok when you’re baking alive reading Dave Gorman’s America Unchained on the beach. Instead, opt for Bulgarian wine – it’s damn good and maybe slightly unappreciated. Mavrud is a really good red grape variety unique to Bulgaria (I think –I’m a beer obsessive, not wine!) and the Traminers and Chardonnays from nearby Pomorie were not only reasonably priced but delicious too.

Tikka-Spiced Fish...Caught Cheating

Although the mere fact that you, dear reader, are reading TGS tells me you have a healthy interest in cooking from scratch - there comes along, every once in a while, a ready-made sauce or stock or similar that surprises you and reassures that if 'cheating' is needed, then at least it can be done well.
As part of a christmas hamper, I ended up with a jar of Cottage Delight's Tikka Masala sauce; and it provided a great solution for a busy afternoon. As you will see, some prep is still needed in the recipe that I ended up throwing together, but the need for major legwork was certainly taken away by using the sauce.
Apologies to John - This will be my last fish-based post for a while, i promise!)

Tikka-Spiced Fish (Serves Two)

You will need;

1 Large Fillet of Whitby Cod
1 Pepper, chopped
1 Onion, sliced
1/2lb of Cherry Toms
1 medium Courgette, sliced
1 Jar of Cottage Delight Tikka Masala Sauce
Rub -
1tsb of grated ginger
3 large cloves garlic, mashed
2 tsps veg or corn Oil
2 tsps Tomato Puree
pinch of fenugreek
pinch of garam or gujarati masala
large pinch of chilli flakes (to your liking)
1 pinch of Panch Phoran (onion seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds)

Preheat the oven to 180c.
1. First, make the rub. combine all ingredients above in a ramekin and you'll end up with a pungent paste. smear this on your fish, and leave to marinate slightly while:
2. You gently saute the veg in a large pan. Use Olive Oil for this, and season with black pepper once golden. Don't use salt - it'll dry out the toms and courgette.
3. In a a large dish, place your soft, golden veg and lie your marinated fish on top.
4. Simply pour the sauce over the top, and bake for about 30-40 minutes.


As you can see, despite a long ingredients list, its not that complicated. The end result tastes great; creamy and tomatoey with a zingy kick beneath the surface. All you're doing really is pre-cooking and pre-marinating the fish to give a little extra flavour, and finishing in the oven. We served this with home-made flatbreads, but obviously rice or naan would be perfect also.
As for beer, instead of opting for an eastern beer I chose Bitburger - although not one of my favourite tipples, I wanted a clean, dry pils to counter the heat but with a little more body-and it certainly did the trick.

So there you go. A cheat's success. It's certainly made me realise that there are some great products out there that certainly warrant a position in your storecupboard.

www.cottagedelight.co.uk

Leeds Kirkgate Market

Right, I’m going to step up onto my soapbox for this piece and spend the next ten minutes acting as the official Leeds Market PR Guy. Why?

Because, quite simply, Leeds Kirkgate Market is a foodie’s paradise. Its easily the best place to shop in Leeds for food - and not enough people know this.

Ok, cast aside all those images of the market you have probably grown up with – cheap, nasty food, rangy market-traders flogging cast-off goods, overflowing bins, all that stuff and listen: In terms of food and drink, Kirkgate Market has everything you need, and more.

Did you know that Leeds Kirkgate Market has over 800 traders, and is actually the second largest covered market in Europe? Marks and Spencer started out here; its a grade one listed building, don't you know...

Take for instance, The Fish Row. As with the Butchers row, there's some great produce here. Scores upon scores of fresh, just-caught fish nestle side by side with any kind of crustacean you can wish for. Visit early enough and the fish are still moving; that’s what I’m talking about! There’s game, hot and cold meats, bakers, chocolatiers, cheese stalls and more fruit and veg stands than you can shake a stick at; all selling not only fresh, home made, and local foods.

The indoor market has certainly come a long way in the last five or six years. Now, it boasts not only one but two – yes, two polish delicatessens, but at least three carribean stalls selling the likes of salt fish, plaintains and jerked meat. A special mention goes to Kostas’ Olive Stall, a greek market which sells some fine cheese, meats and sweets all direct from Greece. And I mean direct – for a few pounds you can buy Olive Oil from his family and when youre’ done, bring back the bottle and get a refill. Excellent.

In terms of food to eat there and then, there are countless café’s selling hot food, as well as hot meats, fish and chips, sandwiches and a Chinese Rotisserie, where not only can you buy excellent roast duck with rice and green tea for under a fiver, but, if you wish, you can order a whole suckling roast pig, and pick it up three days later - I’m not kidding. A whole roast pig.

A few weeks back, my partner and I had a Tapas night, and every item on the menu (at least eight dishes) was bought fresh that morning from the market; peppers, rice, fresh king prawns, seabass, tortillas, vine tomatoes etc etc …the list goes on. I understand there is a farmer's market there every month also, although I have yet to attend one.

All right, you're not going to fill up bags and bags of shopping and cart it round town all day, I understand that. But, if you have a car and are willing to get into the market early on a weekend morning and get all that good, fresh stuff, you will be richly rewarded. Try it – for me, it’s a monthly trip.

Check out the website for more details - www.leedsmarket.com