Chocolate and Beyond

Did you have your pancake and eat it?

This is the second year running that I only remembered it was Pancake Tuesday after I'd had my dinner. Damn - I love pancakes. We used to have them mainly with sugar and lemon at home, but I like to invent all kinds of varieties and a favourite was bananas and cream.

I did have wholemeal tortillas for my dinner though, does that count instead? They are pancake shaped, at least. My son had left some refried beans in the fridge after staying for the weekend. He'd been caring for the dog while I was swanning around Berlin (well, it was bloody freezing so swanning isn't exactly the right word for it!), so I decided to use them up with some salad and salsa in the tortillas.

I suppose Shrove Tuesday was never too much of an issue for me 'diet-wise' - you can make pancakes pretty low-calorie and low-fat if you try, so I just made sure I did. Now of course, when I remember to have them, I just make them delicious. No faffing around trying to make one that doesn't count too much as actual food.

Anyhow, for missing out last night I'm going to plan to have a pancake weekend instead. And that may have to include Nutella.

EDIT: I haven't missed Pancake Day - I have just been informed it's not until March! So I'll have in March and probably this weekend as well... :-)

Looking forward to a foodie experience of Berlin...

Off to Berlin tomorrow morning for the Valentine's weekend - yay! (Though the downside for me is I have got tonsillitis, not so yay). But I am looking forward to trying many of Berlin's fantastic food experiences.

I remember when going away for a romantic hotel break would set me in a panic when I thought about all the overeating I'd be doing. What got to me the most was how little control I would have relying on restaurants and hotels to feed me.

I know many people who restrict themselves terribly while away on holiday, and I feel relieved that I am no longer in that position. Travel is as much about new tastes as sights, smells and people. To forbid yourself this pleasure is denying the greatness of life.

One thing I know about Berlin is that it is excellent for vegetarians. There are loads of Turkish and Middle Eastern eateries that sell houmous and halloumi meals, and there are some very trendy veggie restaurants like Cookies Cream.

Just hope the tonsillitis doesn't last much longer :-( We've booked a lovely hotel though, the Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof. A nice four star with a pool, and breakfast included.

I was initially thinking we wouldn't be managing the breakfast if we're having a bit of a mad disco-dancing weekend. Now, I'm guessing it's not going to be quite as crazy as anticipated, so we'll be manaing it perfectly fine (thank you very much). Oh well, at least we have the Berlin food!

 

Book review: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

If you ever needed to know what food porn was, then you'll find it in Yotam Ottolenghi's 'Plenty'

Though not a vegetarian himself, Yotam writes 'The New Vegetarian' column in the Guardian and I bought this book around 6 months ago after reading about it in a magazine. It's been the only recipe collection I've ever carried on using after the novelty of buying the book has worn off, having been so bowled over by the finished results that I just can't wait to try the next thing.

I have to admit, it's also been the only cookbook that I've actually taken to bed to read! So excited I was at the fabulous fare it contains. Yotam is from Israel and the cuisine is Middle Eastern influenced, where vegetables are used in far more interesting ways than in the UK, it seems. 

You will not find a boring array of pasta bakes and 'fake meat' concoctions here. And it's certainly not a book 'just for' vegetarians - committed carnivores will find that the taste sensations in this book are so unique and compelling, that meat will not be missed.

Some of the recipes call for unusual ingredients that need to be found at Middle Eastern grocers or ordered online, but they are worth the effort.

I have a couple of recipes that I could say were my favourites so far. One is the Aubergine and Lemon Risotto, which is divine, though I'd suggest this makes only enough for three people as a main course. The other is the Mushroom and Herb Polenta (but I must mention, I have done my own variation on this both times I have cooked it, since I did not have the same herbs handy!).

Cook from this book and you will be producing top notch, gourmet cuisine in your own kitchen. I promise.

**VEGAN UPDATE!**

Please note that I was vegetarian when I wrote this review, therefore I was not looking at this book on its vegan merits. I just wanted to make a few comments now that I can reflect back, since I am still including this book in my review list for the time being.

There a few of recipes in this book that are literally knock-out vegan recipes, and that have become firm favourites of mine. So, it still does come in handy for me as a cookbook. His soba noodles with aubergine and mango recipe is just unbelievable - and this is one I frequently serve at dinner parties (often with the additon of some seitan pieces).

There is another which is the Seasonal Vegetable Tempura (no link), that again brings sighs of delight whenever I serve it (though it's a messy one!) and I'm working on creating vegan versions for some of the others I enjoyed in the past.

There are lots of recipes that heavily rely on eggs and cheese - if you are prepared to substitute (although the egg ones tend to be actually centred around the eggs), then you may still find this book useful if you are vegan. But there are also lots of wonderful 100% vegan cookery books on the market too :)

Really delicious vegan chocolate?

Though I had the good intention of giving up dairy after seeing that horrifying footage of the Conklin Dairy Farms abuse, I haven't managed to do this fully (as readers of my blog will know).

However, I have reduced my consumption of dairy considerably, and though I do still occasionally buy cheese and chocolate, the fact that I do still eat a bit of dairy hasn't stopped me looking for dairy-free alternatives.

I'd love to find out if there is any really delicious vegan chocolate out there? If so, please do let me know about it!