"Being a butcher is being a craftsman. Dierendonck, combines the professional skill of today with the quality of the past," Hendrik Dierendonck says. A visit to his Atelier in Nieuwpoort yesterday confirmed all the good things that we have been hearing about this butcher shop. No wonder it is considered to be one of the best butchers in Belgium. A look at his website, however, would instantly confirm that Dierendonck is a must visit for any foodie who finds himself at the Belgian coast. His produce is used by some of the top chefs in Belgium and the Netherlands (Sergio Herman of Oud Sluis fame, David Martin of Restaurant La Paix , Jan Wittevrongel of Ten Bogaerde, Kobe Desramaultsoud of In de Wulf to mention just a few). This should be enough to tickle your taste buds and visit. The choice of meat at the Atelier was exceptional. We opted for a 'contra filet' from West Flanders. The meat was exceptional in flavour though slightly chewy. It did not have the marbling of the … [Read more...]
What I enjoyed reading this week (9)
As the summer holiday for me comes to a close and I start to prepare mentally for the winter schedule (with the weather and temperature already going down in Belgium), I find that the days start to get shorter but you get to find more time somehow for reading particularly on the longer evenings. I am currently midway through a book about Burgundy wine written by an American who followed his dream leaving a job in finance to start making wine in France. The book reads very well and I will review it once I finish it probably sometime next week. For those interested the name of the book is The Road to Burgundy, The Unlikely story of an American making wine and a new life in France. In the meantime as is usual here are some articles which i enjoyed reading this week. Hope you enjoy and have a great start to September. There is no such thing as a free lunch and this is the perfect rant. It is unfortunately in Italian but well worth going through it because it explains how important … [Read more...]
Recipe 7 – Spaghetti ai ricci (with sea urchins)
Rizzi as they are called in Maltese remind me of my lazy childhood summer days. Swimming on the beach at St Paul's Bay overlooking St Paul's Islands (see below), parents of young children would go snorkelling to pick up the sea urchins. Time flies and this must have been a good 30 or so years ago. They would go snorkelling for an hour, fill up a plastic bag with sea urchins which were caught from the rocks or seabed and then come back to the beach were the mothers and fathers would get a knife, gently cut open the sea urchin in half and give it to the children with a spoon to scoop out or else serve on top of bread like a very rustic version of bruschetta. These memories still make my mouth water given the sea urchins would have an incredible but delicate taste of the sea. It is said that the presence of sea urchins at sea reflects the cleanliness of the sea water. I am not sure whether this urban legend is to be believed or not but over the years this tradition has since been … [Read more...]
Recipe 6: Tuna with a Mediterranean salsa
The season for lampuki (a typical Mediterranean fish that is incredibly popular in Malta and one of the most traditional fish you can find at this time of year) has just started but the fish at the fishmongers were still small so I opted for tuna steaks. The temperature is still extremely high in Malta making cooking anything elaborate a bit complicated. The fishmonger was making brisk business as queues lined up to get fresh fish for lunch or dinner. To beat the heat in the kitchen, there is no better way then to get fresh tuna steaks that cook in minutes and prepare a very quick 'salsa' which needs no cooking and which is mouthwatering. I therefore prepared the quick sauce to accompany the tuna steaks. I chopped one shallot and added sherry vinegar to the shallots to add some acidity. Then I seasoned with Maldon sea salt. I chopped some green olives in, added some pine nuts, a clove of garlic (finely chopped), some cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley. Once all the … [Read more...]
What I enjoyed reading this week (8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1UDS2kgqY8 A week without internet last week relaxing on the island of Gozo was an excellent way of winding down but meant that the 'What I enjoyed reading this week" series of articles got interrupted. You can therefore find a few interesting finds from last week as well as some from this week here. Michel Roux Jr is no longer the presenter for the next series of Masterchef on BBC. This is a pity because he was an integral part of the show. Nevertheless, renowned British chef Marcus Wareing, who has been featured many times during past Masterchef editions and who is known for seeking perfection takes over. Here he is interviewed by the Financial Times. An interesting read about wine pairing rules which no longer seem to work and where therefore versatile wines are key. Foodiva is the sister of a very good friend of ours with a great food blog on the Dubai scene. Being Cypriot, her culinary guide to Cyprus is not only mouthwatering but it … [Read more...]
Tmun in Mgarr harbour, Gozo
Visiting a fishing port has a certain allure to it. Gozo’s fishing port of Mgarr is a small but picturesque harbour which is busy particularly in the summer months with the constant shuttling of visitors from the island of Malta for the period in mid-August around the feast of Santa Maria. Mgarr harbour with its small passenger terminal is no longer just a fisherman’s harbour particularly since tourism on the island is an essential part of the island’s economy. Nevertheless over the past years, it has become the venue of a number of interesting restaurants and bars just alongside the fishing boats many of which were out at sea. One of the best restaurants on the island can be found here. It-Tmun rose to popularity in Xlendi, a sea-side resort on the other side of the island before it moved to Mgarr a few years ago. Tmun in Mgarr has gone from strength to strength. Now this is a family which is renowned in the Maltese restaurant schene. Leli, the owner of the restaurant has … [Read more...]
Fit for a Masterchef challenge
The guests are about to arrive in 40 minutes, you are around 30 minutes into your food preparations but given the choice of menu you have to cook everything at the last minute. Your kitchen equipment all runs on electricity. And suddenly there is a power-cut and you don't know when it will be restored again. This would be a challenge fit for an episode of Masterchef or the French version Top Chef where the chefs are given countless challenges to try and cook their way out of a tricky situation. Yesterday evening Malta suffered a nationwide power cut and the challenge to continue with my plans was probably fit for a future episode of Top Chef. The cause of the power-cut was a fault in a generating unit in the power station followed by an explosion at a distribution centre resulted in the whole of the island being without electricity for several hours. The temperature is still high, above 30C, and the small gas lamp is emitting heat making the conditions in the kitchen pretty tough. … [Read more...]
Recipe 5: Raw marinated prawns with orange zest
The cicadas are screaming like there is no tomorrow, it is impossible to walk in the sun as the temperature soars above 30C. To joke, some people bluff that if it gets any hotter, they might fry an egg on their car bonnet. This is life in the Mediterranean on a hot summer's day. To refresh oneself in these conditions, water is essential, either to drink and rehydrate or else to jump into and cool down. Then comes the evening and the cicadas make way to long lazy evenings, preferably outdoors. There is a smell of burning charcoal wherever you walk. People are outdoors because the houses inside still retain the heat that has accumulated during the day. As the sun starts to set, a nice breeze suddenly arrives. This is the time to enjoy the fruits of ones work. In this case, the recipe below is the essence of simplicity. What you need is a good relationship with your fishmonger. Tell him or her what you have in mind, make sure what you are buying is extremely fresh and then let … [Read more...]
What I enjoyed reading this week (6)
Here is a list of interesting articles I have come across this week. Enjoy your Sunday with these nice reads. You will find a great article about wine fraud and counterfeiting from wine searcher here which is food for thought especially for the risk it involves of buying expensive wines. For those in the know, drinking wines from Fleurie or Morgon may no longer be considered as inferior pleasures. Have you ever wondered in awe about wine sommeliers and their incredible depth of knowledge about wines. Here you will find what it takes to become a master sommelier. Chablis is a fantastic wine region and wine that is excellent with seafood. Here you will find a great lesson about Chablis. Fast food has a very bad reputation for health. However, eating in restaurants might not be any better according to a study. If you are heading to Amsterdam any time soon here is a list of 10 pop-up restaurants or food hotspots you can find in this Dutch city. … [Read more...]
In Valletta head to Cafe Cordina for the perfect coffee
It is a cliche that has been written about many times but one which has stood the test of time. Valletta is a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen. It is Malta's capital city with a population of just under 7,000. Known in Malta as il-Belt (the City in English), it is essentially a Baroque city build in the 16th century built just after the Great Siege of Malta when the country was under the rule of the Order of St John. I will give you an insiders guide to Valletta in the coming days. But in the meantime, I will share one cafe which you should not miss when you are in Malta. Practically, every visit by locals to Valletta has to include a stop in one of the many cafes which can be found in this architecturally stunning city. There is however one cafe, which stands above the rest because of its stunning location, tradition and quality and because it has the only coffee counter on the island. This is Cafe Cordina. A walk down Valletta's main street, Republic Street leads you to … [Read more...]