Another Food Blog

The day has finally arrived when anotherfoodblog closes.  We began in late April 2006, five years and eight months ago, and since then we have posted pretty well every day, and usually twice a day.  The blog began when I took over the Singleton Diet for about 20 days, and liked doing it so much that a group of us started anotherfoodblog.com, powered by WordPress.

The blog will remain up, in case anyone wants to check up on recipes or restaurants, but I will no longer be adding new posts.  It’s possible that Mike or Xander might have some in reserve to put up, and even I might post something really special.  But otherwise this is it, the end of an era.  It will be quite a shift, not taking out my camera when the food is ready!

We built up a surprising following, averaging 35-45,000 visits per month, 190-200,000 hits. And about 120,000 pages.  We never took advertising or took a free meal.  I will continue with my day job, of course, at adamsmith.org and will from time to time update my own website at madsen-pirie.com.  I have two books coming out soon, “Economics Made Simple” from Harriman House on January 16th, and “Think Tank – the Story of the Adam Smith Institute” from Biteback Publications on February 16th.  There will no doubt be launch parties with nice canapés and wine for both.  If you’d like to be invited, ask events@adamsmith.org.

The only other thing for me to say is what fun it has been.  I talked to the others and we all enjoyed sharing a little of our lives.  So thank you to our loyal readers.  And goodbye.

Ooh, I was just given a box of fichi ricoperti from Carluccio’s.  They are sourced from the hilltop town of Aiello, and are chocolate coated figs stuffed with walnuts and orange peel.

“Inside the bijou factory adjoining Aloisio’s parents’ home, the sugary scent in the air of toasting figs mixed with melting chocolate is intoxicating. A group of women in striped overalls and hairnets sit quietly chatting as they cut each fig in half and delicately stuff it with candied peel and toasted walnuts.”

Mmm, I can’t wait to try them.  And this is a good post to end on because the next one will be my farewell…

Lots went into it.  I dipped a couple of cherry tomatoes in boiling water so I could remove the skins. I chopped spring onions, mushrooms and a red pepper.  I used chicken stock, and cooked the pepper first for a few minutes, before simmering with the other ingredients.  Then I added the chopped chicken, already cooked from a previous meal.

So after a short simmer I served it.  Next time I’ll take he skins off the peppers along with the tomatoes, because it’s more awkward doing it in the dish.  However, this is a great soup, and a pretty healthy one after that Christmas excess….

I prefer a light red wine with goose.  Not a strong, fruity shiraz, but maybe something milder and European.  One of my publishers solved the problem in style.  They sent me a Christmas bottle of Vin de Pays du Vaulcuse, with a seasonal sprig of holly on the label.  The publisher is Harriman House, who on January 16th, 2012, bring out my “Economics Made Simple”.  Wait a minute, though.  What else does it say?  “Authors Reserve” and my own name below that.  How very cool!  The wine was good, too.  I might just save the empty bottle…

Actually, I did have Christmas puddings, two of them.  One is a M&S ‘enriched’ one, and one is a Fortnum & Mason ‘luxury’ one, and I’m longing to try them out.  The problem was that after that goose Christmas dinner I was too full to attempt either of them!  Fortunately two friends who know my tastes had solved the problem, and underneath my tree was a box of Polish Wisnie w Likierze, aka chocolate cherry liqueurs.  The other was a Bellina chocolate selection box featuring different chocolates, one of which was a cherry liqueur – the ones that have a cherry stone inside and a stalk.  It solved the problem, and in mid afternoon I ate chocolate liqueurs instead of Christmas pudding….

That was the main difference to the Christmas meal I cooked.  It was goose, as usual.  I noted that recommended cooking times have increased, and I suspect the hand of health and safety officers not wanting us to eat undercooked bird.  The sauce was, as I said, different.  In place of the Bramley apple sauce from a jar I used the defrosted apple sauce I made myself from a friend’s spare apples (peeled with that curious machine).  It was sharper and nicer.

I chose leg, as I normally do, finding it tastier.  I compared it with some breast meat and confirmed my preference.  And there were four more jars of that delicious white goose fat that makes such excellent pastry and roast potatoes…

There was still some of that chicken left, so I made a pie with it.  The pastry was shortcrust, with 6 oz of flour with two spoons of oat bran, and about 3 oz of goose-fat and sunflower spread, mixed with a fork until crumbly, then with just enough water to make a dough.  I put pieces of chicken lining the base, then some stuffing, plus leftover carrots and one roast potato chopped up, and some peas.  I added seasoning and chicken gravy before putting the top on and crimping it.

It had 40 minutes in a 170 fan oven and came out looking good, and sliding effortlessly in one piece out of its foil dish.

I served it with some more chicken gravy and some sliced green beans.  It was very good, with pastry texture just right, and lots of different tastes going on inside.  I finished off the meal with some cold stewed apples and soy ice-cream.

Part of the remaining chicken made up a couple of good sandwiches for lunch. I used Sainsbury’s ‘Basics’ pita bread at 18p for 6 pieces.  Toasted, split open, top half inside with mayonnaise, bottom with cranberry sauce, and in went lettuce, tomatoes, and some of the (now-salted) scraps of leftover chicken.  I ate two of them.  Pretty satisfying for a quick lunch.

There was a time when chicken was regarded as a delicacy, and it was a real treat for working class families to enjoy at Christmas.  Then came Sir Antony Fisher, a decorated World War II fighter pilot, who founded Buxted chickens and put chicken dinners within reach of ordinary families.  Then came American influence and turkey ousted chicken as a popular Christmas choice.  I always cook a goose, preferring its livelier taste and texture.

I served up a chicken at a pre-Christmas meal.  It was free range, and I stuffed it with bread, sage and parsley stuffing before giving it an hour and 20 minutes in a 170 fan oven.  It came out beautifully brown.  I roasted potatoes in goose fat to go along with it, and served it with garden peas and carrots, both with a dash of butter, and with a chicken gravy.

After a long pause I served up Key Lime pie, reminding me of many happy times in the Florida Keys.