Food Thread: Old Blighty And Older Holiday Edition

Passover! It's a remembrance of 400 years of slavery in Egypt, and our ultimate liberation, courtesy of God. That led to all sorts of interesting things, like monotheism, the 10 Commandments, Judaism, the creation of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the building and destruction of two temples in Jerusalem, Christianity, the Jewish Diaspora, the founding of the modern state of Israel, and of course Matzoh Brei!

But the Passover Seder also requires a meal, and I'll be prepping one for 12 people, so this Food Thread^TM will be long on photos and short on snappy commentary.

I don't have much time (you'll see why down below), so I have planned a meal with as little prep as possible, but still...12 people eat a lot, especially since there will be five documented trenchermen at the table.

And there are traditional foods that are a requirement. The big one is Matzoh Ball Soup. That's actually easy to make, but it does take a fair amount of time, and even more refrigerator space! Luckily I have more than a gallon of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, plus more than a quart of "Glace de Viande," which is a concentrated meat stock that packs an incredible punch. I use it to fortify the chicken stock and make it intense and satisfying (Pro tip...if you want to make it, try to find chicken feet and put them in the stock pot. They are loaded with collagen, which really helps).

There is also the traditional fish course, usually in the form of an amazingly unappetizing food called "gefilte fish." I have omitted it, and usually replace it with something more pleasant, like a salmon tartare. Bu that requires a fair amount of prep, so I am cheating this year and serving salmon sushi rolls. The rice is problematic for Askenazi Jews, but I have Sephardic blood in me so I will happily adhere to the tradition that rice is just fine for Passover!

Then, a large amount of beef, a potato gratin, some roasted green beans with shallots, and a superb flourless chocolate cake (PDF), whose recipe is courtesy of shivmaster Bluebell.

That's it. Although now that I look at it I realize that there is a fair amount of prep to be done, so off to the pictures!

Roast Lemon Sole sauteed in butter, served with tiny little brown shrimp (quite briny...and tasty!) and fresh capers. The Brits know how to cook fish, and they are not shy about using fat.

They also know how to make chips. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say that the Brits make the best in the world. They have the technique down, and their potatoes are excellent.

I stopped into a Marks And Spencer store for a sausage roll, and saw this shelf as I was wandering around (click on the photo to enlarge it). The store was a small convenience store...nothing like the flagship stores, but the cooking supply shelf was amazing!

Sadly, they had run out of sausage rolls, and I had to settle for a thoroughly pedestrian sandwich. I'm still upset.

Is this real? I certainly hope not.

That's beef tartare on a bed of crispy layered potatoes. The beef was good, but nothing special. The potatoes were great! Crispy and crunchy and just delicious.

By the way, these are not fine dining restaurants. I would describe them as "Fine Pub Food" joints. That's why I tout English cooking. They have upped their game in the last generation and the traditional reputation of English cooking is no longer deserved.

Who are those poor deluded souls who shake their Manhattans? These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

However, I will give dispensation to those who use maple syrup on Brussels Sprouts! I tried that and it worked nicely. I still prefer Agave, but still...

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

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