I never considered myself a foodie before now. I mean we’re all guilty of taking a moment or two before eating to Instagram it right? That’s just the age we live in and maybe my bank statement reads like a who’s who of supermarkets. I think the maximum visits per day for me has been 4, and no I didn’t forget anything, I just like a look around sometimes. I window shop in the grocers. People tell me thats odd. Still, not a “foodie”. No the moment of clarity and absolute certainty came to be when I received a hamper this Christmas. Not the usual drab offerings a typical hamper might serve up, this was one of the kindest and well thought out gifts I have ever received. Carefully selected and curated with culinary wonders. I realised then it was indeed perhaps unusual to receive four different kinds of salt and be utterly elated.
So here is a detailed account of hamper contents and the many other food related gifts I received this Christmas as well as previous birthdays and such. On reflection I have been living in “foodie” status denial for a while…
Potluck
What can I say about Potluck that hasn’t been said already. These girls are savy business bossladies and smashing more than avocados all over instagram and social media. The phenomenal response since opening in May has them capturing more than your imagination and appetite. Yes the food is pretty and highly instagramable. Tag your bestie in the best brunch spot around, but more than that these ladies have the credentials to back it all up. They’re offering something different. HELLO pashmak, that wonderful Iranian candyfloss that is adoring the now infamous hotcakes that can’t come out the kitchen quick enough The peaches and pistachio my favourite. Each plate is a celebration of flavour and colour, carefully designed and curated by Laura. Coming from humble beginnings at a pop up in Sloans market to head chef at Bramble, a Giffnock eatery.
The menu is well thought out and forever being tweeked and changed. *seasonal changes* *menu items – soup, sandwich, hotcakes, rice bowls* vegan veggie options GF items can be added and changed to suit dietary requirements. I was pleased to see the removal of some of the more basic breakfast items, although the staff are encouraging to order off menu if nothing here takes your fancy, I visited with my one year old nephew and they were more than accommodating to make him something for his baby needs. I think it was a bold move for them and one I hope is paying off. If you want scrambled eggs on toast, ok go ahead but this menu is adventurous and you should be to. I don’t mean for that to sound conceited, I sometimes think the most basic of breakfasts can be the best when they’re celebration of the best ingredients but if I’m going out for brunch and paying for the pleasure then I want the works, the full shebang, give me some razzledazzle with my eggs and I for one think the lack of hollandaise is something to be applauded.
Atmosphere is casual and friendly, the decor simple and effective. Bjork poster and vintage mirrors adorn the walla, with music playing from the small kitchen, it feel familiar like you’re just over at your friend house. A small bookcase with ready material and an alter with an array of cakes from salted caramel brownies, vegan chai coconut sponge, courgette ginger GF loaf and then behold the star, crepe suzette cake, crepes layered with lemon creme.
High ceilings and small tables, seat a few patrons each comfortably with stools at the breakfast bar to the side and another bench and table outside. I would say the size is their only downfall, and unfortunately they’re a victim of their own success, expect long lies out the door come the weekend.
east end, pilgrimage to the southside. travelling the length of the city for. southside eats, establishing/ overtaking west end. favourable rents, gentrification of area, bad press about area, it is a destination worth travelling for,
nomination of awards and on countless lists, topping many a must visit or ones to try, only 3 months in, exciting what future and hearty winter breakfast these girls will be serving up.
new sign – ciaran globel, of the moment type artist.
Potluck is closed Mondays, opened Tuesday – Sunday 9-5
BBQ Salad
Hello Sunshine!! It’s finally starting to feel like summer and that means BBQ season is upon us. I really love barbecues, the smokey taste you get from the coals, the slow cooking and marinade of flavours, eating outside and gathering of friends and family. In Scotland we appreciate those precious few days deemed suitable for barbecues so there’s still something exciting and exotic about it. Though being a pescatarian myself I sometimes feel myself dreading what others might serve up, so often the vegetarian friendly options are an after thought. A limp salad left out of the fridge a little too long or I find myself scrambling for some grilled corn and plain burger buns just to satisfy my appetite. I inevitably go hunger and miss out on all the truly great BBQ flavours, the great smokey smell of meat cooking only too bittersweet.
This is such a quick and easy recipe for my “everything salad”. Fruit, seafood, cheese, nuts. I mean I don’t like to miss out on anything. There’s
Saag Paneer
I can’t remember when my love affair with Saag started but I don’t think I could quite imagine my life without this creamy green goodness. Universally loved by meat eaters and vegetarians alike and it’s really easy to see why this classic Indian favourite packs serious flavour. Simplistic in concept, saag means spinach or leafy greens in Punjabi and paired with paneer it’s flavour matrimony bliss.
Paneer is a flavour carrying Indian cheese which in itself it easy enough to make. All that is required is milk, lemon juice and a cheesecloth although it’s also readily available to buy in most supermarkets. I prefer making my own because you’re getting on at the ground floor and can infuse the cheese with even more flavour but home made paneer does tend to be softer than shop bought and sometimes crumbles into the saag. Still deliciously tasty, but losing the aesthetic of well seasoned and seared paneer cube in a sea of beautiful green saag.
For the sake of ease and visual appeal we’ll follow this recipe with the shop bought variety. There’s also some debate over fresh vs frozen spinach and for this I consulted my flavour Sherpa and good friend Bali. I would ordinarily always favour fresh, except I think most supermarket stock Baby leaf spinach and for this recipe mature spinach stocks are preferred. The younger leaves tend to have more water and less structural integrity which results in mush. So if you’re fortunate enough to live in close proximity to fresh mature spinach, by all means go ahead but in terms of practically and accessibility I am going to champion frozen spinach this time round as recommend by Bali and the ladies of Glasgow Gurdwara, and those ladies know their stuff.
Disclaimer : please avoid tinned variety at all costs, unless you mean to inflict pain on your unwitting diners.
Scallops with Smoked Grapefruit Butter
This is probably one of my most ambitious culinary endeavours and first real dabble into the wonderfully weird world of molecular gastronomy, ( a recent birthday present from Stuart’s mum, thank you Angela!) Although when you break it down and take away the technical and specialised equipment of specification this is definitely a dish you can make at home.
Coming from Scotland, a seafood haven I grew up eating scallops, salmon, langoustine and lots of other fresh seafood that I never really appreciated how tremendous our produce is. As I got older and became more aware that these delicacies are so valued around the world I felt my cooking and recipes improved using these ingredients. I wanted to do them justice and respect the fresh local produce that is so readily available here that my younger self took for granted.
This smokey brown buttery dish with salty scallops and sharp and sweet Grapefruit is a perfect balance of taste. I served mine with grilled asparagus for a crunchy texture contrast but works well with wilted spinach and toasted pine nuts.
Shakshuka
This blog is truly self serving and only as a means to justify the ridiculous amount of food I eat, and for the most part that is eggs. It’s truly a comfort food that I love to share with the people I love. I’ve been making Shakshuka for a few years now and it’s one of those wonderful dishes that works amazingly well as breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The word Shakshuka actually means “shake up”, and its origins start in North Africa but this wonderfully exotic dish has made its way around the world on a plate and now takes pride of place on any reputable brunch bistro menu. In fact it’s ever increasing popularity has it named on, or may be down to depending on how you look at it, the flavour giant McCormick’s trend forecast of 2017. I for one am very happy about increased accessibility of this dish and find it appearing on more and more cafe menus. So call it what you will; Shakshuka, baked eggs, skillet eggs, an egg by any other name will still taste as good. This spicy tomato egg dish packs massive flavour and is pretty easy when you get the basics right and the best part is it’s widely open to interpretation. Fundamentally it’s a one pot dish with your eggs poached in a sauce of tomato, onion and peppers. Although there is a large scope to adapt this to the contents of your fridge, personal preference or seasonal veg.
I’ve tried an array of different recipes at home and my version today has taken inspiration from some of my favourite offerings around the city most notably Bungo for their tomato and chickpea ragout and baked egg served in small bowl so perfect one person portion with a very welcome addition of harrisa halloumi. There’s also Pot Luck, newly opened in the South Side providing some serious brunch competition. Their version comes with Paneer and flatbread. Although I always welcome the opportunity to add cheese, I think salty variety works best, for this recipe I’ve tried to stick to a more traditional route. Inspired heavily with my time in Berlin at Sweethearts and their Nonna dish, sweet rich depth of flavour in the tomatoes championed with the zesty cumin but this is my personal preference so please feel free to welcome any impromptu changes you wish. There is just one highly advised extra I find everyone agrees on, to pair all Shakshuka with crusty bread, lapping up any and all remains.
Most recipes I tried recommended a serving of four. Who makes breakfast for four? No this is for you and one hungry loved one. Try it out, begone boring drab breakfasts of mornings past. Smashed avocado on toast, so passe, this is a truly instagramable delight for the eyes as well as a culinary sensation.
Braised Leeks, Za’atar and Feta Eggs
This is an Yotum Ottolenghi recipe, I am however tweaking it’s quantities, I know, I know, sacreligious to alter anything this food God has blessed us with but his recipe serves six and for the life of me I have never made breakfast for six. I can only tolerate about 3.5 people in the world that early in the morning, maybe just the one if it’s pre coffee.I should also say that this is that one tolerable pre coffee person of mine’s favourite breakfast and I’m pretty sure the reason he keeps me around. He has requested this more than any other dish, although he was not without scepticism at first. “Where does the flavour come from?” as I told him is mostly involved leeks. Those drab little veggies forever resigned to accompany potatoes in the drabbest of all soups but rejoice as with this recipe they have stolen the show with supporting role from za’atar, middle easten spice mix of Oregano, Cumin, Sea Salt, Sumac, Marjoram and Sesame seeds. If you haven’t used it before it kind of works a little bit like magic. Ottolenghi coming from Israel, knows za’atar and how to work this magic. I am convinced it’s the source of all his powers or he had to make some some of human sacrfice, but I prefer the idea of the aforementioned. Folllow up post on how to make your own za’atar spice mix and avoid costly supermarket packages.
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