Samples
- rosemary
- Jul 19
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 21
"a small amount of something that shows you what the rest is or should be like" Cambridge Dictionary
Samples is perhaps particularly appropriate for this collection of oddments, because most of them are recipes that have caught my eye - each is a sample of one cook's work, and if you like it then you might try something else from that person's repertoire.
Cheese is the main food I think of when it comes to samples - those glorious long, long counters of cheese in the hypermarkets of France, where the amiable ladies behind the counter are always happy to give you a sliver of cheese to help you decide which one to go for.
And how long have we been doing the sampling thing, as a sales tactic? Maybe forever - well as long as there have been people selling food anyway. So here are a few samples, the work of various cooks and recipe writers, as well as a few bits and pieces.
"Only four people make all the Worcestershire sauce in the world"
So pronounced Jamie Oliver in a video I watched recently - I can't remember which one now. It was such an amazing statement that I vowed to investigate. I thought of writing a whole post on the subject, and may still do so, but having just watched a rather good and shortish (7 minutes) video on how it is made I honestly don't think I could compete. The history and the process are all there. Although it didn't mention that it's now owned by Kraft/Heinz, but still made in Worcestershire, although I did see some reference to moving something to Holland.
Suffice to say anyway that there were indeed very few people on the factory floor - I saw one actual worker, because, of course, most of it these days it is all done by machines. It was a fascinating process however, and I did read somewhere that only three or four people know the recipe. Maybe that's what Jamie meant.
I love scones, and these are so tempting I might well make some when I've finished this. But no - I have no cream cheese, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Unless mascarpone would do - but that's sweet isn't it?
Anyway the recipe is from Rukmini Iyer and appeared on the Feast newsletter some time ago. The apple is grated, and added with egg and milk. Only basic cooking skills are required, and I have a rosemary bush, so yes, I'm definitely giving these a go some time very soon. She said they are good with Boursin as well, so I might buy some of that as a treat.
Ezme
"Ezme is a finely chopped spicy tomato recipe from Turkey that lives somewhere between a spread, salad, and dip." The Mediterranean Dish
Just when you thought there really weren't any more dips, salsas, spice mixes left out there in the world, up popped Ezme in one of Ottolenghi's newsletters. It actually wasn't the above recipe for actual Ezme, which in typical Ottolenghi style he has sat on top of some yogurt for Ezme dip with yoghurt. However, the recipe which caught my eye in his newsletter was Pork chops with green ezme, - shown below - and alas, the recipe is not available unless you are a paid subscriber - which I'm not. Maybe it will be in his next cookbook. In the meantime you can try lamb instead of pork and his recipe for Grilled lamb chops with ezme and cumin salt. The newsletter was all about barbecues - a summer thing over there in the UK - which made me think that, here in Oz we are probably more into barbecues in the colder months. In fact you can't barbecue over coals or wood in the summer anyway in Australia.
How to turn veg scraps into a delicious dip
Which is the title of Tom Hunt's Waste Not article in The Guardian. It's an amazingly useful blueprint kind of article on how to turn even peelings, and discarded leaves and stalks into delicious Rainbow scrap dips. There's a basic recipe, a basic method, and lots and lots of ideas of how to ring the changes. So give it a go next time you're feeling experimental.
Japchae
This was my lucky dip recipe from one of Madhur Jaffrey's books Far Eastern Cookery. Frankly I was not all that interested, but I dutifully looked it up and found online that it is a basic Korean dish that features cellophane noodles, sliced beef and vegetables. The picture shown here is Nagi Maehashi's version on her website Recipe Tin Eats - Japchae - Korean noodles. The two recipes are very similar with slight differences in the vegetables and when each spice or sauce enters into the equation. The main difference seems to be that Nagi - and I have to say all of the other recipes I checked out stated that Korean cellophane noodles are made from sweet potato, whilst Madhur seemed to think they were made from mung beans - I suspect she may have confused them with Japanese glass noodles. Nagi also maintains that it is:
"sort of a stir fry, sort of a salad. It’s a cross between the two in my mind because stir fried vegetables are tossed with noodles and sauce in a bowl rather than on the stove, and served barely warm."
Maybe I shouldn't be so reluctant to give it a try. Nagi does make it look rather good.
I haven't been much of a fan of coleslaw either, but reading this article from Anna Berrill on how to up your game on this dish I'm now thinking that I might give it another go, once the weather gets a bit warmer. There are tips from chefs from basic dressing advice such as this from Jessica Prescott
“Two tablespoons of something creamy [mayo, sour cream, yoghurt], a tablespoon of something acidic [lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar], and citrus zest, if you like. A spoonful of mustard, honey or soy sauce can deepen the flavour.”
To more or less an actual recipe from Maria Bradford:
“I make one with ribboned mango tossed with sliced red onion, chilli and coriander [brought] together with a lime and maple dressing. “
This comes from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, and I guess it might make Italian purists turn in their graves because you don't traditionally add much to a focaccia topping. It's just a different kind of bread isn't it?
She commits a number of other sins as well - a no knead dough and:
"Two things that are unfortunately wildly fun — punching down a dough after its first rise and dimpling the heck out of a focaccia with oiled fingertips — are not our friends here."
This is because she's aiming for a slightly different texture and form to the normal focaccia - something crispy around the edges and brown on top, hence she does a number of different things to the more conventional brigade, from a shallower tin to a longer cook. It's more of a thing of its own than an accompaniment to something else don't you think? It's on my list of things to make soon however. Next time we have soup perhaps.
Roll on summer - or even spring. I don't think I even need to say any more on this one. Looks superb. It's from Sami Tamimi - maybe it's in his book Boustany, which has just come out.
YEARS GONE BY
July 19
2023 - An ancient wine, new to us
2022 - Nothing
2021 - Zoom lessons
2020 - Deleted
2019 - Liqueurs
2018 - Nothing
2017 - Nothing
2016 - Fine dining
A whole lot of interesting things to try (I hope). Can't wait 😄 🫠