Roy Finnamore’s Broccoli Recipe

Posted: January 31, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Recipes | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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For my first recipe post I thought I would write about something different, usually considered as ‘boring’. Broccoli is often seen as bland and baby food-like. Nonetheless, broccoli is the perfect vegetable for students: cheap, lasts long, and is often reduced at every supermarket (people really don’t seem to like it..).

So I decided to share a recipe that takes broccoli from blegh! to actually really tasty! This recipe is taken from Food 52. It’s a really easy recipe and it takes very little prep time. Then it’s up to the broccoli to do its work and you can do something else for two hours.

All you need is:

  • 1 kg broccoli (Separated into florets, the big ones cut in half).
  • 5 cloves garlic (sliced). (Yes I love garlic..)
  • Chilli powder or even better a chilli (whole, de-seeded).
  • 3 anchovy fillets
  • LOTS of olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • A large non-stick saucepan, preferably a le creuset-type slow cooker.

Start by cutting the broccoli into florets, cutting the big ones in half.

Blanch the broccoli in unsalted water for 5 minutes.
When the broccoli is done, drain and put aside. Put the heat on medium and put the olive oil in the pan (you should be generous with the olive oil; you should have more oil than when normally frying vegetables, but not so much as deepfrying
When it’s hot, add the sliced garlic to the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the anchovies and chilli and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and mix well to coat the broccoli with the oil. Lower the heat, put a cover on the pan, and let the broccoli work its magic. (Check from time to time to make sure it’s not burning, especially if you do not have a slow cooker). Let is cook for 1.5 hours if you want it in florets or for 2 hours to cook till it’s melted.
Serve with pasta, on bread, salad, or as a side dish with roasted meat. I had mine stirred in scrambled eggs for breakfast and mixed in pasta with some canned salmon to take to uni.

Lunchbox extravaganza pt. 1

Posted: January 31, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Lunchbox extravaganza, Recipes | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Making food to bring to uni can be a bit of a bitch, as it requires too much preparation or doesn’t fill you up enough (I suffer from the latter as my metabolism works at the speed of light). And there isn’t a microwave anywhere. My solution to this has been making a humongous sandwich every day. Current favourite is this:

Morning kitchen darkness

It’s quick to prepare as you can make the filling on monday morning and have it last to Thursday. Replenish the bread and salad stocks if necessary mid-week. You need:

  • 3 peppers
  • Rocket/baby leaf salad
  • Cottage cheese (can be exchanged for hummus if you’re a chickpea fanatic)
  • Feta cheese (Sainsbury’s value for 50p works well as is doesn’t need to be fancy… and it’s cheap)
  • Good bread in thick slices – this is usually the trickiest thing to get a hold of in London. I’m lucky living close to a Turkish bakery (Pekünlü on Shacklewell lane for the Dalstonites out there, super nice and super cheap. Got a sesame and aniseed batch this week for 80p) but the high street supermarkets usually have something in their bake-sections.

Roast the peppers in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and some Herbamare (staple in Sweden, if you don’t fancy swinging by your nearest Holland & Barret to pick some up you can just use salt). Roasting is easily done at the bottom of the oven whilst you make dinner some night.When they have cooled off, mix them with the cottage cheese and crushed feta cheese. Spread this onto your bread, add some pepper from the mill and cut down some herbs if you happen to have some. Because the sandwich contains so much cheese and stuff it keeps you full for longer. Or at least that’s my theory!

This sandwich is way cheaper than eating at uni, as the ingredients cost about £7 altogether and last you for four days (1,75/day). It also tickles the tastebuds more than the packed sandwiches sold at the uni outlets!

Menoo – Review

Posted: January 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Eating London | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

(Photo via Yelp)

As the West London member of the meat ball & cod fish duo, my first review is on Menoo, a delicatessen shop/café near High Street Kensignton, where you can buy and sample Mediterranean foods.

They have a choice of salads, sandwiches, pastry based savoury dishes, and some roasted meats (on the day we were there). They also seemed to have a fairly wide choice of sweet pastries and cakes. To order you choose your food from the counter and the waiter brings it to your table (heating it up if necessary).

Both J and me had a slice of spanakopita, a greek spinach ‘pie’ made with fillo pastry, feta cheese and spinach. I also had a side of cold collared greens. The only other time I have had this Greek speciality was when a friend made it and these were fairly similar. The only flaw I would point out was the slight dryness of the pastry. Apart from this, there was good ratio of delicious cheese/spinach/pastry. My side of collared greens was great too – sour, seasoned with an unidentifiable fresh herb.

The service was very friendly and the waiter automatically brought tap water to the table, which I find to (unfortunately) be very rare in London.

We paid just under £10 for the two slices of spanakopita and the side of greens, which left us feeling very satisfied.

All in all a great place for a quick bite when in the area: nice fresh food, very friendly staff and good value for money (especially for the overpriced area!).

Rating: 7.5/10.

Address: 25 Kensington Church St., W8 4LL (020 7937 2867).


Hej! Olá!

Posted: January 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | 2 Comments

(Swedish meatball on the left, Portuguese salted cod on the right)

We are two students in London, confessed food snobs with no money. We eat loads of food, we are always thinking about food, and we are always talking about food. So now we decided we had to write about food: eating out, eating in, making food boxes, going to restaurants we cannot afford, and eating loads of cheese. And maybe some Belgian beer.

(ps. if you want to contact us we can be reached at meatballandsaltedcod (at) gmail.com)