Shopping Frenzy 2

Another day of money well spent I thought. Whilst waiting for a friend to finish work then head out for dinner, there is no better way to kill time but to browse at some shops. Yes, I had no intention in making any purchase at all but thought 'I would just windowshop', and little did I know my wallet would bleed in the space of 45 minutes...

Mix and match with high end and high street is often the formula I go by: a nice handbag and a smart pair of shoes are the essentials to a chic outfit and can often jazz up high street clothes nicely, and not being misunderstood as a 'Label Queen'. I am quite a sentimental person and have been very loyal to a number of handbags for a while. Or, to put it in another way, I haven't seen one that made me fell 'Wow! This is a MUST have!', until yesterday, this Ralph Lauren bag caught my eyes.

Most would associate Ralph Lauren with its famous and iconic polo shirt of course. The brand has actually updated its image in recent years through its successful marketing campaign, which emphasis the brand's expensive lines more. Their collections are rather comparable to the more established luxury brands, in style and in quality. This Lauren Ralph Lauren horseshoe satchel bag really stands out to me. Simple but yet elegant, and tan is very on trend at the minute and does not usually look out of date anyhow. The strap is adjustable in length, so depending on occasion it can be worn as cross-shoulder if needed, perfect for the smart-casual look I always aim for (and absolutely justify the spending too....)

As mentioned, Ralph Lauren does more than just polo shirts and its homeware is also pretty damn nice. 100% cotton and the sheet is 200 thread count cotton, which would be nice and silky soft! Since we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, it is important to have the finest and niciest bedding one can afford. Afterall it is often skin-to-skin contact so definitely not cutting corner there! Cannot wait to wash, iron, snuggle up and enjoy them, bliss!

Think I have done pretty well this week!

Beef Tendon & Beef Shin Curry (咖哩牛筋牛腱)

Beef tendon, an uncommon ingredient in the West but praised in the East, is what connects muscle to bone. It is very tough and chewy and therefore requires slow cooking, proper slow cooking! Once it is cooked (properly!) it becomes soft and gelatinous, melt-in-your-mouth like. Low in fat and packed with collagen (yes ladies, if eat regularly, this stuff is more effective and economical than Creme de la Mer!) I am definitely not a chicken-breast and white meat only eater but more of a 'Nose to Tail', make-use-of-most-parts-of-animal type. Offal, tail, trotters, feet, cheeks etc you named it I have probably tried it. Is there a bottom line? Well, it depends. If it is nicely cooked then I would probably give it a whirl.

Tendon is not widely available in UK supermarkets, perhaps butcher will have them if you asked in advance. I got mine from the frozen compartment of an Asian supermarket and it does clearly labelled the origin as UK, which gives it a bit of reassurance that it was not horse tendon (I hope!). To enhance the overall texture and flavour, I also bought some shin of beef from the butcher. Brasing steak will do just fine as well.

Serves 4

300g beef tendon, diced into big chunks

300g shin of beef, ditto

60g plain flour, seasoned with salt & pepper

3 medium potatoes, diced into medium chunks

2 large onions, cut into wedges

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp Garam Marsala

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp chilli powder

5 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 star anise

1 bark of cinnamon stick

Dash of dark soy sauce

500ml boiling water

1. Coat the tendon and shin with seasoned flour.

2. In a casserole dish, heat some oil and brown the tendon and beef all around on a fairly high heat. Leave them to cool on a plate.

3. In the same dish, toast the cardamon pods, cloves & star anise lightly until their aroma fills the air but not burnt.

4. Add in the onion wedges, tendon, shin and rest of the spices. Cook in medium heat for 15 minutes. Make sure everything is evenly coated with the spices.

5. Pour in the boiling water so it just covers everything and place the cinnamon stick on top. Cover and bring it to boil then turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Turn it down to the lowest heat and leave to cook for 5 hours or until the tendon is jelly like. Alternatively, transfer the content into a slow cooker and leave to cook for 5 hours.

7. Serve with steamed rice and seasonal vegetable.

Classic Cauliflower Cheese (with streaky bacon!)

Another classic British dish. Inexpensive and comforting, fantastic for the cold winter nights, especially fitting for January, as most of us would be counting the pennies until next payday! For those who are trying to cut own on meat consumption, feel free to take out the bacon. Personally I like a some streak bacon in it to give it an extra texture and enhance the flavor. 

Serves 4

1 large cauliflower, cut into pieces
1 liter milk (I used semi-skimmed)
150g extra mature cheddar, grated
60g plain flour
60g butter
6 rashes of streaky bacon, diced (I used Blythburgh free range ones)
1 bay leaf
Pinch of nutmeg
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat. Cook the cauliflower pieces with the milk & bay leaf until they are soften (approximately 15 minutes) but not mushy.

2. Drain the cauliflower to cool and reserve the milk for the cheese sauce. Reserve some to sprinkle at the top.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the flour. Whisk the mixture and slowly pour in the reserved milk.

4. Add the grated cheese into the milky sauce and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce. Note: Be sure to stir it now and then so it does not burn at the bottom.

5. Preheat the oven to 220C. Put the cauliflower pieces into a deep baking dish

6. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, cook the streaky bacon pieces until golden and crispy.

7. Mix the cooked bacon into the sauce, pour it over the cauliflower cheese, sprinkle the remaining cheese and chopped parsley on top.

8. Cook it in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.

Ta-dah!

Sirloin Steak with Marsala Wine Peppercorn Sauce

Most meat eaters would enjoy  a nice, good quality steak as a treat every now and then. It is especially delectable when serves with oven chips or mashed, and garnish it with just the right quantity of blue cheese or peppercorn sauce (why spoil a delicious cut of meat by letting it swim in the sauce?). The thought of it is enough to make me drool! 

Personally I favor sirloin and rib eye over fillet or rump. Majority of us avoid animal fat like a plague because it was drummed into us that it is bad for our health, but when it is consumed in moderation, it is not as bad for you as hydrogenated fats (yes, real butter is better than vegetable spread!). Moreover, a little bit of fat really helps to enhance the overall flavor and the texture. 

As steak means to be a treat, why would you deprive yourself with supermarket prepacked steaks that have been sweating in plastic wrappings for days? Pay a visit to your local butcher. You will be surprised by the price, as it is often no more expensive (or cheaper) than supermarket, but the quality always outshine the former. Most importantly, you have a choice over its thickness in accordance to the individual appetite. 

I bought 2 slices of locally sourced sirloin from my local butcher (approximately 250g in weight) and it costs only just over £10. Very modest indeed.

Serves 2

A knob of butter
2 sirloin steaks (approximately 250g each, depending on appetite)
1 punnet of mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, halved then quartered
3 potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed

Marsala Peppercorn Sauce:

50g butter
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp whole peppercorns, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
200ml Marsala wine
50ml double cream

1. Peeled the potatoes, chopped into chunks and boil them with lightly salted water until they are soft enough to mash. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan or small saucepan but make sure it is not burnt.

3. Cook the banana shallot until soften.

4. Add in the crushed peppercorns, cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Turn up the heat and pour in the Marsala wine. Season with salt & pepper then leave it to cook and simmer under low heat. If the liquid is running low then top it up with more Marsala wine.

6. Steam the prepared carrots and keep warm.

7. Now for the steaks. Place a griddle pan on a high heat. When it is hot enough (not smoking), place the steaks on it.

8. The steaks were about 1 cm thick and for medium rare, cook each side for 2 minutes.  Note: Be sure to use a timer, guesswork does not work well with steaks!

9. Add a small knob of butter into the griddle pan and spoon the juice over the steaks.

10. Place the steaks on a plate, cover them with a foil and let them sweat whilst the mushrooms are being cooked.

11. Fry the mushrooms in the same griddle pan until they are cooked.

12. Now, let's finish the sauce. Stir in the cream and bring it close to near boil.

13. If there are any meat juice from the sweating-steaks, mix them in with the peppercorn sauce to enhance the flavor.

14. Well, everything should be ready to serve now! Enjoy.

Norfolk Mussels with Oven-roasted Diced Potatoes

Norfolk mussels are in season at the moment and are usually plentiful, available at most local fish mongers but not usually at the supermarkets, as they tend to stock up Scottish ones all-year-round. Absolutely nothing wrong with that but if something is in season and is local then I would much prefer supporting local produce and suppliers.

Seeing how fresh they are I felt I must get some for dinner. At £3.50 a kilo it really is fantastic. Some people are unsure of shellfish, because they are difficult to eat or fear that they will get food poisoning. OK it may not be your choice of main course if you were on a first date, but food poisoning is quite rare, unless they are contaminated. There are recipes that involve way too much flavour than needed, but I prefer to keep it simple to preserve its sweet taste.

Serves 2

1 kilo Norfolk mussels, rinsed and scrubbed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
A thumb of ginger, finely chopped
1 red chili, halved and deseeded
Dash of oil
100ml Japanese cooking wine

For the oven-roasted diced potatoes:

4 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced
Sprinkle of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
Dash of oil

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree (fan oven).

2. Season the diced potatoes with salt, pepper and rosemary in a baking tray, and rub them with oil. They should take about 30 minutes in the oven or until they are golden.

3. Meanwhile, in a stockpot, heat a dash of oil, cook the ginger, garlic and red chili until their aroma is released but not burnt.

4.  Throw in the mussels, pour in the wine, put the lid on and bring it to simmer for 15 minutes or until mussels are open.

5. Serve with seasonal vegetables (keep it plain and simple) and perhaps a lice of farmhouse bread to mop up the juices!

Chinese Kitchen - Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

This is one of my favorite Szechuan dish. Like most Chinese food, this dish is simple and quick to cook, fantastic to serve with steamed rice and steamed seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4

500g free range minced pork 

250g firm tofu, equally diced into cubes

1 tbsp fragmented black beans 

4 tbsp chili bean paste (I prefer using Lee Kum Kee)

A thumb of fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 glove of garlic, crushed

3 stalks of spring onions, sliced

2 tsp cornflour 

Cold water

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colouring)

Pinch of ground white pepper

1 tbsp oyster sauce 

Light soy sauce, to season

Basmati rice, steamed (enough to serves 4 people, depending on appetite)

1. Prepare and steam the rice using a rice steamer/ pot on the hob.

2. In a deep frying pan, heat some oil and one it is hot enough, cook the garlic, fragmented black beans and ginger enough to infuse the oil but not burnt. Now brown the pork.

3. Stir in the chili bean paste and cook the meat mixture with medium heat for 10 minutes.

4. In a bowl, mix the dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, enough cold water and cornflour together to form a paste-like sauce. 

5. Pour the sauce into the meat,  add the tofu and cook together for another 10 -15 minutes.

6. Sprinkle the spring onions on top couple of minutes before serving.

7. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice.

Classic Shepherd's Pie

Some dishes taste better when it is traditional and proper, and Shepherd's Pie is definitely one of those. Like Cottage Pie, this quintessential English dish was introduced by the poor, using cheap cuts of meat, vegetables and a layer of mashed potato on top.

As it is called Shepherd's Pie, lamb is usually used in this pie and beef is usually used in Cottage Pie.

Serves 4

500g organic minced lamb

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp thyme 

2 garlic clove, crushed

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

5 large Desiree or Maris Piper, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed 

Butter (for mashing)

1/2 tube of tomato puree

1 tbsp Garam Masala 

Dash of Worcester Sauce 

300ml good quality lamb stock

Salt & pepper, to taste

Serve with: season vegetables

1. Heat some oil in the frying pan. Brown the onion, add in the garlic and thyme and cook until the aroma of the herbs is released but not burnt.

2. Add in the lamb and brown the meat.

3. Add in the rest of the vegetables and cook until they are soften.

4. Meanwhile, boil the peeled potatoes in salted water until they are soft enough to mash. Note: Don't forget to add in the butter and keep on tasting when mashing potatoes!

5. Back to the meat mixture. Time for a dash or two of Worcester sauce, tomato puree and Garam Masala. Note: Feel free to add more Garam Masala or tomato puree depending on personal taste.

6. Preheat the oven to 180 degree (fan oven).

7.   Pour in the stock, bring it to boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until majority of the liquid has evaporated. Add salt & pepper to taste.

8. Dish up the meat mixture in to an ovenproof pie dish that is deep enough but not too wide (or you will end up with a very thin pie). Top it up with the mashed potatoes. 

9. Put the pie in the oven and cook until the top is golden. It usually takes around 30 minutes.

10. Serves it with seasonal steamed vegetables and enjoy!

The beginning of a shopping frenzy!

I named this post 'the beginning' because I know I will be looking out for more wonderful items in the coming weeks. We all have treats now and then and my favorite kind of treat is go on a bargain hunt, looking out for that red/ yellow label and pay only fraction of the RRP. Of course there are times where we got to pay the full RRP, but it is exceptionally satisfying when one feels one has outsmarted retailers (well, kind of) by paying as little as 5 - 10% of the RRP.

Wolford produce a variety of garments than just seamless tights. This gorgeous bikini there is to motivate me to get on this 4:3 fasting diet. Well, I do fit in it now but nowhere looking fit and lean. It is never too cold to think about the summer months, the warm wind, sandy beach and amazing sunset!

For those who likes to stump about the countryside must have at least a pair of Hunter wellingtons in the utility room. My navy blue Hunter wellingtons have served me well but unfortunately they no longer fit for purpose - they got holes in them!! Not ideal when going on muddy, wet country walk. This time I have gone for the classic green in the end.

These K2 wintersport socks are in preparation for my snowboarding trip in March. I have heard mix comments regarding specific snowboard/ ski socks. Well I am sure normal socks will do just fine but won't hurt to get these just in case...