Pretty Traditional

We're spoilt for fantastic food shops in East Dulwich. But Pretty Traditional, the grocers on Northcross Road, need to think about changing their name. Perhaps Very Modern or Bloody Brilliant would suit them more. Look at this spring cabbage - it's still got its outer leaves on! The armful of King Edwards I scooped up to make roasties with had clearly never been washed (and certainly not in diluted disinfectant) and my onions were small, sweet and organic. Total price £3.02. Flipping Fantastic!

Stir fried spring cabbage with chorizo
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
75g chorizo sausage, roughly chopped (smoked bacon or pancetta can be used instead)
1 - 2 lovely onions, sliced
1 lovely spring cabbage, sliced into 1 - 2cm wide strips
1 garlic clove, chopped

Heat the oil in a wok and cook the onion and chorizo over a gentle heat for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and colour a little.

Meanwhile, cook the cabbage in a pan of boiling, salted water for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds. Drain very well and add to the wok.

Turn the heat as high as possible and stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes until the cabbage starts to catch slightly on the bottom of the wok. Eat hot. Very nice with a roast chicken.

Well?

It's started on the other side right now.
Shall I turn over?
Are we watching it or are we avoiding it?

Franklins: A Bit Good

So, we went to Franklins for dinner last night. There's really nothing I like more than a wander down Lordship Lane with S and chewing down a drink or two at the bar before going to the table.

We had artichoke and oysters and langoustine and slow roast pork belly and veal and some cheese and ice cream (not on the same plate, no). I drank enough Stump Jump to make the sunset through the front windows look even more impressive. Then Angela and Craig turned up and I tried to stop my eyes crossing long enough to make conversation.

All very lovely indeed. But my head still hurts...

Hello Old Thing, Hello New Thing: 10

Anne Briggs: Standing On The Shore (Columbia, 1971)

Anne Briggs is just bloody great. I'm not really sure there's much more to say about her. If you're not immediately taken by her voice - this is from a remarkably keenly-priced reissue - then you're really not going to go for her at all. Which would be a shame, but we're all adults here. We'll get over it. I might be interviewing her soon. She doesn't really do interviews anymore, so I'm quite excited by the prospect...


Findlay Brown: Losing The Will To Survive (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Reanimation) (Peacefrog, 2007)

I love Findlay Brown, me. I just do, I can't help it. Unusually, I liked him even more after interviewing him. This is rare. Usually the interview process makes you incredibly interested in the subject for about a week then you never want to hear anything about them ever again until you die, but this never happened with Fin(d). This remix is taken from his new single which also features a version of Just Like Honey.

Enjoy!

On The Other Hand...

That's four quid well spent, no? The sleeve folds out and everything!

My eBay shame

It might be my birthday, but I really think I ought to come clean and apologise to my family for this.

I need to have a word with myself :(

Churros Con Chocolate

One of the best things Spain has to offer is without doubt, Churros paired with thick hot chocolate for dunking and drinking.
It was on the last day of our mini-holiday and a fairly early Sunday morning when we finally came across a proper Churreria on a dusty B-road. It had the lightest, crispiest and softest churros ever, ever, being made on the spot. A large spiral one and two glasses of chocolate was more than we three could manage and just three euros. So glad we didn't go home without tasting them.
In case you're wondering, on the last night, our holiday-neighbours had a party and their daughters got hold of Scrap and he emerged quite a while later complete with glittery lip gloss, fluffy hair clip and that pink nail varnish you can see in the picture. And very pretty he looked too.
Here's a recipe

Up Where We Belong!

Well done the Rams!!!

Hold On A Minute!

What's going on here? This exact time yesterday we were stood by a massive gorge - that's it on the right - in the Sierra Nevada mountains just south of Granada. It was so hot we had to get out of the car and eat an ice-cream under a tree. Now all I can hear is wind and rain and Silvana's gone to Wembley to watch Derby...

Who Said This?

Landcroft House is closing its doors for a couple of days. Here is a quiz to keep you busy for 5 seconds. There's a really good prize for the best answer.

Question 1
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying”
(a) Oscar Wilde
(b) Robert
(c) Ronnie Barker
(d) Suggest someone else

Question 2
"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti"
(a) Robert
(b) Julius Caesar
(c) Sophia Loren
(d) Suggest someone else

Question 3
"It's not my fault, it's because I'm a Gemini"
(a) Johnny Depp
(b) Edward Woodward
(c) Robert
(d) Suggest someone else

Lynchies: A Legend Is Born

I work next door to a restaurant called Lynchies. Every day they open their doors, every day there's never a soul in there and every day the chef ends up sat at the bar talking to the waitress or stood outside smoking fags.

Might his menu be to blame? Have you ever, in your whole life, fancied lashing out twelve quid for this? No? Well, nor has anyone else.

Skoda Cake

The Fabia, nice name - brilliant advert! How long did it take to make a full-sized car with an engine out of cake and icing? Did they eat it?

Records I Can't Stand: 8

Led Zeppelin: Stairway To Heaven (Atlantic, 1971)

Blooody rubbish! Especially that drippy flute!

Pea and Broad Bean Risotto

I really love a cheesey risotto and it makes a nice weekend lunch. This is a good way to use spring’s fresh peas and broad beans.

Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
400g risotto rice
150ml Italian dry white wine
1.5 litres hot vegetable stock
200g fresh peas
200g fresh shelled broad beans
200g Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte, crumbled

1 Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, garlic and rosemary for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.

2 Stir in the rice, cook for a minute then add the wine and cook vigorously for 2 - 3 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Pour in half of the stock and leave to cook for 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated, stirring from time to time.

3 Add the rest of the stock and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes then add the peas and beans cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender.

4 Divide between bowls and top each serving with the cheese and a good grinding of black pepper.

Basement Crates: 17, 18 & 19

Dream Warriors: My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style (Young Disciples remix) (4th & Broadway, 1990)
In the future, music historians will discuss the hits of 1990 and therefore assume, like we do, that they know what the year sounded like. But they'll be wrong, because, for a lot of people (including, obviously, me), 1990 sounded like this. Sampled beats, deftly stroked "vintage" instruments and a general air of self-conscious, vaguely ridiculous cool. In Britain, OK, London, this was a way of marking your difference from the flyer-hoarding, puffa-wearing rave monkeys. We stroked our neatly clipped facial hair and admired a hip take on breakbeat and hip-hop that affected jazz pretensions as long as jazz could be narrowly defined by a few records made between 1968 and 1973. Nobody was allowed to call it Jazz Funk, because that was, and remains, the uncoolest music of all time, but, let's be honest, this is closer to Grover Washington Jr than it is to John Coltrane. Happily, I like GW Jr and JC, so I was happy as Larry. Anyway, in 1990, the Young Disciples were cool enough to basically reprise their own Step Right On track and call it a remix, while Dream Warriors could bang on about "boombastic jazz styles" and wear outlandish wooden jewellery and, for about a month, be considered fantastically outre. Oh, 1990, you are such a long time ago.

ED O.G & Da Bulldogs: Be A Father To Your Child (First World remix) (Urban, 1991)
So, 1991 was kind of odd too. Look at this for instance. Notionally released by the Polydor offshoot Urban - originally home to a slew of rare groove re-releases (and The James Taylor Quartet) - there are five labels listed on the sleeve, one of which is PWL America. In 1991, no one really knew what was going on. Records as melodic and - ahem - conscious as this one still sold across the board in numbers big enough to make the record industry think that the pay days would last forever. Acid house had turned into album sales, hip hop was massive, grunge was coming up fast - would this party never end? Well, yes it would, but not for a few years yet. Of course, Ed and his Bulldogs never really got to enjoy any of the riches as they were propelled to their one hit by a remix. Google reveals them to have no web presence other than a bit of Last.FM and a Myspace page with seven - seven! - friends.

BONUS POST!
Def Jef: God Made Me Funky (Delicious Vinyl, 1989)
This is a bit battered, a bit crackly, a bit jumpy, but it still feels good. Def Jef - great name! - arrived in Young MC's slipstream and was forgotten in about three weeks, but this is a nice legacy. Upright, feel-good hip hop with live bass, hilariously 80s rhyme pattern and a smattering of Troublefunk samples... This sounds like ancient history now.

Enjoy!

How To Make Women Love You 1: Be Nice To Dogs

A friend of ours was talking about the whole Jose Mourinho story today. She was practically swooning as she recalled how he'd willingly fled the awards do - just a few days before the FA Cup Final - he was at to come to the aid of his wife and her tiny, and fairly yappy, dog. "It just makes me love him even more!" she breathed. "The fact he's happy to do all that to keep his wife happy is adorable..."

Do you think she's right?

Art / Rock: 1

I've been enjoying all the pictures from the new Anthony Gormley exhibition, Blind Light.

But one of the pictures in particular made me look even more closely. Could it really be a subtle tribute to these pan-stick ridden, art-rock heroes?

Game Theory

There's a great feature over here in Wired celebrating 40 years of video games. Me and my friend Andrew Jackman used to spend hours and hours of our young lives playing Space Invaders and Defender (and Galaxions) on his Atari 2600 when we could have been out thrashing around the back end of Send on our bikes. But then, didn't everyone? BTW - Andrew had two skateboards and his dad had a drum kit, a motorbike and a really cool stereo too. Consequently, I would be outside his house banging on the orange glass front door from about 7:30 every morning of the summer holidays. Andrew is currently residing in the where-are-they-now file.

The Derby Ram

The Derby Ram is an English folk song written in 1867 by Llewellynn Jewitt about a fine ram he encountered on a trip to market - there are quite a few versions of it.

The ram is the emblem of the City of Derby and Derby County FC whose mascot is Rammie the Ram!

Download these, they're brilliant! (the first is very short) (and, and! I paid 79p for each of them...)

The Derby Ram I

The Derby Ram II

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Chicken balls do sound a bit horrible but these lovely little Parmesan and garlic dumplings are slowly simmered in a flavoursome broth and taste delicious. Packed with vitamins and fibre, this dinner also rates well on the GL index (got to get into that holiday swim suit next week!).

Serves 4
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 litre water
1 Kallo organic chicken stock cube
1 celery stalk finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
handful of runner beans, thinly sliced
200g bag young spinach leaves
for the balls
1 garlic clove, quartered
few sprigs parsely
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
250g cubed chicken

1 Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the water, stock cube, celery and carrot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

2 Place the garlic parsley and Parmesan in a small food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Tip into a bowl. Add the chicken to the food processor and whizz until finely minced. Add to the bowl along with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.

3 Shape the chicken into cherry-sized balls dropping each one into the pan as they’re made. Add theb sliced beans to the pan. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes.

4 Stir in the spinach and cook for a few moments until wilted. Ladle into bowls and serve without any crusty, buttered bread.

Come On The Rams!

Derby won their most important match in years last night. According to my sister, who was at Pride Park with the rest of the Derby-based Francos, it was the most exciting match she'd ever, ever seen but that's penalty shoot-outs for you. Next and last stop, play-off final at Wembley.

Anyone know how to get tickets?

Hello Old Thing, Hello New Thing: 9

Smoghorn: Animal Kingdom (S/T, 1976 / Harmless, 2007)
Surfing films are, on the whole, kind of great, aren't they? I distinctly remember watching the 1973 George Greenough film Crystal Voyager one Saturday morning and being amazed by a) hearing Pink Floyd's Echoes on the telly and b) the, y'know, surfing stuff. Anyway, the brilliantly named Smoghorn are nothing like Pink Floyd, they are like a group of freckle-shouldered stoners attempting to channel The Meters. AK is taken from this new compilation of surf music of the 60s and 70s. I went surfing once with our friends Bert & Heidi. It was hard. BTW, any surf magazines that want me to write for them professionally should just leave a comment.



I Was A King: Across The Ocean (Happy Soul, 2007)
You know how I was banging on about Amiina recently? Well, love them as I do, the new Best Band In The World is now I Was A King. They are from Oslo and Egersund in Norway and their new (sort of rereleased) album is fantastic noise-pop in a My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Neil Young, Blonde Redhead sort of way. If you grew your hair a trifle too long in 1991 and ever felt tempted to buy a Chapterhouse record you will love it. I went to see Chapterhouse once but spent the whole gig talking loudly at the back to a bloke I'd not seen for about six years. This music criticism game's a doddle, no?

Enjoy!

Tedward Bear: Airline Pilot

A stuffed approximation of a bear - in red, mind - piloting a light aircraft. Filmed in high definition. Is this in any way sensible, do you think?

Records I Can't Stand: 7

Manic Street Preachers Australia (Epic, 1996)

Thank goodness they're not still making records! They're not are they (just looking at that little one on the right makes me feel poorly)?

Teriyaki Salmon

I cook this a lot...

Serves 2
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sake
pinch of brown sugar
2 skinless salmon fillets
steamed green beans or asparagus to serve

Mix the soy, sake and sugar in a bowl. Add the salmon and leave to marinate for 10 - 30 minutes.

Cook the salmon in a hot griddle pan or non-stick frying pan for a few minutes on each side until cooked to your taste. Add a splash of water to the marinade and microwave or pour into a small pan and bubble for a moment.

Transfer fish to plates. Pour over sauce and accompany with greens (and rice, if you like).

Last Night I Dreamt I Went to Manderley Again

I'm feeling sorry for myself today. Scrap had a sleepover at his friend Sam's last night and we went bonkers at a brilliant birthday party. I am never, ever drinking again. I am waiting for it to start raining really heavily, as forecast, so we have to all stay inside and watch my favourite film of all time. Yes, today at 5.15, BBC2. Sofa. Blanket. Tea. Biscuit. How I would have loved to have been married to Maxim de Winter (even if he were to call me a 'stupid little girl!' once in a while).

Mum's Roasted Peppers

I cook lots of dishes that my mum taught me as I was growing up but they never taste the same as hers. I don't know why this is. Roasted peppers are so simple with so few variables yet my version looks quite different to hers (as seen above) and tastes completely different. Obviously, Mum's are by far the best.

Grill some whole peppers of mixed colours under a medium grill until the skin is blackened and the peppers have softened and collapsed. Leave to cool a bit (covering with a tea towel gathers a bit of steam which softens the skin and makes peeling easier) then slit the peppers and squeeze the juices into a bowl. Skin and seed the warm peppers then cut into strips and add to the bowl with a bit of chopped garlic and parsley, salt and a slosh of good olive oil. Leave to cool to room temperature. After we've eaten our pasta, Mum puts these out on the table with the meat and other salads.

Incredible [Yet Pointless] Feats: 2

A bunch of blokes, a load of empty cans and a tremendous quantity of attempts. These people clearly have so much spare time it's beginning to cause them physical pain, but I do thank them for the effort...

Here too.

Film Stars That Are Charming: 2Malcolm McDowell

I went to Knightbridge this morning to interview Malcolm McDowell about If.... I'm pleased to say Big Mal was as funny and charming and illuminating as I hoped he would be. Tales of poverty, riches, Kings Road lovelies and sharing a smoke with Jack Nicholson will feature a future issue of The Word, innit.

Enjoy!

Hello Lonely Old Thing...

Anand Prayag & Chorus: Pretty, Pretty Priya (Bombay Connection, 1970 / 2007)

No time for a new thing - but I have a couple of absolute crackers coming up. This brilliant track is taken from this great album of Bollywood soundtrack music from 1959-1972. This particular one is from 1970's Priya - a "beat" movie with music arranged by a chap from Goa who had clearly heard - and been amused by - the "Indian" influenced music coming out of the western pop world. Great chorus too...

Enjoy!

Bye Bye Tony

Who came out with this in 1971?

"... Finally, it was revealed in a government survey published today that the Prime Minister is doing the work of two men. Laurel and Hardy."







BONUS HILARITY!
"... In other news tonight, West Mersea police announced that they wish to interview a man wearing high heels and frilly knickers, but the Chief Constable said they must wear their normal uniforms."

Hello Old Thing, Hello New Thing: "Motown" Special

Dusty Springfield: Uptight (Everything's Alright) (BBC Session, 1966)
Of course, it's actually more Faux-town than Motown, but you see where we're going with this. Anyway, I've been listening to this great Dusty Springfield compilation for a few weeks, but her Stevie Wonder cover is the one I keep going back to and not just because of the fantastic Brian Matthew intro. I think Dusty's version is actually better than Stevie's. Which is sort of ridiculous, but it's also true. Oh yes.


Hello Saferide: I Was Definitely Made For These Times (Regal, 2007)
Annika Norlin - she is Mrs Saferide - says, "My aim with this was to write a song that was both stupid and smart at the same time, in true Motown style." So there's my link. I think Norlin is a tremendous pop explosion just waiting to happen. How can anyone - anyone - not love a song that sounds like the ecstatic first night of the summer holiday of your dreams, mentions bad nutrition and High Fidelity before promising, "I'll not commit to you, but I will hold you when you cry"? Hmm? Answer me that...

Enjoy!

Greek Lemon & Egg Soup

I love that Greek shop on Lordship Lane. Whether it’s after 6 on a Sunday or early on a bank holiday when everyone’s hungry, everywhere’s closed and all you have is a block of chicken stock in the freezer, you can rely on Andreas Delicatessen for giant bunches of fresh herbs, plump lemons and a pack of pasta (and flat bread and great feta and good olives and samosas). All you need for a quick lunch.

This easy soup is based on the Greek classic Avgolemono.

Serves 2 - 4
1.2 litres chicken stock with shreds of chicken
100g orzo or long grain rice
2 large eggs, at room temperature
juice of 1- 2 lemons, depending on how sharp you like it
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the stock and once boiling cook the orzo or rice until tender. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid.

Whisk the eggs and lemon juice in a bowl until frothy. Remove a big ladleful of hot broth from the soup and slowly add it to the eggs, whisking continually.

Whisk the warmed eggs into the soup - the broth should be hot enough to cook the eggs so they thicken the soup a little. If it does taste raw, put the heat back on very gently just for a minute or two but don't let it get so hot as to set the eggs in clumps.

Stir in the parsley, check the seasoning (it needs quite a bit of salt to balance the lemon). Ladle into bowls and serve swiftly.

Basic Chicken Stock

Home-made chicken stock is the basis for many a good meal. Here’s a basic recipe:



½ chicken or 2 whole legs, skinned
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 ripe tomato, roughly chopped by a Scrap
1 garlic clove, halved
1 rosemary stalk
pinch of salt and few peppercorns

Place all the ingredients in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 40 – 60 minutes.

Strain the stock. Lift out the chicken and shred the meat off the bone then add back to the stock. Use straight away or cool and chill or freeze.

Records I Can't Stand: 6

Dire Straits: Money For Nothing (Vertigo, 1985)

Download it, listen to it, then tell me it's not just about the most god-awful song you've ever heard. Still, at least the lads are looking good!

Hot & Sour Chicken Vermicelli Broth

The only draw back with Oriental grocers is that everything comes in such large bags that you end up with loads of leftover greens and beansprouts and have to eat the same style of food three days in a row. Oh, well.

You should try this broth, it makes you feel good.

Serves 4
1/2 small chicken or 2 whole legs, skinned
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, quartered
piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, crumpled and/or a lemongrass stalk, flattened
100g vermicelli rice or egg noodles
1 tbsp good Thai red curry paste (please don’t use Barts)
bundle of choi sum or a few heads of bok choi
200g beansprouts
75g sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed, soaked and drained
2 tsp light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 - 2 lemons
2 spring onion, thinly sliced
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
handful fresh coriander leaves

Place the chicken, 1.5 – 2 litres of water, the onion, garlic, ginger, lime leaves or lemongrass in a large pan and add a little salt. Bring to the boil then simmer very gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through
Strain the stock into a clean pan. Place the chicken on a board until cool enough to handle then shred the meat off the bones.

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions then drain and divide between bowls – don’t worry about them going cold as the hot broth will soon warm them back up.

Stir the curry paste into the stock and bring back to the boil. Add the greens and cook for a moment then stir in the shredded chicken, beansprouts, bamboo shoots, sugar and fish sauce and simmer for 1 minute.

Squeeze in the lemon juice to taste. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles then scatter over the spring onion, chillies and coriander leaves. Eat.

Decisions, Decisions

We had a smashing day out today on an invitation to lunch at Guards Polo Club in Windsor. Our friend Merrilees's company Pink, do the catering at the club house there. After a lovely lunch came the decision I struggle with after ever meal.

Cheese or pudding?

Colston Bassett, Stinking Bishop, Quickes Cheddar, home made chutney and crackers.
Or Brownie Trifle.

Cheese or Pudding?

Stir fried squid with rice noodles

After a surprisingly successful early morning visit to Ikea - oh, the excitement - we continued a few hundred yards up the A23 to the brilliant Oriental emporium WingYip. We filled our trolley with rice noodles, vegetables, utensils and jars of pickled stuff and a case of 24 Tsingtao beer (cost: £15 - hello!). We arrived home ready for lunch so I made us a quick stir-fry with the baby squid I picked up last night from Waitrose. Wing Yip also do mail-order. Oh yes.

Serves 4
I sizzled my red chilli in a separate little pan and added to the wok once I'd removed Scrap's portion. If you're not feeding kids, add it to the squid along with the garlic.

200g rice noodles
25g dried shrimps
200g cleaned and sliced baby squid
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 red chillies, thinly sliced (see above)
400g bundle of Choi Sum, cut into 6 - 8 cm lengths and rinsed well
200g beansprouts
handful snipped Chinese chives or Thai basil leaves
soy sauce, black rice vinegar and sesame oil, to taste

Place the the noodles and shrimps in a large bowl and pour over a kettleful of boiling water. Leave for a few minutes until softened but not so soft as to start breaking.

Mix togther the oil, squid, garlic, lime leaves (and chillies). Heat a large wok until it's starting to smoke than add the squid mix and stir fry briskly for 2 minutes until it catches some colour. If the squid begins to release it's juices, then the pan is not hot enough so tip the squid into a bowl lined with kicthen paper - dry the wok with paper and heat it again until it's really smoking and return the squid for 1 minute so it can colour. Tip onto a plate and set aside.

Add the choi sum to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and shrimps and add to the pan along with the beansprouts and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the herbs and cooked squid and season to taste. Serve piping hot.