Author: bethdoesfood

The Perfect Victoria Sponge

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 It’s the most versatile cake going. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like a Victoria sponge. This recipe is so easy that once you’ve read it once you will never need to read the recipe again.. For the sponge eggs, free range and organic self-raising flour salted butter, British and soft caster sugar vanilla extract (optional: I don’t think it’s needed if you’ve got quality eggs & butter) weighing scales electric whisk, or hand whisk wooden spoon mixing bowl sieve two cake tins, greased if non-stick or lined with baking parchment This recipe has ONE VERY SIMPLE RULE: Use 1 part eggs/ 1 part sugar/ 1 part butter/ 1 part SR flour So to start heat your oven to between 180°c and 200°c, depending how hot your oven is (ours is like a furnace). You need to weigh the eggs in their shells (I would recommend 3 eggs for two small tins.) 1 medium egg is usually around 60g. Add to a mixing bowl the equivalent ‘egg’ weight in butter and in sugar and whip up until really light and …

Ginger & Sesame Cod with Broccoli & Avocado Cold Tossed Courgette Noodles

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Ginger & Sesame Cod with Broccoli & Avocado Cold Tossed Courgette Noodles (2 portions) For the cod marinade: 1 garlic clove, 1 inch of ginger 1 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1/2 tsp each black & white sesame seeds For the noodles: 2 courgettes 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp fish sauce 1/4 a head of broccoli 1/2 an avocado First bash the garlic clove and ginger with the flat side of a thick knife and brush on a chopping board until minced. Add 1/2 the paste to the rest of the marinade ingredients, brush over the fish and marinade for at least 20 mins. For the noodles: I’ve got a nifty gadget that will turn vegetables into spaghetti (see below – under £2 from Amazon ;)) but you can also use a vegetable peeler to make long thin strips, then slice length ways into noodles. Place the noodles in a bowl with the rest of the garlic and ginger paste, soy sauce and fish sauce. Roughly mash the avocado until creamy with a few chunks …

Understanding Catalan and The Oldest Winebar in Barcelona

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The first menu you read at the first restaurant you visit in Barcelona always sounds the most exciting: grilled octopus, garlic prawns, fried salted Padron peppers, smoked pork meatballs and blue cheese croquettes. Exciting… that is until you notice the other restaurants on your way home and find that nearly all have exactly the same dishes on their menu. But fear not, this isnt a classic case of ‘traditional fish and chips’ or ‘pie and mash’ signs decorating the entrance of every station of the circle line.The reason you can find these same Catalan tapas dishes everywhere you go is because they are so fantastic that the locals are still eating them. The thing that struck me about Barcelona was its ability to maintain the authenticity of its famous dishes. Heavy with pork, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, smothered in olive oil with sea salt and fantastic bread. We were very fortunate to have my brothers girlfriend with us, who has been living in Barcelona for nearly a year and speaks perfect Spanish. She is well …

So Japaneasy

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My love of Japanese food spawned in a not very romantic way. Diving into a late night box of half-price sushi at itsu, at the end of a long and boring day sitting at the computer, doesn’t sound like the beginning of a culinary odyssey. But from then on, once I got the idea of sushi in my head… it was the only thing pulling me through the day! Who knew the combination of sticky sweet rice, creamy avocado and salmon, nutty sesame and loads of punchy wasabi could be oh so pleasurable? (See my review of SO Japanese)     I was lucky enough to learn the arts of sushi with the lovely sushi ninjas of YO! Sushi in last years Taste Festival . It was like an art class where you got to eat the finish product! So I wanted to create a recipe that incorporated all the delicate flavours of sushi, but that was quick and easy and can be rustled up in a matter of minutes. Taking inspiration from an amazing dish I tried …