The Hackney Butchers Association

More fun with sausages... I've just got my hands on this lovely looking Boudin Noir.  It's a French blood sausage.  I'm planning on having it for breakfast/brunch tomorrow to get over the hangover I'm working on tonight. Apparently the french eat 15000tons of it a year!  It's pre-par-boiled so can be eaten straight from the packet.  It's very similar to black pudding though often has breadcrumbs & brandy or calvados added. Traditionally it's eaten on a bed of onions & pork fat. I'm going to fry up slices of mine with apples & pears in a little butter and some toasted bread.  Bloomin' delicious!  I've not tried one like this before and will post the results... ...some time later... I never took photos of the sausage & fried fruit.  Doh. I did have a go at this though..  Leek Mash with Boudin Noir

This is one of many variations of amazing sambal sauces.  It's great with rice dishes and is eaten all over indonesia. I was lucky enough to have another sambal made for me in Sri Lanka. It's called Seeni Sambal. It is an amazing sauce that they have with sticky diamond shaped rice as a traditional festive meal. It is sweet, sticky, spicy, strongly onion/cinammon and very addictive!  I found a recipe for it HERE , but haven't tested it as yet.  I can't wait. RECIPE BELOW:

This is based on a Delia recipe.  She loves it with lots of cloves, it's also great with nutmeg and lots of peppercorns, like below. I've got to remember to cook it more often.  It's good winter food, heart-warming stuff.  Delicious. RECIPE BELOW:

This years' H-Bomb Chilli-Chutney has arrived! Get in touch to get your jar. Due to a bit of tweaking, it's hotter than previous years.  Though still rich, tomatoey, and delicious! I've already boshed half a jar since this morning. Nice work H x

For this you need a Savoy, January King, Cavallo Nero.  That sort of dark, leafy cabbage. Finely shred some cabbage, steam for a few minutes until nearly cooked.  Then toss with butter and a splash of sherry vinegar.  Salt & Pepper it up. That's it....Nice. Or, If you have left over cooked cabbage... Slowly fry some chopped onion with a pinch of salt, until nicely caremalised.  Add a chopped chili & cook through for a couple of minutes.  Then mix with the cabbage & stir through until hot.

I just came across a brilliant food blog.  Very stylish, beautiful photography and interesting recipes.  Inspiring stuff... Cannelle et Vanille

This is a Jamie Oliver number.  I think it's the nicest way to do cauliflower that I've come across.  It's lemony & nutty & very more-ish.  It's genuinely a treat in itself. It was my dinner tonight along with some steamed lemon fish, some roasted squash with cinammon, dried red chili & fennel seeds.  Delicious! If you know of any other un-missable tricks with cauliflower or fancy trying it, please let me know & leave a comment.  Cheers! RECIPE BELOW:

With a cold beer on the side, this is my idea of heaven. MORE BELOW

This is a David Eyre recipe.  So it goes without saying that it's damn good! I have added a bit more olive oil, lots more tomatoes, and turned down the oven (fan-assisted). It takes an hour. RECIPE BELOW:

More smoked bacon antics... Fry up bacon & mushrooms in a little olive oil.. Then add rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Add hot chicken stock one ladle at a time until absorbed.  (The amounts involved depend on how many your feeding and the type of rice.  It will say on the packet.) Then put a lid on and let it rest for 2minutes. Mix in lots of fresh grated  parmesan & a little finely chopped tarragon. Check seasoning & eat. Filling and warming, this is easy winter food.  It takes about 30mins start to finish.

A fantastic book for meat lovers, by the author of "Ripailles" (Feasts).  It has beautifully shot  instructional photos of how to prepare various joints, along with dozens of roasts for beef/veal,  lamb, chicken, rabbits, venison, salmon & more.  There is great looking food on every page.  It's good to open on an indecisive day when you needed a quick idea.  It would make a great christmas present.

Simple meat maths.  Bacon=Good.   2xBacon=Better This soup was my lunch today.  Mmmnn bacon! I ended up using double the amount below & it was doubly-delicious. RECIPE BELOW:

This is the biggest meat market in the UK.  It is open to the trade and the public Tuesday to Friday from 3am. To find the full range of stalls open, arrive by 7am. The nearest tube stations are Farringdon and Barbican. There are lots of food related shops close to the market. Most interestingly, for the sausage obsessed.., some sell natural sausage casings like the 'Ox runners' I'm after!  Hooray.  I'm off there tomorrow & will post the details of the suppliers very soon. The nearest tube is Farringdon, on the Circle Line, Hammersmith & City or Metropolitan Line.. View Larger Map

This is easy, fresh, delicious, kid-friendly and it will keep in the fridge for a few days.  I'm including it because I'm going to make up a batch around Christmas time and don't want to forget about it. RECIPE BELOW:

The Kamlock 20" saw is roughly £46,  Replacement blades are £4.25 each. A big roll of muslin cloth is £5.35 A big roll of general purpose No.4 butches string is £4.66 (There is a thinner string called No.5 available too.) Mail order in the UK is through WESCHENFELDER They also sell a haggis making kit!  Now that is a future project I have to try!  Wow.

They are natural casings used for all traditional sausages, salamis etc.  They come from the intestines of cattle. Pig & sheep casings can also used. There are now meat-free alternatives on the market for veggie sausages, I don't know how they compare. Ox Runners are the smallest, for making peperoni style salamis. Ox Middles are the next size up, 5-10cm when filled, they dry down to about 3-4cm diameter. Ox Bung are the big boys, they are for large salamis and haggis. The mail order company, "The Natural Casing Company" has stopped trading. Instead, I discovered mail order can be got from Weschenfelder .  They despatch within 48hours for all your urgent butcher needs! They have stuffing machines too. Another UK mail order company is http://www.sausage-casings.co.uk For USA I found http://www.sausagemaker.com I live not far from Smithfields so I'll try there first. The main recommended casing for salamis are Ox casings.  These are the ones I...

1 quantity Pâte sucrée (recipe on blog) 300g Golden Syrup 125g Amaretti biscuits (blitzed in a blender) 25g Flaked almonds, lightly crushed 1 egg 1 lemon 4 tbsp Amaretto 60g Blanched almonds Icing Sugar for decorating Preheat oven to 170 °C Roll out the pastry out on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 20 circles with a 7.5cm cutter. Put the rounds into 2 12-hole baking tins. Chill. For the filling, gently heat the syrup to thin it, then add the crushed biscuits, flaked almonds, lemon zest & Amaretto. Stir in the beaten egg & then put the mixture in the pastry. Bake for 10mins. Then sprinkle a few blanched almonds on each tartlet & return to the oven for another 5-10mins. Once cooked leave them in the tins for 15mins before cooling on a wire tray. Sprinkle over icing sugar to decorate. Mmmnn.