The Hackney Butchers Association

This was good!  Still loads to eat. Phew. The recipe is so simple, just sugar, salt & dill. It needs 4 days before opening it up.  It is very worth the wait.  Wow.  It is honestly the best Gravadlax I've ever eaten. There are many quicker methods about, but I can vouch for this one from a lovely book called, Falling Cloudberries.  You don't need any special equipment, just silver foil & a bit of space in the fridge! I got my fish un-gutted from an early morning Billingsgate Market session.  I had never gutted something so big, it was a bit daunting to be honest.  I had my brother in law staying over with his little boy, and I remember them waking up to find me in the kitchen elbow deep in fish guts. I think they were pretty horrified.  But that's what you get for staying the night at the H.B.A.!  My kids are getting quite used to seeing things like that now. FOR METHOD SEE BELOW:

Seaweeds are super-health foods.  They have very low fat and are packed with minerals that they take from the sea.  Some of them taste good too.  Phew. There are three main types of seaweed used in Japanese cooking. Kombu, Wakame & Nori. Kombu are large flat sheets of kelp (Laminaria), usually sold dried. It is mostly used to flavour stocks and is a key ingredient in making dashi. Once the stock is right, the seaweed is then thrown away. It can be eaten though, if simmered for 20mins. In China it is called kunbu. Wakame is also often sold dried & then soaked before using. It is the type added to Miso soups.  Delicious stuff! Nori are the flat sheets of seaweed used in many sushi dishes, california rolls etc.  It's also sometimes shredded and put over noodles.  It comes from a purple/red algae called Porphyra. The Chinese call it zicai.

Dead simple & delicious.  For a slightly Chinesey-vibe.  This came from a Nigel Slater recipe. It serves 4, but would be incredibly easy to scale up for many more. RECIPE BELOW:

This restaurant has been open for a few weeks and will stay open until the end of January.  The food is great!  It's modern Thai.  The curries are authentic, generous & delicious.  The lunch set menu is only £6.50 and includes a beer or glass of wine.  The Pomelo salad was really interesting.  Big chunks of orange, with beautifully cooked prawns in a spicy peanut & holy basil sauce.  It was £4 as a starter.  Easily big enough to share for 2. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun.  The place has been rapidly thrown together with rough wood & lots of style.  It's very cool. Wow.  I'm going to try and get back as often as I can before it's gone. Noodles - Modern Thai 48, Dean Street, London W1D 5BF It's being run by the people that do Rosas off Spitalfields Market: DETAILS HERE

A new Russian supermarket "Russkij Bazaar" has opened up on Cambridge Heath Road, East London  The array of sausages/salamis etc caught my eye, and a i had good look around last night.

This is a Nigel Slater jobbie.  It's very simple, but gives a tiny twist to a mid-week quick dinner. RECIPE BELOW:

RECIPE BELOW: