Sanchae Korean mountain vegetables 산채 - 山菜

Yeepie-ho, my quest is over. I have managed to find sanchae (산채), Korean mountain vegetables, in London. No Korean restaurant here yet serves my all-time favourite sanchae-bibimbap (산채비빔밥 ), so I may be one the first ones to cook it in the Big Smoke.

Yukhoe - Korean steak tartare (육회)

Who would think that eating chopped raw beef mixed with raw egg yolk on a bed of sliced pears would make for a great culinary experience? Well it did! It comes flavoured in that characteristically subtle Korean way, just underlining the natural goodness of the ingredients.

sri lanka cuisine food dining

Sri Lanka is hardly on the map of gourmet destinations. Local food oscillates between tongue-numbingly hot curries with rather dull local rice and bland versions of what Sri Lankans think Western food must be.

The abundance of tropical flora somehow has not translated into anything along Thailand's exuberance of herbal flavours. Nor have the tropical seas surrounding the island blessed its tables with any seafood worth mentioning.

There are exceptions, however. The best food we have tried was in Ella, commonly - and rightfully - peddled as the capital of mountain-style curries. Unlike in the rest of the island, you can actually taste the difference between different dollops of spiced stew and their appeitsing flavours betrays a rather enlightened use of aromatic herbs on top of the spice mix.

Roasted pheasant recipe

Judging by the rate the company where I work peddles grouse, partridges and venison to various posh restaurants, London's appetite for game shows no signs of abating. Inspired by observing the frignes of this celebration of ecologically clean gastronomy, I delved into the latest English edition of La Rousse Gastronomique. Here is what say wise Frenchmen

Truss and bard a young pheasant, brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 240 degrees for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the bird, busting 2 or 3 times. Fry some croutons until golden brown. Untruss the pheasant and remove the barding fat. Place it on top of the croutons and keep warm. Deglaze the roasting pan with a liittle poultry stock and serve this gravy separately. To make it an ultimate treat, the pheasant can be stuffed with truffles before roasting and the croutons can be spread with a small amount of forcemeat with the minced liver of the pheasant. Source: La Rousse Gastronomique, Hamlyn: London, 2009)

Photos will follow when I get around to implementing this recipe in my kitchen. Please bear with!

roasted quail recipe

autumn roots soup recipe

proper shrimp stock recipe

Duck magret salad recipe (Salade de magret de canard)

Salade de magret de canard

feteer meshaltet egyptian puff pastry

Pumpkin soup recipe

or those of you who don't want life to be simple, or just hate pre-processed canned supermarket food, or perhaps your gums have just been operated on here a pumpkin soup recipe.

1. Peel a pumpkin and cut into half-an-inch slices.
2. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake in the oven at 160 degrees until soft.
3. In the meantime, peel, slice and caramelise an onion in a pan with a tad of olive oil. Season with a pinch of curry powder if you feel that way inclined. (You can skip the onion altogether if it's too much trouble!)
   
4. Leave the pumpkin and onion to cool a bit, then purée in a kitchen processor.
5. Move to a pan, add cream, sea salt and bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Remove from fire and add either cinnamon or nutmeg.
   
7. Serve garnished with croutons, freshly ground black pepper, fresh sage and crushed walnuts.