Saturday

Paint It Black


For breakfast that morning we consumed nearly our own body weight in fried eggs, beef sausages, bacon, mushrooms and enough toast to keep a small country's wheat farmers in profit for a whole year. The English chef prepared the food exactly as we like it, tasty, non greasy, full of flavour and with just the right amount of seasoning in the black pud. He must surely have Scottish blood...  Our beverage of choice was of course good old fashioned PG Tips, several pots of it in fact. I do believe the hotel may soon expunge the 'eat-as-much-as-you-like' policy later today after our departure. Sitting in the dining room was also a welcome respite from the rain after four continuous days of inclement English weather. At least it made the city look cleaner.

That night we took in a truly legendary performance by the Rolling Stones. Words cannot do justice to the entertainment provided by Mr Jagger and co. Needless to say they were sensational, the lyrics to each track still continue to buzz through my head as we speak. It was well worth the trudge through the rubbish strewn streets of England's grim capital to see such iconic members of quite possibly the worlds most successful band. Nice to see the city of London got into the mood by painting everything in sight - black! Och well, it was worth the journey just to see that there is still life in many an oul dog over the age of 40. They definitely chalked one up for the auld wans, make no mistake about it!

We began our week away with a sumptuous meal in a fabulous fish restaurant in the west end. Each course just got better and better until the pièce de résistance itself arrived positively packed with all sorts of amazingly fresh fish. This dish approaches perfection - creamy seafood chowder. If a food utopia truly exists, this fantastic tasting course is what they would serve on an hourly basis. After our second helping (and fourth bottle of wine) I requested a copy of the recipe from a very friendly waiter who had worked his way towards a well earned tip. The fact that he was originally fae Scotland may have influenced me a tad.

I was delighted that the chef, an extremely amiable guy fae Amerikay, (NYC to be exact) came to the table towards the end of the evening and thanked us for our praise. He very kindly assisted us in putting away another few bottles of wine before we introduced him to some proper man size measures of 30 year old Whyte & Mackay prior to helping him back in the direction of the kitchen. So much for Jack Daniels being the daddy, eh? My thanks to him for sharing his own slant on his grandmothers original recipe. My apologies to his fellow countrymen for allowing him to believe that a New Yorker could keep pace with a Glaswegian when it comes to putting away the swally. All that whooping and hollering fae him to start with, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty he drooped quicker than the stars and stripes in heavy rain.

Do try the recipe for yourself, and also do spare a thought for our friendly American chef and his extremely unsociable hangover. Strangely enough, when we called in this evening for our farewell meal we were surprised to hear that he was STILL off work due to a blinding headache.

"I say can you see...."  In Cory's case, seemingly not.

Cory Finkle's Seafood Chowder

1 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 large waxy potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups oyster stock (fresh for the love of all things fishy)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of cayenne
1 1/2 to 2 lbs cod, or other firm white fish, pin bones removed, fillets cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh clotted cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 mussels
large handful fresh peeled prawns
12 oysters (fresh, steamed in their shells first, add the juices)
4 rashers smoked bacon, grilled then finely diced
1/4 cup of sweet corn (cooked first in butter)
Heat oil and butter in the bottom of a large pot (6-qt) on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and turn up the heat, cook, uncovered until the wine reduces by half. (If not using wine, add 1/4 cup of water with the oyster juice.)
Add the potatoes, oyster juice, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and spice. (The potatoes should be just barely covered with the liquid in the pot. If not, add water so that they are.) Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost done, about 10-15 minutes. In a separate pot, heat the cream until steamy (not boiling).

Add the fish to the pot of potatoes and slowly for the love of Jaysus add the heated cream. Return to the stove. Cook on low heat, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Keep your eye on the heat! If you are using straight heavy cream you should be more easily able to avoid curdling, even if the soup starts to boil. But if you are substituting light cream, half and half, or milk, the mixture will likely curdle if it gets near boiling point. Keep the temperature so that it barely gets steamy, but not simmering. When the fish is just cooked through, remove from heat.
Mix in the parsley and bacon. The flavours will improve if the dish rests in the pot 30 minutes before serving. Serve with white wine and whisky.

50 comments:

  1. The Stones - Gods of rock agreed. Nice to see you continuing to use words that refer to the Lord. Keep up the good work Mr Chef. Do google liver failure and the effects of too much alcohol though.

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    1. Currently busy googling the definition of 'too much'.

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  2. Was wondrin' where yees was!

    My life will be almost complete when I get to see THE one who moooves like Jagger!

    That recipe is somethin'!

    Ya, Google!

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    1. Yis had best hurry along pal, oul Mick was spent by the look of his eyes after the last song. Too much alky-hol and one too many blondes. What a guy!

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  3. i'd like to see Mr. Jagger in person... but not in a gigantic stadium. think i'd have any luck convincing him to do an acoustic set in my local pub?

    as for that challenge? this redneck amerikan girl has held her own with a Limerickian regarding whisky. suspect a Glaswegian would present more of a challenge, but i'd like to give you a run for it. and drink some whisky while we're at it. oh, and my Limerickian was 6'2", so we can't compare him to the little one you know...

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    1. I am going to hold you to that challenge missy. Of course we will be drinking a proper Irish malt on the night, none of these fancy blends that would strip varnish fae a bar room table, but fail to intoxicate even my wee Limerick pal. You bring along oul Mick and I will supply the malt. It might be best to phone work and tell them you will be in slightly later than usual.... say about 3 days?

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    2. HELLOOOO?? I'm still here! No, down here!! :¬)

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    3. Wee man, you stand taller than anyone when it comes to friendship.

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    4. Will ye stop or ye'll have me crying into my pint glass. Yes, the empty one, Ta I will so, and something from the top shelf if you insist!

      Áitníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile!

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    5. Aye, something from the top shelf indeed, make sure it has Tayto written on it.

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    6. Perhaps a small black grouse to keep out the cauld, seeing as I just set fire to your new tube hat.

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    7. Ha! I'm back to wearin' the auld one again.
      Pint?

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    8. Don't tell me, tis the red pointy wan with the bell, right?

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    9. Feck off Big Ears!

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    10. No more dry sherry for you young-fella-me-lad!

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    11. Right....just point me towards home and gimme a wee push to get me started.

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    12. Yessssssssssssssssssssssssss!

      We are all NL!

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    13. What's the difference between The Rolling Stones and an Aberdeen sheep farmer?
      The Rolling Stones say: "Hey you, get off of my cloud."
      And an Aberdeen sheep farmer says: "Hey McLeod, get aff ae ma ewe".

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  4. Do you ever add a dash of tabasco to scrambled eggs? Do you guys do that out there? It's pretty great.

    You guys are very, very fortunate to have seen the Stones. They may be a bit rusty and Mick's voice a bit ragged, but you don't turn down the opportunity to watch a band that changed the course of popular culture.

    You folks have a few hundred centuries of practice over us Amerikays. We're making our best effort.

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    1. Ahhh UB, you make it sound as if we live on another planet. A different world definitely, but eggs and finely diced onion splashed with tabasco served on soda bread is a regular dish in my hoose.

      As for the Stones... without doubt one of the best gigs I have ever attended.

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  5. I looked on line to see the prices for the gig but no way this close to chrisstmas was i splashing out stupid money that only lasts for 1 night

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    1. Depends how you define 'stupid'. It may have been for one night, but memories last a lifetime. Now Christmas... that really is stupid money wasted.

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  6. Saw that title and that song stuck in my head all day! Not a Jagger fan (I know, probably a different kind of blasphemy but I found him hard to look at).

    Glad you're still with us...thought you were on an extended vacation.

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    1. Catchy tunes Hope, all of them. I've been switching between a little red rooster to jumping with Jack Flash for a whole week.

      I'm here for a while yet hen, although the winter sun of my favourite retreat calls to me... especially as I am currently full of the cauld.

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  7. My heart bleeds for that poor chef. How cruel.
    You have never really made it clear how you manage to keep svelte. I suppose you do a couple of lengths of the loch twice daily?

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    1. Dear lady, the gentleman in question enjoyed himself thoroughly in our company. A character himself, he was drowning American whisky that is spelled using the letter 'e' with lots of ice cubes. Every serious whisky drinker knows that decent whisky is to be taken neat, no water, no ice, no mixers. We merely introduced him to how Glaswegians take their swally. He'll recover... eventually.

      As for being svelte, at my height and build I have to eat heartily just to keep the blood pumping to my feet. Swimming in any loch would be suicidal, most of them are deeper than the Atlantic ocean and full of dangerous currents. I keep fit by various means of exercise and eating huge portions of fruit every day.

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  8. Re the gig: all that money and no satisfaction!

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  9. i am so going to make this for the MITM when he returns, sugar! which whisky would you recommend? ;~) xoxoxox

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  10. With fish dishes it just has to be anything from Islay. A good smokey flavour that will bring out the full flavour of the shellfish. Avoid expensive malt as it would be wasted on food. Anything that has a peaty fragrance will be perfect.

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    1. thanks, sugar! i think i need to do some tasting before the MITM returns! just to find the right smokey flavour! xoxox

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    2. I'll help you hen... start with one of these... or all of these, depending how much tasting you would like to try!

      Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Ardbeg or Bowmore.

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    3. i know the first two very well, so let's start with the next 3! *cheers*

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  11. At Invershin the water was so peaty it was like bathing in whisky and sooooo soft.

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  12. Pat, Siobhan spends a fortune taking mud wraps and facials in a health spa that specialises in using the minerals found in the peat taken from the waters somewhere near Ballachulish. The results are worth it.

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  13. I'm not much of a whisky drinker (it puts me in far too much a mood for fighting), I do enjoy an occasional glass of Ardbeg.
    That chowder sounds like something very fine to make on a cold, snowy Saturday!

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  14. I'm no adverse to a wee whisky at any time doll.

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  15. Hey, JB?

    Sounds like it you cheeky sod. Cooking breakfasts all this time in sunny Scotland without inviting me?

    Graveleys have been asking after you.

    Send me an email old hero.

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    1. Ahhh for the love of all things talented, Mr Stoneskin as I live and breathe. Pull up a chair and get stuck in, we have many people to watch between us.

      Next time you are in Graveleys do give them my regards, tell them that your lunch is on me.

      The email thing is a big ask, these days I'm keeping my head down and the trolls at bay. Maybe one day when they move on to someone else I might open up the oul channels again. In the meantime I shall enjoy being highly critical of your very worthy work.

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    2. Fair enough you cheeky monkey.

      Keeping your head down huh?

      I've been keeping my head down and working on a sneaky half-arsed attempt at a book. A tale full of good-for-nothing chimps.

      Meanwhile I'll stop by from time to time to see if your tousled head is out of the sand.

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    3. Please do sir, I might even share some cheeky monkey tales that I dare not put to print for fear of incarceration!

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    4. Mate I'm always after monkey tales, especially cheeky ones. I do have a chippy in the story though it is no Graveleys.

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  16. How can christmas be stupid when the whole world celebraets it?!?

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    1. Tina, the whole world? I would have to disagree.

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Thank you, the chef is currently preparing an answer for you in the kitchen. Do help yourself to more bread.