Wecipe Wednesday: Fish n' Chips

Step #2 in my 'build a better blog' project: themed entries. Or, this case, themed entrees. I'm deciding that every Wednesday, I'll feature a recipe that I've tried the previous week. I do all of the shopping and cooking for the adults of the family, so what I make is really up to me. There are only a few no-no's:

1. In general, it can't be spicy. The Wife doesn't do spicy; even black pepper is pushing it. This will explain the relative wussiness of some of my choices. It will also explain my habit of attacking my innards when I'm left alone in for a weekend. From 0-16,000,000 on the Scoville Scale in three days.. not advisable. Fun, but smelly - and more than a little uncomfortable.
2. Only non-fishy fish. Although one of us (not me) is keen on all things nautical, my indulgence in les fruits de mers is limited to tuna (preferably tinned), cod, haddock, prawns and the like. The idea of eating mussels, oysters or baby squids sends all the wrong kinds of shivers down me timbers. If anything other than skill and knowledge was holding me back from Masterchef, it's this.
3. Ingredients have to be available in West Wales. This is probably not as limiting as you might think, but it is a factor. I can't (without difficulty) get proper tortillas, or things like artichokes out of season. It's not a barrier, but it is a hurdle.

Right - with that in mind, my first sharing is a simple one. I bought two nice cod loins from the fishmonger. The place sells fish and flowers, which to me seems very odd. Best case, you'll get flowery-smelling fish. Worst (and more likely) case is that you get fishy-smelling flowers. Not sure how that works. Anyway... 

For one of the loins (I just like saying that word), I followed(ish) this recipe for the batter, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse via the Food Network.com site (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fish-and-chips-recipe/index.html):

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer 
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups flour, in all
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Salt and pepper
• Essence, recipe follows

Now, when Emeril says 'Essence', he means his cajun spice mix that you're meant to have prepared earlier and have to hand. I had no Essence, so I just used season-all and cayenne pepper. Seemed to do the trick. As I was only making one piece of fish, I also just eyed the ingredients, trying to keep the ratios the same. It means I used a lot less of everything, except the beer, the 'extra' of which seemed to disappear rather quickly.

Chips were easy enough... a couple of good-sized reds peeled and put through the chipper. Rinsed, soaked in cold water for a few minutes and then drained thoroughly before being put into very hot oil. Salt immediately after removing from fat, even if you still have to cook the fish (like I did). 

A large helping of peas perked up with fresh mint from the garden and the meal was good to go.

Probably the best Fish and Chips I've had, so thank you Mr. Lagasse! The batter was crisp (very important) and didn't hold much of the grease from the fryer. Cod was firm, juicy and dee-lish.

Pictures next time, methinks, to help tell the tale. Suggestions for next week...?

TuNesday

First heard Mumford and Sons late last year. Thought they were a poor Irish band - they remind me of the good bits I can remember about a stag do in Liverpool, drinking beer, singing and listening to a 2-man Irish folk band into the wee hours. Turns out they're a bunch of super-rich kids from London - faith and begorrah! - but don't let that get in the way of this sound. It's rural, it's earthy and it gives me goodebumps (those are the best kind of goosebumps, dontcha know). Only three songs have gone mainstream so far. I missed the first release, 'Little Lion Man'. The Cave, their second single, is pretty awesome - and it's what got me hooked in the first place. Have a listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNy8llTLvuA. I'm not sure yet what to think of their latest (Roll Away Your Stone, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-1V92iWtQY). I fear it may be a bit samey... hoping they have more surprises left in them.

The song really gets to me is 'Winter Winds'. It still makes me want to cry, and I'm not sure why. You can listen to it via the link, below. What do you think...?

What's in a Name?

One of the most charming and frustrating facts about Wales is that some things haven't really changed over here in a long, long time. Take language, for example. However evolutionary it is worldwide, English is still quite - descriptive - in this neck of the woods. You have the normal English variety of illustrative naming: what we might call Saran Wrap or plastic wrap is 'cling film' (because it's a film that clings); 'golden syrup' is predictably a sweet yellowy syrup and you pretty much know what you're getting if you order 'cheese on toast' in a local cafe. And you don't even need to speak Welsh to be able to see that the Welsh do it, too: 'popty-ping' is delightfully Welsh for 'microwave' ('popty' means 'oven' and 'ping' means... well, 'ping').

The true locals take it even a step further and give such descriptive monikers to people.  Clive y Gof is 'Clive Blacksmith', John Ceunant is 'John (Hopkins) who lives at Ceunant Farm', John Busses drives the local school bus and Carol Tal is Carol (Evans) who is 6'2". Back home, my surname is my father's legacy. Most of us have very little choice and some of us spend a great deal of time trying to find out where that name has come from and what, if anything, it means.

I guess it's the Welsh version of some Native American naming traditions, with a modern twist. Here, you are known by what you do, where you live, or who you are - things, unlike my surname, over which I can exert some degree of influence. And it makes me think - if I wasn't blatantly the only American in town, what would my Welsh surname be? How would I be known? What characteristic about me makes me identifiable and unique to my community? I'd hope that it's something honourable, or creative; I'd be very sad if it was 'Tim TV' or 'Tim Bullshitter'. But then, that's up to me, isn't it? I mean, it sounds pretty commonsensical, but it's also empowering. I can literally be anyone, as long as I actually AM someone.

Don't get me wrong, there is still the odd cryptic (and often intimidating) cognomen. For instance, don't be afraid  if you're offered 'spotted dick'... it's a cakey dessert, not an embarassing condition. Of course, 'pudding' itself is not what my American friends and family might be inclined to think of. It can range from sweet to savoury, from breakfast sausage to dessert and many places in between. But that's the subject of a whole 'nuther (and somebody else's) blog...

LOC # 63: Not every joke is a knock-out.

This is me, getting back on a saddle of blogging. As I read blogs of friends and friends of friends, I am reminded that not everything that's blogged is earth-shatteringly important (no offence, B and/or Craig). Sometimes, it's just the process of expression that is important, and sometimes it's more important to you than to the one or two other people who might be interested in what you have to say (sometimes).


So what am I waiting for, I ask? Am I waiting for that one moment of supreme clarity and inspiration that will change the lives of my two followers (see above)? Am I waiting for that ePiphany that will launch me into the stratosphere of web infamy? I need to remember that, like good comedy, sometimes you need lesser thoughts to make the better thoughts seem even more amazing, right?

In every aspect of our lives, we need the Laurels to go with the Hardys. We all need our Shemps to bring out the genius of our Moes, Larrys and Curlys.


Some entries are bound to be the warm-up act, the fluffers of the blogosphere. Consider this to be just that. This entry is not the main act, and there might be several other warm-ups before, or even between my moments of real magnitude.  


Even so, be forewarned: the blog is back. I may not always have anything important to say, but at least I'll be saying something.