Sarasota's Highland Games and Celtic Festival ~ 2009

Saturday was the Scottish Heritage Society of Sarasota's Highland Games and Celtic Festival. The Sarasota British Club have had a stall the past three years where I have been serving complimentary samples of my favorite version of Pimm's Cup (recipe below).

Pimm's No.1 is a Gin based beverage that is the color of tea and has a citrus/spice flavor. It is a popular summer drink in England, famously served at Wimbledon and the Henley Regatta, giving it the reputation of being an upper class drink. Fortunately, you don't have to be in England or even a member of the upper class to enjoy Pimm's. In the US, Pimm's No. 1 can be found at most larger liquor stores. (In the SRQ area, I've found it at Norman's, ABC, the Bottle Shop on St. Armand's, and Coastal Liquors). Sprite or 7-up is traditionally used in the UK, however, I think it is much nicer with Ginger Ale. It is absolutely divine with Jamaican Ginger Beer.

It was an action packed day featuring various competitions...... including the infamous Tossing of the Caber...

... and there were three different Scottish bands parading around adding to the atmosphere. There were definitely more bag pipes than you could shake a bridie at! Mr. Jack R. from Ohio even gave us our own private performance including a lesson on how the bagpipe works. It was really fascinating to learn that melted bee's wax is used to coat the inside of the leather bag, stopping air from escaping and enabling it to fill with air for the bagpipe to play.

I'd be lying to say that the food wasn't one of my favorite things. James and I always look forward to sharing a portion of the Curry Chips. Other highlights are Fish & Chips, Deep-fried Mars Bars, Scotch Eggs, Sausage Rolls, Meat Pies, and a new discovery to us this year: Shepherds Pie in a little pastry dish.
Late in the afternoon I spotted this Bald Eagle sitting in a tree close by. It stayed there for ages. The sounds of the bagpipes and Celtic bands on the main stage must have been a welcomed change from the airplanes that are usually taking off from the airfield.

The event is wrapped up in the evening with a Ceilidh. I'm sure Emily from Thoughts and Biro Sketches would approve!

Here is my version of the summer time classic, Pimm's Cup:
* Mix together in large pitcher 1 part Pimm's No. 1 with 3 parts Ginger Ale.
* Add to each glass 1 slice of orange, 2 slices of strawberry, 1 slice of halved cucumber and 1 sprig of mint.
* Add a little ice to each glass and top up with Pimm's mixture.
* Enjoy, but be careful, consumption can cause "Creeping Paralysis". So pleasant to drink and seemingly so innocuous it catches up with you in the end! (that warning came from the father of Terry Sweeney who is the current Past President of the club and husband to Audrey, the eloquent hand model holding the Pimm's in the photo above)

Product Review: Patak's Coat & Cook! - Tandoori

Having previously tried the Tikka version, I was looking forward to making Patak's Coat & Cook Tandoori, with a few noted changes.The last time I used the Tikka, I didn't mix the packet with anything, and spread it directly onto two chicken breasts. The results were a little too strong and salty, and the paste was a little thick. My friend Jane had suggested using yogurt to mix with and marinate. Well, I didn't have any yogurt, so relied on my favorite Duke's Mayonnaise, mixing equal parts of each. I had two extremely large chicken breasts that I cut into smaller portions, coated with the mixture and marinated for 2 hours, turning occasionally. The chicken was cooked at 325F for 20-25 minutes, and the results were lovely. The mayonnaise made a world of difference as it kept the chicken nice and moist, and the flavor was superb.

I made this for a picnic, and like to think that we had the tastiest food of the bunch. Modestly speaking, of course.

Product Review: Simply Organic Red Pepper Curry Vinaigrette

On a recent day of al fresco dining, I settle for an Indian theme. Salad is always an easy picnic vegetable option, and I had this packet of Simply Organic Red Pepper Curry Vinaigrette mix lurking in my cupboard. The directions called to mix the packet with water and vinegar. Once mixed, I felt that it was lacking something, so added a little more vinegar and also good amount of olive oil, as in my opinion, no salad dressing is complete without it. With a little experimenting and the improvisations, we were really impressed with the turn out and will definitely have again.

An Indian Summer Picnic

I love eating al fresco, whether it be a picnic or at a restaurant. You just can't beat sitting with family or friends having good conversation, nice food and wine, fresh air, and the sun shining on your face. Recently, I was invited to a traditional English Garden Fête at the home of the Sarasota British Club's new President, Sue Ford.

It was such a lovely day and brought back so many happy memories of our favorite English summer pastime: Summer Proms. Each summer, at venues across the country, they have a series of out door classical concerts. The themes range from Music from the Movies to the classics that feature on the Last Night of the Proms. The tradition goes that you bring your own table, chairs, plonk, and a meal fit for royalty. I could go on and on about menus from Proms past, but the most memorable for me was one June when we were celebrating James's birthday. We had been out picking raspberries earlier in the day and I made a two layered chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I had covered the top of the bottom layer in raspberries, then once the top layer was iced, dotted fresh raspberries for color. After the 20 minute downpour that usually makes a brief appearance, we had a lovely time. For Sue's Garden Fête, I wanted to create a menu that was fit for the Proms. As Indian food is so popular in the UK, we ended up with Tandoori Chicken, Curried Couscous, and Salad with a Red Pepper Curry Vinaigrette. It was sublime and took me back to an English summer.

Product Review: Geeta's Pudina Tikka Spice & Stir

At long last - I have found the most amazing jarred Indian sauce. Geeta's Pudina Tikka Spice & Stir was a mild creamy tomato sauce with mint (pudina) and coriander, seasoned with paprika, cumin and cardamom.I was interested when I first saw this sauce as it had a separate container on the top with spices. First you lightly saute your meet, chicken, seafood, or vegetables - then add the dry spices. We used chicken and it was amazing. After adding the spices and cooking a few minutes longer, I added the sauce and cooked over low heat for a half hour. It has such a nice, fresh flavor due to the fact that there aren't a bunch of scientific terms in the ingredients list. You could actually identify what went in to the jar - and the spices were perfectly balanced to create an authentic Indian dish. Authentic to English standards, I should add. The best Indian food I've ever had has been in England, where it is hugely popular and Geeta's products are imported from the UK.This made an amazingly easy mid-week meal served with curried lentils, Indian Spiced Kale and Tomatoes, and a nice refreshing Hendrick's Cucumber Gin and Tonic to cool our taste buds.

As we've only seen Geeta's products at World Market, we'll have to wait until our next trip to Jacksonville to stock up.

Gratuitous Cat Post, With Some Gardening Thrown In

Here it is, it was bound to happen sooner or later: the gratuitous shot of Harry. When I'm not in the kitchen and the weather is nice, I love nothing more than to sit out by the pool, reading a book with a glass of wine, accompanied by my faithful companion. My curry plant is doing really well. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to some of our humidity coming back, as when it's humid it carries the smell of the curry plant farther. James bought a huge rosemary for me in November. I'm keeping it in the lanai for the time being as we're still getting the odd burst of freezing cold weather, but once we get passed that, it will have a permanent place with my roses.

Product Review: World Market's Dal Mughlai Curry (Lentils)

Whenever I'm in Jacksonville, after seeing my dad and step-mom, my next "Must See" is World Market in Orange Park. If you're not familiar with World Market, it's sort of like an old school Pier 1 with loads in international foods and a nice wine selection. Apart from getting to my dad's house, World Market is the only place in Jacksonville I really know how to get to. My dad is always sweet enough to take me there, and patient enough to spend as long as I need to take in all the good stuff. As I am a huge fan of Indian food, I was elated to discover their own brand Curried Mixed Lentils. They are under $3 a can, and are really quite tasty. Actually imported from India, I like to think I'm getting a truly authentic product.

As they are mildly spiced, I like to add a little chili flakes when heating. I also like to add some tomato, and found this the perfect use for the rest of the can that I didn't use when making the Indian Spiced Kale and Tomatoes.

They make the perfect accompaniment to any Indian meal, are vegetarian - if you are so inclined, and are really good value. Now if only they would open a Wold Market in my area! I've been e-mailing their corporate office regularly suggesting they consider our area and figure one of two things will happen: they will promptly open once the economy picks up, or are considering a restraining order for harassment. I hope its the first option, as this could seriously become a very enjoyable habit.

Culinary Creations: Indian Spiced Kale and Tomatoes

The inspiration for this dish came from Anjum Anand's Light & Healthy Indian menu in the February 2008 edition of Sainbury's Magazine. In it, Anjum makes a spinach and tomato dish. While I am a fan of spinach, I'm an even bigger fan of kale. I hadn't planned in advance to make this, so didn't have any fresh tomatoes either. A cupboard standby of chopped tomatoes came to the rescue. In a large pan, I sauteed 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes (very well drained), with 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of tandoori BBQ seasoning in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until bubbling (about 7 minutes).

I then added the kale, stirred to coat, and cooked partially covered to allow the excess water to evaporate, on medium heat, for 5 minutes. It was super easy to make and made the perfect vegetable side dish to serve with Chicken Pudina Tikka, and Dal Mughlai Curry.My attempts at making Indian food have not always been a success, but any of Anjum Anand's recipes that I've tried have been very easy to follow, and have turned out well. James and I were both stunned at the results and thought it could have been served in any good quality Indian restaurant. It is our new favorite way to have kale.

Easy Weeknight Indian Feast

One of my favorite things to do is indulge in a decadent mid-week meal. While I do like to make most things from scratch, a busy work week makes it worthwhile having good quality staples on hand. When it comes to Indian food, jarred sauces can be hit or miss. We've recently lucked out by finding some superb jarred sauces, along with canned dal (lentils) - all available at World Market (which will hopefully make its way to our area). This lovely meal was made up of Geeta's Pudina Tikka, Dal Mughlai Curry, and Indian spiced kale & tomatoes, all washed down with a sublime Hendrick's Cucumber G&T. The subtle flavors of the Hendrick's G&T balanced with cucumber made it the perfect drink to balance out the spicy flavors of this meal.

Product Review: Patak's Coat & Cook! - Tikka

I bought this last October when we were in England. As it was due to expire in September, it seemed like a good idea to use it. Patak's make a good, reliable range of Indian cooking products. We can get some of the sauces in the US, but I had never seen this product here.

I coated two boneless chicken breasts with the paste and baked for 35 minutes at 350F. Ooh, now that I'm looking at this, it looks like a set of lungs that belonged to a chronic smoker!!!

In the end, I was only moderately happy with the results. No fault to Patak's, but I used the entire packet of paste on 2 pieces of chicken, when it probably was enough for 4. If I could change anything, I would coat the chicken, let the paste penetrate for 30 minutes to an hour, scrape the extra off, and cook as listed above. The taste was nice, so I would definitely try again. I served it with Indian spiced kale, and curried potato salad.

Gardening: The Alluring Curry Plant

From the spring of 1997 until the end of summer 1998, I lived in Wymondham (pronounced "windem"), England. Wymondham is a little town just outside of Norwich, Norfolk. We lived in a lovely flint stone terrace cottage in the center of town. It was heaven, we had Thai, Indian, chip shop, corner shop, bakery (2 actually) and a video shop all in walking distance. During the summer we were inundated with the smells of Thai and Indian food. The Thai place was parallel to our back garden, so we could smell them cooking out their back door. Although the Thai place was closer, we always had a stronger scent of Indian food. That was until one day when our land lady, Brigid, informed us that the scent was actually from a curry plant that was just outside the kitchen window.

It looks a lot like lavender, with blossoms that resemble dill. The one we had in England was fairly large. The smell was so intoxicating, it really does smell like curry! When you cut it, like most things, the smell is even stronger. It doesn't taste at all like curry, which is a little deceiving. But still, to have something smell so divine, I'm not complaining.

Recently, my mother and I were down town at the Farms' Market and decided to pop into Whole Foods, where I was greeted by that familiar smell. It is the first time since Wymonham that I had seen one! (Though my mom said that Gordon Ramsey was on Martha, cooking fish with curry plant) It was still small when I brought it home, so we decided to leave it in the container to allow it to grow a bit before transplanting it. It is still in the original container, and we're having a dilemma of where to plant it. We've really enjoyed having it in the lanai, but my current container is just too small (and crowded with thyme, dill, basil and chives), so I'm thinking of planting it just outside of the lanai. I've got loads of room in the rosemary planter, but it's too far away from the area where we spend the most amount of time. Whole Foods are going to try to order another one so I can plant one where originally intended, and one on the other side to completely fill the lanai with whiff of curry. Hope the neighbors don't mind!!!

Here is a link for more information on Wymondham:

http://www.wymondham-norfolk.co.uk/index.php