Friday 8 July 2011

China Garden in Brighton

China Garden, Brighton

Founded in 1980 this Preston Street venue is a Brighton institution which this reviewer has been visiting on and off for the past ten years.
This is a busy restaurant popular with the Chinese community which is always a good sign.
In Brighton China Garden I have never had a bad meal here and the staff are always warm and welcoming.
The quality of the ingredients is superb and I can recommend the set menus with no hesitation .But be warned portions are large and we often take home a doggy bag to have the following day.
Karen main waitress at China Garden



  I particularly like the shredded duck and lemon chicken but when money is no object then the sea bass and lobster are a must. A meal here washed down with a couple of bottles of Chinese beer is a very satisfying experience.
Crispy Aromatic Duck served with pancakes
A lot of options in the several menus

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Thursday 7 July 2011

Spanish food Industry and Government ashamed

Spanish Environment Ministry Headquarters by Tobias
 We know by now by sure that the Spanish cucumber wasn´t contaminated with E.coli but in the last month the Spanish food industry and the Government was shocked by two cases: the poor quality of Spanish Milk where several top brands aren't any more recommended to drink and the even worst case where the The Spanish Government hid for 7 years a study of toxins in fish, where fish species like swordfish not only has high content in mercury but also a high content in cadmium a metallic element used in electroplating, alloys, and as a neutron absorber in the control of nuclear fission.

I translated for you the history about the Spanish milk quality from the El Comidista blog and also the bad news about the fish toxin from El Pais newspaper.  Read more at KitchenVoyage nutrition-food-indsutries.

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Sunday 3 July 2011

Two courgettes recipes with plenty of carbohydrates.


Courgette ready to be grated
In summer in our obsession to look well for the summer holidays and with the warm days we eat less quantities and more salads and also a lot of protein given is BBQ season and perhaps we set aside some pasta and rice dishes but our body still needing their carbohydrates. So I give  you two recipes that mix plenty of Vitamin A and B, manganese and potassium from the courgettes and a good doses of carbohydrates for balance our nutritional diet in those more chilli lunch-times summer days. Both dishes are over  500kcal.

Courgette Risotto.
  
Courgette risotto
Ingredients.
240g risotto rice
70g butter
1 medium onion (chopped)
5 courgettes
About 1 litre of vegetable stock (warm)
2 tbsp. each of fresh parsley, basil leaves, chives, tarragon, and mint leaves (all chopped) and 40g parmesan (grated)


1.       First chop in cubes 3 courgettes and then grate the rest with the thicker surface of the grater. 
2.       Heat half of the butter in a wide pan and add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes in a medium-low heat and then add the grated courgettes.
3.       In a another pan mix 1 tbsp. of olive oil with 15g of butter, when is hot add the cubed courgettes and cook in a medium high heat, until they are soft and start to get a brown colour. Stir time to time. When are ready just keep aside.
4.       Add the rice to the pan with the onion and mix very well. After 1 minute pour the wine and simmer until the wine is absorb.
5.       Now add a ladleful of the stock and stir slowly a couple of time repeat the process until the rice is cook. By experience always take between 15 to 18 minutes. When you are thinking that the risotto could be ready, with a teaspoon taste 1-2 grains of rice for know how much stock will need. 
6.       After you add the last ladleful of stock stir a couple of time, let to reduce the stock by half and add the herbs, rest of the butter and half of the parmesan  cheese. Stir all very well, season , and let rest for 3 minutes.
7.       Serve and garnish with extra parsley and the rest of the parmesan.
 
Courgette Pasta Bake.

Courgette pasta bake
Ingredients
300g macaroni pasta
3 courgettes (grated)
8 cherry tomatoes (halved)
300g half-fat crème fraîche
140g light mature cheddar (gratted)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ grated nutmeg.
1 tbsp. thymes leaves

For the topping 5tbsp breadcrumbs -½ tbsp paprika -1 garlic clove (grated) . Oven at 200ºC

1.       Cook the macaroni pasta following the instructions packet less 2 minutes.
2.       In a big bowl mix the crème fraîche, courgettes, mustard, thyme leaves, 100g of the cheese and 2 tbsp. of the pasta water. And finely add the pasta. Mix very well.
3.       Transfer the pasta mix to ovenproof dish and top with the cherry tomatoes and the rest of the cheese.
4.       Now combine the breadcrumbs, garlic and paprika and scatter over the pasta.
5.       Bake for about 15 minutes, and ready to serve!

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