Quay Ingredients – Chermoula

by Hot Juan on February 22, 2012 · 0 comments

in Product Reviews

Here is a new spice mix, we have not seen before Chermoula, it comes from Moroccan cuisine but there are also version in both Tunisian and Algerian cooking, it is a marinade traditionally used with fish, but also works well with chicken and grill meats

QUAY ingredients - Chermoula

QUAY ingredients - Chermoula

Quay Ingredients is a small family run business, it was started in 2000, you will find their products exclusively in the independent deli’s and farm shops.

This version of Chermoula is a dry spice mix that you can sprinkle on to heat and fish before grilling, it smells strongly of the coriander, and I don’t recommend getting any up your nose, I think I have sneased quite enough for one day. The mixture is a fine powder in which you can see small flecks of the parsley.

Ingredients: Paprika, Cumin, Coriander, Parsley, Chilli, Turmeric, Garlic.

Packet kindly provided by QUAY ingredients

On the back of the packet they recommend you stir it into some olive oil, add a dash of lemon juice,  this tasted so good we tried it just spread on some hot buttered toast, it makes a very aromatic and tasty snack, for the chef…

I then used what was left on some chicken, pasted  a nice thick layer on to a skinless chicken breast (I do miss skin on chicken breasts) and left it for an hour in the fridge to marinate before grilling it, this type of mix is great in the grill with non of that nasty sugar to burn you can cook the meat properly without burning ( Another pet rant about these quick sugar based marinates, a marinate is supposed to take some time to work, else it is a coating!!).

The taste is great, bit of warmth from the chillies and paprika, a real taste of Morocco and very simple to prepare. At just £2.00 for a 75g packet  you should get a few interesting dishes before you need to buy another packet, we liked the minimalist but still sturdy packaging.

You can order on-line at www.quayingredients.co.uk or if you local deli does not stock it tell them to phone Ian Southworth on 01729 840740, I am sure he will be happy to talk to them.

Flavour
(9/10)
Heat
(3/10)
Packaging
(7/10)
Value
(8/10)
Overall
(8/10)

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Restaurant Review – Wahaca – White City

by Hot Juan on February 21, 2012 · 0 comments

in Restaurant Reviews

wahaca

wahaca

Wahaca is a smallish restaurant chain at the moment 6 sites around London plus a street kitchen, it was started by Thomasina Miers and her Husband, I hope you will all remember Thomasina as she won the BBC cookery competition Masterchef in 2005 (Which I think was the only time I watched a complete series).

We decided to start do early as we has two children with us, who had been on the go all day, so just after 6 we arrived, the place was not full but was still busy, after a few moment we where show to our table and our waitress explained the options and then while we decided she brought us some nibbles.

Yummie

Yummie

We has the Fresh Tomato salsa, Guacamole, which my wife raved about, she is a but of an expert on eating Guacamole if left unwatched, and Frijoles which is a dip made with twice cooked black beans that has to be tried to be believed, it is served with a topping of finely grated cheese, all of these came with tortilla chips.

On the table we has a couple of Chilli Sauces which we have now got in our schedule for review, so more about them later.

We decided we would try all the street foods, it recommend we order 2-3 dishes each, so we has the lot:-

Tacos – Soft corn tortilla with:-

  • Port Pibil – Slow cooked pork with a Yucatecan marinade
  • Chicken Mole – Chicken in a Poblano Mole Sauce
  • Grilled  British Steak – Steak with a Chipltle Salsa
  • Winter Veg –  Veg with Mushrooms, Savoy Cabbage and Borlotti beans with a Pasilla Salsa

Tostadas – Crips tortilla with:-

  • MSC Herring – Smoke Herrings with Tomato Salsa and Lime Juice
  • Chicken Guajillo – Chicken , Lettuce, Guacamolewith Smokey Guajilli Oil
  • Black Bean – Refried beans, with Avacado Salsa, Cheese and Tomato Salsa

Taquitos- Corn tortillas wrapped around:-

  • Marinated Chicken – Lettuce, Cheese and Tomato Salsa
  • Savoy and Pasilla – Savoy Cabbage, Mushrooms, Pasilla Salsa with Lettuce, Feta and Chipotle Salsa.

Quesadillas – Large toasted tortillas folded over a filling of:-

  • Black Beans & Cheese
  • Chorizo & Potato
  • Chipotle Chicken
  • Huitlacoche – Mushrooms, corn, and melted cheese

There is no special children’s menu, but our waitress arranged some dishes to come without any spicy accompaniments, but most of the food was not overly spicy and while our five year old (Mary) did not eat a lot she liked the tortilla chips and Antony (11) loved it all

Churros Y Chocolate

Taste my Churros Y Chocolate at your own risk!

And then there was the puddings, but after so much we almost passed on this, but the “Churros Y Chocolate” was so tempting we order 3, two with Chocolate and one with Caramel sauce. As you can see Antony was very taken with these.

With drinks for 4 adults and 2 children the bill came to about £150, but we did not so short measures on anything and the street food ranged from £3.50 to £4.50 per plate.

This restaurant is not for the intimate romantic meal the place is noisy with little in the way of soft furnishing to deaden the sounds, if you closed you eyes you could be in a noisy street market. I understand that each of the other in the chain has it own individual ambience.

On the way out (and in) there was a large bowl full of what looked like  match books, but turned out to be promotional packs of seedsticks make by a company called Sow Easy , each contains 5 seedsticks with Serrano chilli seeds ready to plant and grown your own Mexican experience.

Over the weekend we visited a number of restaurants, some that included a service charge in the bill, but provided very little service, wahaca was not one of these we had a great time and we would like to thank Ed Rebelo and all the staff at wahaca for a great meal, we will be back to try more very soon.

Food & Drink
(9/10)
Service
(8/10)
Ambience
(7/10)
Value
(8/10)
Overall
(8/10)

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Monthly Newsletter – UK Chilli News, Review and Events

by Hot Juan on February 20, 2012

in General Information

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The Bath Pig – Spicy Chorizo

by Darth Naga on February 20, 2012 · 0 comments

in Product Reviews

The Bath Pig - British Pork Products

The Bath Pig - British Pork Chorizo

Good morning chilli padawanz!! Today we have one of those rare occasions where I am asked to try a chilli meat product and give my opinion on said product, normally I’d hand this off to another reviewer due to me being pescetarian and usually only eating fish, but in the case of this particular product I have heard so many rave reviews about them that I had to try it myself first hand!

The Bath Pig Spicy Chorizo

The Bath Pig Spicy Chorizo

The product I’m reviewing comes all the way from a company in bath that i have seen at various chilli shows but due to my dietary choices have never really shown much interest in their products…UNTIL NOW! I had spoken to “Becky Hamblin” on facebook who told me all about the company she works for called “The Bath Pig”, it was formed a few years ago by Matthew Chiles and Tim French. The two gentleman in question formed the company out of a mutual passion for food, and decided they wanted to produce a chorizo (and many other future products) from free range british pork! You can read more about their history. Right lets get down to the nitty gritty shall we?

Ingredients: British Pork (70% lean shoulder and 30% belly), Salt, Spices (Smoked Spanish Paprika, Cayenne, Clack Pepper, Ginger), Paprika Extract, Garlic and Herbs (Oregano, Rosemary).

Review sample supplied by Becky Hamblin over at www.thebathpig.com

Well where does one begin with such an interesting product to review? Before we go on I must point out to anyone worried that this review won’t be accurate due to the fact I usually only eat fish, i have been a pescetarian for only 5 years and I am also a qualified chef, so I know good quality meats and foods! Looking at the package I have to say that the chorizo itself is presented inside a nice bright red bag adorned with both the name of the company and the type of chorizo in clear and easy to read text, there are several little symbols pointing out that the product is 100% pork and is also only made using RSPCA approved “Freedom food” which basically means happy, free range piggies, therefore tastier meat! (it gets a massive thumbs up for being as animal friendly as a chorizo company can be!) There is a window on the front, through which i can see the lovely chorizo stick itself, very nice and red, with slightly lighter red pieces inside it, the back is plastered with lots of info, a little history and of course the obligaroty ingredients list, time to tear this open and have a taste!!

Upon opening, a slightly smoky, almost chipotle smell eminates from the bag and as i reach in and take out the chorizo a nice peppery, spicy smell comes too. The chorizo itself is quite weighty, and upon cutting a little off I notice its quite moist, which worries me a little as chorizo I have had in the past has always been a bit dryer, but a quick look at the pack assures me that if you prefer it drier you can just open the pack and leave it for awhile to cure even more! As I place the piece I cut off in my mouth and chew it up, an amazing taste fills my mouth, like a top of the line pork sausage seasoned with the finest herbs and spices, a tiny kick from the cayenne at the end to give this a “spicy” finish, but not a hot one, if that makes sense?

This is most definitely a product that gives traditional spanish chorizo a run for its money, and looking at the fact that these are only £3.25 each (130G) from www.thebathpig.com I would think that the price beats the traditional stuff too.. I’m all for tradition, but when british made chorizo can taste THIS good, I’m more than happy to drop tradition and get with the times! I spread a little dijon mustard on a couple of slices so I know that works beautifully, I must admit, about the only thing that lets this down is the heat level.. if Matt and Tim could come up with a habanero based chorizo that had a nice punch of heat, I reckon they’d be able to satisfy a large amount of the chilli community! I can see this chorizo being used in a wide variety of dishes, from paella to salads and sliced thinly on sandwiches and pizza’s, this particular product is extremely moreish and if I were to ever go back to eating meat full time, this would be in my cupboard on a regular basis!!

Right, until next time my chilli padawanz, may the sauce be with you, always!!

Flavour
(8/10)
Heat
(2/10)
Packaging
(7/10)
Value (7/10)
Overall (7/10)

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