Eat Happy!

Back in Business! Smoked Haddock with Tomato and Wholegrain Mustard

Posted on February 8, 2015 by emilypatriciaburt

Eat Happy has been on a three-week hiatus – due in part to multiple course deadlines and in part, yes, to the fact that the digital module which required me to post on a weekly basis has now ended. But I am going to try and get back into business, because there’s a lot more exciting food stuff happening around Cardiff; for the meantime here’s a fish recipe which is perfect for an alternative Sunday Roast. Thanks again to my Aunty Fran, the expert on all things haddock.

For the Baked Haddock

750g Smoked Haddock (skinned and boned)
100g Half fat Crème Fraîche
1 tbsp Wholegrain mustard
2-3 Tomatoes (thinly sliced)
Black pepper

For the Roast Potatoes

1.2kg Potatoes peeled and cut into manageable chunks

120g Black pudding

1Tbsp Rapeseed oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Slosh some oil into a roasting tin, add the potatoes and roast for 30mins.

After 30mins of cooking time give them a stir to unstick any from the tin. Break up the black pudding into small pieces, add them to the roasting tin and and stick back in the oven for another 15 mins.

If the fish is big divide it up into four evenly sized portions. Make four foil boats for the fish to go in, and place them in a baking tin. Season with black pepper and top with the sliced tomato.

Mix the mustard with the crème fraîche and spoon liberally over the top of each potion. Bake alongside the potatoes for 15 mins at 180ºc.

Because the fish has been cooked in its own little boat, serving is easy; it should just slide off the foil on to the plate! Serve with steamed veg.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, I’ll be back with all things foodie from here on in. Coming next, a review of FeD Cardiff, the newest fusion buffet in town! Get hungry, everyone.

Happy Eating Spots: New York Deli, Cardiff

Posted on January 15, 2015 by emilypatriciaburt

Salt Beef Bagel

In the depths of despair and heading underground for eight hours of council tax banding and the limitations placed on Local Commissioners, a lanky friend and I trawled Cardiff’s Royal Arcade in search of Fresh – a deli lauded to be the makers of the best baguette in Cardiff. Unfortunately I can’t tag them as a Happy Eating Spot, because when we got there they were closed. But I can put in a good word for the New York Deli, who were our next port of call.

Every time I’ve been past the New York Deli previously it’s been crammed with people; with good reason. Located slap bang in the middle of the High Street Arcade, this sharp little café is perfect for people watching, with high stools at the window and tables and chairs outside in the promenade. The service was friendly, helpful, and proactive in making sandwich recommendations. They upsold skilfully without being overbearing, and were really happy to have a chat with us while they made up our orders.

Sausage Sub

We had a salt beef bagel with cream cheese (£4.20) and a sausage sub, loaded with Italian Sausage, Mexican Sauce, Mustard, cheese and salad (£4.90). Both sandwiches were heavy on the filling without being stodgy, and the bagel was toasted to perfection. My standard complaint with salt beef is that it can often be a little on the dry side, but this was gorgeous; and the cream cheese (not something I’d normally pair with beef) worked wonders. I’d have put a little horseradish twist in the mix, but as a bagel goes I couldn’t fault this one.

Would go again, every day, if I could afford it. Next time you’re stuck for a sandwich in the city, this is the place.

(Fun Fact: The most unavailable sandwich shop in Cardiff is Sandwiched In The City, which I’ve tried to visit three times during it’s alleged ‘opening times’ only to find it closed in every instance. What’s going on there?)

Happy Eating Spots: Wahaca Cardiff

Posted on January 7, 2015 by emilypatriciaburt

I previously talked about Mexican hotspot Wahaca in my previous blog about Cardiff’s biggest food wins of the year; and it’s true that this trendy eatery is lauded as of the hottest spots around Cardiff to get a taco. As part of a heroic send-off to 2014 I stopped there for lunch on New Year’s Eve, and can confirm first-hand that it fully lives up to the hype!

Booking and vibes

Wahaca keep a few reservation spaces open over lunch and dinner so if you’re anxious about not getting a table you can book: but they have a largely open-door policy and always accommodate spontaneous visits. If there are no tables available on arrival you can grab a cocktail from the bar upstairs while you wait to be seated. There was a lovely buzzy atmosphere throughout the meal: having spent two years working as a waitress I know that stress carries faster than anything else in a restaurant – but the vibe was relaxed and lively.

Wahaca’s menu – I want all of it.

Starters

We started with Guacamole and Frijoles (black beans twice-cooked with sour cream) served with tortilla chips. Avocado is one of the rare foods that I really dislike. I hate the texture of it. It reminds me of soap that’s been left in the bottom of the shower and I find the taste too bland to justify it – so guacomole isn’t normally a dish I’d order. But Wahaca claim a secret recipe on their menu: and there must be something special in there, because it’s the only guacamole I’ve ever really enjoyed. Something in the mix gives the avocado a real kick, making it fantastically moreish: and if you want to find out what, I’ve thrown in a YouTube tutorial with one of their head chefs below.

Mains

Chicken taquitos

I went for three of the small street-food dishes and tried a marinated chicken taquito, a chorizo and potato quasedilla (the life-blood of the students at Berkeley, and so very nostalgic) and Plantain Tacos. If you’re eating as part of a big group, it’s worth being aware that the dishes come to the table as they are cooked, so get everyone swapping and sharing – holding back until everyone has a plate in front of them is not the Wahaca way.

First up were the Quasedillas – loaded with melted cheese and spicy chorizo, which cut brilliantly through the milder thyme-spiked potato.

The chicken taquitos were clean and crisp, which takes a real knack: one of the biggest issues I find with deep fried shells are the greasy finish. These had been cooked to perfection, and the simple make-up of the chicken, lettuce and tomato makes this one a sure fire dish for any picky eaters; hard to get wrong without compromising a great taste.

Plantain tacos

I was intrigued by the plantain tacos. Typically plantain is a very sweet fruit-veg hybrid, which I ate a lot of while living in Ghana but had never associated with Mexican Dining before. Wahaca serves them fried, in small soft tortillas with more frijole beans, a chipotle drizzle and sour cream – and they were gorgeous. You definitely need the chipotle to shout back at the sweetness of the plantain, but if I was going to try recreating any of the above dishes I’d go for this one. Well worth trying.

Verdict

Service was swift, our waitress had a thorough knowledge of the menu and everything I ate was superb. Five stars, Wahaca – this is a perfect Happy Eating spot, and you fully deserve to maintain your position as the darling of the Cardiff food scene.

Street Feast Cardiff’s next adventure…. Coming Soon?

Posted on January 3, 2015 by emilypatriciaburt

I was gutted to miss the last Depot event of the season on New Year’s Eve. But it looks like Street Feast Cardiff ain’t through with us yet! The collective changed their profile picture yesterday to give us a sneak peek of their next project – and if the Depot was anything to go by, this is one circus I’ll definitely be running away to join.

Read more about Street Feast Cardiff here

The Ultimate Hangover Dish: Potato Dauphinoise

Posted on January 2, 2015 by emilypatriciaburt

So the festive season is officially over, and we’re all suffering from a crippling collective hangover that the two weeks of indulgence have wrought upon us. Hangovers generally leave us craving carby fatty foods, to fill the space where we previously kept our dignity – and for me the mother of all hangover dishes is potato dauphinoise. An aunt once made this on the first New Years Day after I was legally able to drink, and I remember sitting on the living room carpet eating it out of the dish and wondering whether I’d ever feel human again. This is not a dish for everyday consumption, at least if you value your waistline, but I think it hits every hangover button.

The ingredients below serve 2-3, but I always find it’s best to make more than I can actually stomach, so adjust your portions accordingly.

Ingredients

3 potatoes, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 rashers of bacon, sliced (optional)

1 onion, sliced

300 ml double cream

200 ml milk

a large pile of grated cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Thinly slice the potatoes and simmer them on the hob with a pinch of salt for about four minutes, just to get them tender. While they’re cooking, fry the bacon and the onion in a separate pan.

Drain the potatoes and set them aside. Add the cream, milk and garlic to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

Layer up the potato slices in a deep ovenproof dish, scattering the onion and bacon liberally through them. Add generous helpings of black pepper through the layers.

Pour the sauce into the dish – there should be enough to just cover the top layer of potato, add another helping of pepper, and stick the dish in the oven for 20 minutes.

Take the dish out – the cream should be bubbling and cracking slightly on the top – and cover the top with a liberal helping of grated cheddar. Return to the oven for a further ten minutes.

When the cheese has melted and browned the top of the dish, it’s ready! Enjoy it as a very indulgent side serving, or just eat it straight out of the pan. Your hangover just got that little bit better. Happy New Year, everyone.

One last indulgence of the season!

Mulled drinks for Christmas and beyond…

Posted on December 23, 2014 by emilypatriciaburt

It’s Christmas Eve Eve and I’ve spent the whole afternoon drinking mulled cider and pulling the world apart with one of my best friends. Now filled with goodwill (and a lot of cider) I thought I’d pay tribute to mulled drinks, because I’d go for a mulled wine or cider over a hot chocolate any day – they’re a lot less sickly, they stay hot for longer, and I generally find them much more effective for warming cold bones. So here are three delicious drinks, with recipes and blogs attached, to mull over and keep you cosy this Christmas.

Wine

Mulled Wine is cracking because it’s really easy to make cheap red wine taste superb. I normally buy those four quid bottles of red from the bottom shelf in Tesco, and would probably argue against using anything more sophisticated as your base. After all, you’re only going to add a lot of sugar and ingredients to it anyway.

You can buy ready-made mulled wine blends like the Schwartz mixes, which are really cheap and easy to make up (A merry boozy Christmas, everyone), but if you fancy mulling a bottle of wine from scratch then add 60g of sugar, a cinnamon stick, a heaped teaspoon of cloves, nutmeg (fresh if you have it), a couple of star anise and a bay leaf to a good saucepan, pouring the wine over it. Then heat the wine very gently to a simmer, so the ingredients can combine well without you burning off all the alcohol. I’d always recommend throwing slicing an orange and adding that to the mix as well. Once it’s steaming take it off the heat and serve.

Jamie Oliver has a wonderful recipe for mulled wine, and if you’re still not sure about it then The BBC has some great tips as well.

Cider

Everyone suddenly seems to be claiming mulled cider is one of the most British things around, but I’d never really

Photograph used with permissions from Creative Commons

encountered it much before the last year. However I’m now in that starry-eyed phase of a new convert, and could happily imbibe it by the bucketload. This is not just a drink for Christmas- it’s one for the whole winter.

If you’re keen to get simmering, don’t pick up a fizzy cider – a 2 litre bottle of strongbow just won’t cut it. But that doesn’t mean you have to go fancy either, Sainsbury’s stock a basic flat cider that mulls beautifully. You can use much the same ingredients as with mulled wine, and if you want to give it a real kick spike it with some sloe gin or spiced rum.

A lovely blog was published recently on The Guardian all about the history of mulled cider with a tasty recipe tacked on the end; or if you feel like something really heady and indulgent, you can’t go wrong with a Nigella Lawson recipe.

(American) Cider

Mulled things don’t have to be alcoholic ones. One of the best things about living in California was their fantastic non-alcoholic mulled cider. I lived on it and pumpkin spiced lattes through the ‘fall’ months. America’s ‘cider’ is essentially our apple juice – but it’s my firm opinion that this is just one of those things that they do better. Like cheesecake. And Krispy Kreme.

If you were going to make American Mulled Cider yourself make sure you use a fresh juice for this as opposed to a concentrate juice, which would probably end up tasting weird and metallic. Otherwise, I’m just going to defer to the wisdom of Emma Chapman, whose recipe features on American blog A Beautiful Mess. She recommends that you wear a turtleneck jumper throughout the process. I rather like that.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve, everyone. I hope you’re all feeling as snug as I am.

Mary Berry, I love you too

Posted on December 19, 2014 by emilypatriciaburt

After my last post, this is almost serendipity! Mary Berry, what a legend.

Mince Pies, I love you

Posted on December 18, 2014 by emilypatriciaburt

Having survived the string of minor traumas that was the last week of term, I’ve relocated briefly back to London for the festive season, and am therefore entitled to start the delicious three-week binge that is Christmas. I’ve not actually had the first mince pie of the season yet; but it’s coming: over the horizon, like a juggernaut stuffed with raisins and bits of orange peel. They’re a divisive little snack. I know a lot of people who resent them: and to be fair, only being rolled out once a year puts a lot of pressure on a bite-sized festive tiffin. But I’m a massive fan; so here are a few random bits of trivia to try and get the haters on side.

1) The first mince pies date all the way back to the Crusades, when the rampaging armies of Richard the Lionheart looted spices and fruits from the Middle East.

2) They subsequently survived the Middle Ages, were popular during the Tudor years, and narrowly dodged eternal damnation from the part of the puritans.

You old Grinch, Cromwell.

3) Some people think that if you snack on one on Christmas Day itself you’re actually committing a criminal act: an old story is that Oliver Cromwell banned the consumption of mince pies on December 25th in 1657, and no-one’s got around to repealing that particular law yet.

4) They were stuffed primarily with meat until around the 19th century, when we kicked off our bad sugar habits by importing cane from the West Indies, and experimenting with orange rind, currants and cloves.

5) One age-old custom suggests that if you eat a mince pie on every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night (6th January) you will have happiness for the next 12 months – so there must be some serious karma somewhere in their little pastry packages.

So there you have it, plenty of good reasons to be munching on them, and I’ll be posting a recipe up in the next week!

One last thing: I hope everyone’s feeling festive in the countdown to Christmas and can therefore forgive the following small shout out. My friend Martha is working really hard to promote a wonderful charity called Giving What We Can, who are looking to get as many people as they can pledging to relieve the suffering caused by extreme poverty. They’ve got an event lined up in the new year which I’d encourage everyone to go and have a look at.

Alright, happy holidays, everyone! More seasonal offerings will soon be on the way.

One Tasty City: Cardiff’s 2014 food wins

Posted on December 11, 2014 by emilypatriciaburt

Before Eat Happy gets swept up in the festive spirit (because Christmas food is the best food and as of next week I’ll be doing nothing but chain baking mince pies) it’s time to celebrate Cardiff – because it’s had a really strong foodie run this year. Restaurants, pop-ups, campaigns and brands have been launched almost every week, and the city has been buzzing with brilliant new enterprises and ideas. So as exciting events simmer in the run-up to 2015, I thought I’d pull together some of Cardiff’s biggest culinary wins for this year. 1) A Brave New (chain) World There’s really something of the New World about Cardiff these days. In the past few months the city has seen a fleet of niche restaurant chains come steaming out of London to plant their flags around city centre, instead of chartering a Northern course to bigger more predictable cities like Manchester or Birmingham. Burger and Lobster, an upmarket chain that serve surf and turf at a fixed price of £20, will be throwing open their doors to Cardiff on December 12 – their first restaurant outside of London and the USA. You’ll be able to find their new restaurant in The Hayes, directly upstairs from Cardiff’s newest Miller & Carter’s Steakhouse. Wales Online recently had a sneak peek inside the joint before opening day: and it’s looking swish.

Burger and Lobster have arrived in the ‘Diff! I’m excited. Photo used with permission of Bex Walton via Creative Commons

Iconic US Burger chain Five Guys is on the way: they caused a twitter flurry in September when they announced the setting up of their first Welsh branch in Cardiff – although there’s been no hint yet of when they will officially open up shop. And planting its first flag outside London, Mexican Street Food chain Wahaca built up hype with free taco handouts and sneak peeks of the restaurant, before celebrating a very successful November launch. ‘The tidiest tacos on the ‘Taff’ have been doing a roaring trade ever since.

Wahaca is one of the newest niche chains to land in the ‘Diff

2) Sustainable City The Wahaca hype isn’t just about free tacos though- the chain also has a massive commitment to being a sustainable business. They’re all about minimising the environmental impact of their food, and take great care in sourcing and working with high-quality local ingredients. I recently chatted to food blogger Jane Cook, a.k.a the Hungry City Hippy, about Wahaca, and you can listen to her take on the restaurant in the soundbite below. Jane writes a lot about sustainability and ethical eating in her blog Hungry City Hippy: which has enjoyed a huge run of success this year. In July it was featured in The Guardian as the sustainable blog of the week, and it won both Best Food Blog, and Best New Blog in the 2014 Wales Blog Awards.

Image credits sustainabliefishcities.co.uk

Sustainability has been de rigueur this year, and one of the biggest sustainable shout-outs came in November, when Cardiff made a pledge to become the first sustainable fish city in the UK. Promoting healthy living and ethical food sourcing, Food Cardiff has pledged to serve thousands of sustainable fish meals to schools and hospitals. “There is a genuine desire amongst the Food Cardiff Council and the partners in the wider Food Cardiff Community to make food better for Cardiff’s people and the planet, ” said Katie Palmer, Sustainable Food Cities Co-Ordinator. “This creates a brilliant atmosphere for change.” It’s a big motion to put in place, and I’m really curious to see how it develops through 2015. You can learn more about the campaign on the sustainable fish cities website. 3) Take it To the Streets

It’s an industrial estate – but not as you know it.

You can’t talk about food in Cardiff this year without touching on Street Feast Cardiff. Prior to the last twelve months Cardiff’s street food scene had been more or less in hibernation. Extensive council prohibitions prevented independent traders from selling their wares on the vast majority of the city’s pedestrianised streets, and the food culture was primarily chain-centric. But 2014 saw the birth of Street Food Cardiff: a collective of street food traders looking to revolutionise the city’s mainstream dining culture, who collaborated with space The Depot to run a two-month long popup event. Every Friday and Saturday since the end of October, the abandoned industrial estate has filled with vendors, DJs, and thousands of people out to sample their high-end street fare. “We’re bored of bland chains and corporates and want great quality food without paying for the white table cloth,” their website claims – and they’ve clearly tapped into something.

Simon Thomas and Neil Young, members of the Street Food Collective

“As people we have always naturally been attracted to the DIY aesthetic, and a high-street alternative,” said Simon Thomas, organiser of Street Feast Cardiff. The event will leave you spoilt for choice on what to eat, with some brilliant brands on offer – although if I had to point you towards anyone I’d suggest Dirty Bird, a fried chicken van that captured international attention earlier this year with its eye-popping logo. They’re a regular feature at the event, alongside Chuck’s Burgers, Hangfire Smokehouse, and Bangkok Café – not to mention Burger and Lobster, who spent the last two weekends previewing at The Depot before the launch of their restaurant proper. “I just think it answers a call that people have been wanting in the city which is an antithesis to the high street,” Simon comments. “In some ways we are referencing trends that are going on, but I don’t think it’s trend-led what we’ve ended up with, it’s taste led.” While keeping his cards close to his chest, he hinted that there are big plans afoot both for Chuck’s Burgers and Haute Dogs in 2015. If you’re around Cardiff but have somehow failed to make it down to the Depot yet, get down there before the season ends on December 31. The Christmas Market on December 23^rd promises to be particularly special! Keep an eye on their Facebook Page for more event info, and have a listen to the YouTube below to hear more from Simon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJeZ7g339EA For the moment at least, this concludes the 2014 round-up. Cardiff, I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do next! Now I’m going out for a massive burrito, because all this food chat has made me hungry.

Baked Smoked Haddock with Leeks, Fennel, and Cream Cheese

Posted on December 2, 2014 by emilypatriciaburt

My Aunty Fran is one of the culinary legends of our family and she sent me this recipe, which is a tasty and surprisingly easy winter dish. I found a bunch of fennel on the Pippins’ 50p table the other week and had no idea what to do with it – not to mention the fact that Cardiff is having a great time with its fish at the moment -(mini-teaser for a blog coming next week), so this is quite a topical meal. Thanks to Fran for the recipe and photo!

Ingredients

2 Leeks
1 Florence Fennel
600-750g Smoked Haddock (cut into 4 pieces)
15g Butter
75g Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons milk.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Thinly slice the leeks and wash in cold water (to remove any bits of soil). Stick in a strainer or sieve so the water can drain off.
Cut the stalks off the fennel and thinly slice it: the head or the “bulb-y” bit is what you want to be cooking with.
Melt the butter in a flameproof dish on a low heat. Gently fry the leeks and fennel in the butter till softened, then take them off the heat and set them to one side.
Take the skin off the fish, and stick it into the dish on top of the leeks and fennel.
In a small bowl mix the cream cheese with the milk until you’ve got a nice thick consistency – you want to be able to pour it like thick cream.
Pour the mixture over the fish, top it with a generous helping of freshly ground black pepper, and cover with the dish with foil to bake in the pre heated oven for 20 minutes.

This dish goes amazingly with roasted potatoes, or a creamy mash if you’re feeling indulgent.

Eat Happy loves hearing about your favourite recipes, so if you have a favourite dish, send it in! After all, food is made for the sharing.