You know we’re a big fan of soup, so any time we come up with another tasty and easy recipe we love to share it with you.  This one is a heart warming spicy little number that won’t take you more than 25 minutes to make – promise!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion chopped
• 50-100g of chopped chorizo
• 1 chilli chopped (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 pepper (red/yellow/orange) chopped
• 750ml of chicken stock
• 1 carton of passata (400g)
• 50g of brown rice (or white if you prefer)

Prep: 5-10 mins    Cooking Time:  20 mins    Serves: 4

1. In a large pot heat up some oil (not olive – vegetable, rapeseed or butter)
2. Add in the onion, garlic, chorizo, chilli and pepper cook for about 5mins
3. Then add in the passata, chicken stock, rice and season well
4. Simmer for approx 20-25 mins, stirring occasionally.

And that’s it done – you can top with basil and or parmesan if you fancy too, before serving with some tasty crusty bread – enjoy!

Looking for somewhere to go for brunch?  Then look no further than Glasgow’s new Central Market – cafe, restaurant and deli, on Bell Street!

Opening its doors just over a month ago, we couldn’t wait to try this much raved about new addition to the Merchant City.  And we weren’t disappointed.  Open from 10am at the weekends we wandered in, in the hope for some scrummy Sunday breakfast.  With a menu of brunch options to suit pretty much all tastes, I couldn’t help but jump straight in for the eggs benedict with bacon – nom!

This is quite possibly the best eggs Benedict I have ever tasted, it tasted as fantastic as it looked.  At £5.00 for the dish this was great value for money and a must have Sunday brunch treat.  Their whole brunch menu is pretty reasonable with dishes on offer from £1.50 for pastries, to £6.00 for smoked salmon eggs Benedict.

My other half went for the french toast with bacon and maple syrup, made with some amazingly fresh local bread. This would definitely have been my second favourite brunch option after the eggs Benedict, unfortunately I had no room left for seconds.

Not only is the food of the most amazing quality, the staff and the overall dining experience within this cafe/restaurant is fabulous and fits in fantastically well to the cultural quarter of our city!  It’s perhaps no surprise as the chefs behind it have previously worked for Urban Brasserie and Malmaison.

Let’s not forget that they also have a little deli within the restaurant that offers a full range of the wines they have on their wine list – which I need to go back and sample… 11am on a Sunday was just a little too early for a tipple of some red wine!  They also sell a range of breads and coffees from local suppliers (Different Breid & Coffee Chocolate Tea) as well as a range of oils and vinegars from A l’Olivier.

Central Market also have lunch and dinner menus, and an oyster bar that we are itching to try.  So suffice to say we will be going back to sample even more of their delicious delights.

To sum up, for some of the best brunch in town, we point you in the direction of Central Market!

Looking for Christmas gifts with a difference? Gifts that tantalise the tastebuds of your nearest and dearest?  Then look no further than Demijohn’s Christmas gift range!

For starters, they have an exotic array of fruit vinegars – Bramble, Elderflower, Strawberry, Apple etc – to choose from which are great drizzled over salad, over ice cream or even make an appetizing soft drink when diluted with sparkling water. When combined with one of Demijohn’s Mediterrean olive oils they can transform a limp lettuce into a gourmet salad. Demijohn’s Oil and Vinegar sets are priced from: £17.20, with many other combinations are available at different prices.

For those wanting something stronger Demijohn has tempting taster sets with five small bottles of different gins nestled in a red cherry wood rack.

he Demijohn Apotheker Bottle Rack contains five 40ml glass bottles, tied together in a beautiful handmade red cherry bottle rack and customers can choose the contents or opt for one of Demijohn’s gift packs. The Gin Rack is a set of Demijohn’s most popular gin liqueurs and spirits and is perfect for a gin aficionado. The set includes traditional Sloe Gin from Worcestershire, Damson Gin from East Lothian, the marmalady Seville Orange Gin, the Christmassy Cranberry Gin Liqueur and the distinctive Gooseberry Gin Liqueur. All make the perfect, unique Gin and Tonics when mixed with tonic,  on the rocks, or they can be the basis of a Demijohn cocktail or two. It’s priced at £35.35.

For those who prefer other drinks Demijohn also do a Whisky Rack, a Vodka Rack and a Connoisseurs Rack, with a combination of their finest products.

Demijohn’s Owner Angus Ferguson said: “Christmas is all about fusing good flavours and indulgence. Our taster sets – the Goccia Bottle Carousel and the Apotheker Bottle Racks – make great gifts for those who like to try new flavours and enjoy the tactile feel of the handmade wooden racks. We also offer a complimentary personalised message on each bottle so it makes the present extra special.”

The new Oil and Vinegar Carousel, launched for Christmas, epitomises what Demijohn is about – great tasting vinegars and oils in a strong, elegant holder. Handmade from red cherry wood in Cumbria, with the added benefit of being able to personalise the bottles, it is the ideal gift.  We’ve already bought our Demijohn gift as a Christmas treat to ourselves – a HUGE bottle of their Morello Cherry Brandy Liqueur!

Demijohn
382 Byres Rd
Glasgow
G12 8AR
Tel: 0845 6048350

Open Mon-Sat 10-6pm, Sun 11.30-5pm
www.demijohn.co.uk

We received an unusual invitation recently… we were kindly invited to come along to The Living Room (St Vincent Street) to sample items from their new winter menu, on one condition… it was to be done blindfolded! It had been a while since we’d visited The Living Room and so we were excited and really didn’t know what to expect.

We were joined by fellow foodies to trial tasters and battle it out to see who in the room had the talented taste buds amongst us, and could guess the ingredients that made up their new menu. It was a tough challenge, but we were up for it and had our fingers crossed we wouldn’t come last!

First up (with our blindfolds on before they entered the room), the starters. We were eagerly ready to taste and try and figure out the subtle ingredients that made up these tasty treats. Our taste buds weren’t disappointed as we munched into their butternut squash, dolcelatté, walnut and honey tart – a seasonal combo at its best.  Alongside this we had a nibble on their other starter of Black Forest smoked cured ham and fig, with a goats cheese mousse and raspberry & beetroot vinaigrette – we totally didn’t guess the vinaigrette ingredients but it was damn tasty!

Then it was on to the mains. First up was a vegetarian dish and we were happy to note that the same cooking creativity went into this as with their meat and fish main courses.  The homemade glamorgan sausages, with a sage & onion soubise, braised lentils and mash was a taste sensation fitting for these winter months.

Next followed a spiced Morrocan lamb with apricots, dates and almonds served with giant cous cous! What a discovery…giant cous cous who knew?

Their new Seabass dish, always a fish fave with us, was served with a lentil casserole which made it very seasonal. And finally one of our favourite mains of the night, a pork and chorizo burget with a smoked paprika aioli on a brioche bun – this alone wants to make us book another visit!

The blindfols were back on in anticipation of the desserts, and we were soon tasting their twist on the old fave that is creme brulee. Throw in some coconut and passion fruit and, voila! A subtly tropical tasting brulee (I’m sure there was more skill to it than that, but however it was prepared, it was a lovely combo). Next was a taster of their cocktail-inspired version of Eton mess, ‘basil grande’ eton mess to be exact, so if you have room for dessert it’s most definitely a toss up between these two!

Last, but not least, was the tipple that The Living Room is known for – their exquisite cocktail menu! We failed miserably at guessing the ingredients in this round, our excuse is our tastebuds were tingling from the earlier courses, but the truth is we’re just not that good at guessing what’s in a cocktail! But each and every one of these were down right gorgeous… we just wished the glasses were bigger! Our faves were the Basil Grande (in liquid form as well as their meringue mess form) and the black cherry and vanilla Manhattan, topped with a maple & vanilla foam, in one word… NOM!

Dining in the dark/blindfolded was most certainly an experience and a great way to sample a menu. We didn’t win the battle of the blind tasting, but on the plus side we got to taste a whole array of the meals on The Living Room’s new menu.

We thought the new winter menu was pretty outstanding, we were well and truly impressed and only wish we could have indulged in vastly bigger portions, which ensures we will be back for more! But don’t take our word for it, check it out yourself, we highly recommend.

Average starter price: £4-7
Average main course prize: £10-16

The Living Room
150 St Vincent Street
Glasgow
G2 5NE

0141 229 0607
livingroom.co.uk

Cafe India, Albion Street, Glasgow

It was a Friday night so it was most definitely curry time! And with a HUGE choice of fine Indian restaurants in the city, deciding where to go was the first challenge.

This time we chose to visit Cafe India in the Merchant City, established in the city since 1987, this restaurant has won several dining awards over the years, so it was certainly on our most recent “eating out to do”.

Chicken Jhingha South India

We weren’t disappointed – friendly staff and a very inviting menu meant challenge number two was what to order! With dishes ranging from £10-£16 (popular dishes – chef’s specials) we treated ourselves with a Chef’s special, a Chicken Jhingha South Indian curry to be exact.  And oh my it was tasty, relatively spicy (but not too hohohot) and fresh, filled with tastebud-tingling ingredients – garlic, spices, black sesame and coconut.

Cafe India use locally sourced ingredients and cook their meals without ghee, which makes for a far healthier yet still very authentic Indian dining experience.

Royale Coffee

Having scoffed a very tasty main course, we were just nicely stuffed and chose to indulge in one of their coffee liqueurs for dessert. Royale Coffee was our choice – some fine coffee, Martell brandy and cream.  A fine end to a very fine dinner. Next time we plan on trying their After Eight coffee liqueur!

So if you’ve not been to Cafe India yet, or you’ve still to revisit, this is a curry time treat you should indulge in.

Dishes at Cafe India range from approx £9.00 – £16.00 from their A La Carte menu, but they also have a pre-theatre menu that offer 2-3 courses from £11.95. For those that like to try more than one dish at a time they also offer a tapas menu.

So when it’s next curry time, we’d recommend considering Cafe India.

Cafe India
29 Albion Street
Glasgow, G1 1LH
0141 552 5115

cafeindiaglasgow.com

My first ‘foodie penpals’ parcel

This was my first month of taking part in Foodie Penpals and what a good first month it has been!

Foodie Penpals is a scheme where food bloggers and readers are paired up every month to send and receive parcels of food and drink related goodies. It started off last year in America with 30 participants, which has now grown to over 1,300 and thanks to Carol Anne at This is Rock Salt, there are now also 200 participants in the UK and across Europe – for more details of the scheme, click here.

I received a beautifully packaged food parcel from the thoughtful Carly who runs the delightful blog: Carly Writes.

Carly had chosen an autumn theme for my parcel, so my food package was brimming with autumnal treats.

As you can see, Carly had packaged and wrapped my food goodies into cute little jars, all with hand written labels on them.

The box contained some tasty homemade items such as a loaf of Sticky Stem Ginger Cake, which didn’t last long in our house. She had made it from a BBC Good Food recipe, that you can from here.

Other homemade items included Slow Cooker Pear and Apple Butter, which Carly explained was picked as Apples and Pears are at their best at this time of year. I also followed her suggestion and spread the butter on to crumpets for a weekend treat. It was delicious!

Spiced cocoa

There was also a jar of spiced cocoa that really did taste of autumn and was perfect for a cold day. The cocoa was a combination of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Carly had kindly included extra marshmallows and a set of cool stripy cups to use on bonfire night. It was a brilliant idea and a really nice touch.

Fig & almond wedge

Lastly, Carly included a fig and almond wedge that she had chosen as figs are also in season. She had suggested that the wedge went extremely well with some cheese. I was adventurous and as it was from Spanish, I tried it with some Spanish cheese called Manchego. It turned out to be a great combination as they went beautifully together.

I have really enjoyed being part of this scheme and definitely recommend it to other bloggers and readers. Thank you to Carly for such a great introduction to Foodie Penpals.

For more information about Foodie Penpals visit This is Rock Salt.

Gourmet Salami & Chorizo

Can’t quite believe it was a week ago that we were enjoying the foodie wonderland that is the BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow.  We’ve gone for the last few years and wouldn’t dream of missing it as it delivers a whole gambit of delights for anyone that enjoys food and the odd tipple.  This year’s show certainly drew in the big names from the TV food land, including appearances from Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, James Martin and our new found faves, The Hairy Bikers (to name but a few).

The Hairy Bikers

The Hairy Bikers was certainly one of the highlights for us, having never seen them live before it was an hour of delightful entertainment.  We can’t believe we’ve never really embraced the world of The Hairy Bikers before now!  They’re so funny live and make you want to immediately run off to attempt the recipes they’ve just cooked up. Surprisingly they were cooking up healthy versions of chicken jalfrezi and chilli in a tortilla pot (the latter we will definitely be trying at ToG HQ, as we’re all for dinner in an edible bowl!). So we’ve been officially “sold”, The Hairy Bikers recipe books are going straight on our Christmas list.

Hog Roast

But it’s not just the big names from the world of TV cookery and baking that makes this show a joy to visit, you’re continuously tempted by stall upon stall of local Scottish and British produce.  This is what really sets our taste buds alight, from tasting freshly cooked Scottish hog roast, seriously good venison, organic prosecco, to freshly-baked bread and homemade fudge, there seemed no end to the goods on offer.

WFM Giffnock’s Sourdough Bread and Organic Prosecco

Our only disappointment was missing out on some great buys, for example, having ‘eyed up’ and smelled the amazing sourdough bread at WFM Giffnock’s stall, on our return to buy some, they’d all gone *sad face*, but to be fair the store is local so we’d happily find an excuse for another visit to pick some up from in-store.

So, you’ve gathered by now that we truly enjoyed this year’s show, however we do have to admit that come 2pm of our visit, it became pretty busy to say the least, and it was a bit of a struggle to get around the stalls easily. Although an obvious sign of its huge popularity, I think the lesson learned for next year is get in early from doors opening, have a tasting plan of action route around the venue AND when you see something you like, buy it there and then, as it’s not going to be there for long!

So for all of you who were lucky enough to attend this year’s show, we hope you a similarly enjoyable experience, I know we’ll certainly will be counting down to it’s return in 2013.  And if you haven’t made it along yet, then make sure it’s on your to-do list for next year, you most certainly won’t be disappointed!

We’ve listed below some of the companies we discovered on the day, selling the most amazing produce or giving out great foodie related advice:

• Seriously Good Venison
• Mo’s Cookie Dough
• Love Food Hate Waste
• A Taste of Galloway
• Borderfields
• Mrs Tilly’s
• The Cook School

leek, cherry toms & parmesan risotto

I opened the fridge the other day and noticed I had one lonely little leek left that needed to be used or it was going to compost heaven.  Being someone that doesn’t like waste I had a look in my cupoards hoping for inspiration.  That’s when I saw my packet of risotto rice and the rest is what they call history, but really it was just my little last minute risotto recipe.

Ingredients

• 300g of risotto rice
• 1 leek, chopped finely
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 medium glass of white wine (optional)
• 750ml (1 pint if not using wine) of vegetable stock
• 50g of grated parmesan (or more if you like it uber cheesy)

Prep: 5-10mins    Cooking Time: 20mins   Serves: 4

1. Put a small knob of butter into a very deep frying pan or medium sized pot and melt
2. Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until soft
3. Now add in the risotto rice and mix well with the onions and coat with the melted butter
4. Then it’s “glug glug glug” time, so chuck in the white wine (again this is optional – you can just jump straight to the next step) and stir until absorbed into the rice
5. Now add in the chopped leaks and stir until combined with the rice
6. Then you start to add the stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring continuously and only adding once the first ladle is absorbed into the rice – the key here is to keep stirring – this should take 10-15mins
7. Once all the stock is added and absorbed stir in the grated parmesan until melted and then add in the cherry tomatoes
8. Now season to taste and dish up in a large bowl with some warm crusty Italian bread, salad or just on its own.

And enjoy – tasty risotto in minutes!

The BBC Good Food Show Scotland is back in Glasgow this weekend, and to celebrate, we have teamed up with the organisers to offer you the chance to win five pairs of general admission tickets for Sunday, October 21.

The BBC Good Food Show is the biggest and best food Show in the country and this year’s line up is just as stellar as ever. Top foodie names including John Torode, Gregg Wallace, James Martin and Scotland’s own Tom Kitchin will be taking to the 600 seater Supertheatre, alongside Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood who will be bringing the Great British Bake Off to Glasgow for the first time! There will be hundreds of exhibitors including Orkney Cheddar, Hamlyns of Scotland, Luponde tea and many more.

SORRY FOLKS THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED – Keep up to date with all our news and competitions by ‘liking’ us on Facebook and or ‘following’ us on Twitter.

To enter, answer this simple question:

Which Great British Bake Off duo are appearing at this year’s show?

To enter, simply click here and submit your name, answer and email address. Be sure to mark the subject as Good Food Show competition.

We’ll contact the lucky winners on Wednesday evening via email, so keep an eye on your inbox – Good Luck!

If you’re not one of our lucky winners, you can still  buy tickets by visiting BBCGoodFoodShow.com or calling 0844 581 1360.

Terms and conditions:

• All tickets are general admission excluding Saturday. Due to delivery times of the tickets to the winners it’s likely that it will mean general admission on the Sunday, October 21, only.
• Tickets are non refundable and non-exchangeable – no cash alternatives will be provided.
• All prize elements are subject to availability.
• Ticket terms and conditions apply.
• Tickets will be mailed out directly to the competition winners on Thursday, October 18, recorded delivery.
• Tickets do not include a seat in the supertheatre.
• The winners are required to make their own way to and from the venue – no travel will be provided.
• The competition excludes anyone associated with Taste of Glasgow.
• The winners will be selected by 7pm on Wednesday, Oct 17, and contacted directly by email.
• The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• By entering this competition, you accept that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. You are providing your information to Taste of Glasgow and not to Facebook or Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for competition entry purposes.

The Hanoi Bike Shop

Having just opened towards the end of last month (September 2012), there’s been quite a buzz about Glasgow’s first Vietnamese canteen, The Hanoi Bike Shop.  As you can imagine we were itching to try it out, so Sunday lunch it was, along with some great expectations.

You may recognise that it sits exactly where Stravaigin 2 used to be, that’s because it’s replaced it and is run by same owners, along with The Ubiquitous Chip and Stravaigin.  So you can see why expectation were high.

Inside Hanoi

First impressions were that it felt so authentic, or what I would think to be an authentically Vietnamese canteen, as I’ve never had the pleasure to visit. The staff were instantly welcoming and very attentive throughout our whole lunch.  They were very helpful in guiding us through the menu, while recommending their own personal favourites from the menu. They were happy to advise, a touch we very much appreciated.

Goi Bo Su Han

With a menu offering ‘Street Food’, ‘From the Pot’, ‘Pho’, and ‘Banh Mi’, there was good choice, but not too overwhelming (which I liked).  I went for a choice from the Street Food options, Goi Bo Su Han – a rare beef and kohl rabi salad with rice noodles and chilli lime dressing. It was as divine as it sounds. Fresh, spicy and oh so very tasty, I was left wanting more, not that it wasn’t enough, I was just feeling very greedy!

Banh Mi – Kep Bo Xien Sa

My dining buddy then ordered the famous Beef Banh Mi, which is a French-influenced crusty baguette with carrot and daikon pickle, coriander, fresh chillies and a filling of your choice. I, of course, had a nibble of this too and it was like nothing I’d ever tried before, but most definitely would wish to try again.

Vietnamese Coffee

After our main courses we were just nicely stuffed, so afters weren’t on the agenda, that was until our lovely waitress described the Vietnamese coffee too me! Individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter (cà phê phin), Vietnamese coffee is brewed into a glass containing about a quarter of sweet condensed milk, which you then stir, and enjoy.  It literally is a liquid dessert and a must-have, I would go back for the coffee alone… in fact I may be putting that drip filter on my Christmas list this year!

So did it live up to our expectations?  Yes, it most definitely did! I’ve now discovered a cuisine that I can’t believe I’ve not until now had the pleasure to enjoy in Glasgow.  The food is fresh, spicy and a taste sensation to be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as an after pub nibble.  And with very friendly and attentive service, what more could you ask for? Home deliveries perhaps?

So thanks to The Hanoi Bike Shop for a wonderful Vietnamese street food experience, a Sunday lunch out of the ordinary.  Another visit is on the agenda, so in my Google translate best Vietnamese I have only one thing to say – Một loại kẹo deo.

Don’t take my word for it though, go check it out for yourself, quick!

The Hanoi Bike Shop
8 Ruthven Lane
Glasgow
G12 9BG

Average plate price:  £6

0141 334 7165

www.thehanoibikeshop.co.uk