Culinary Anthropologist

Culinary Anthropologist http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/ en Copyright 2012 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:05:56 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Spring preserving workshops, Fri 27th & Sat 28th April 2012

In partnership with Riverford, the lovely organic veg box people, I offer seasonal preserving workshops. We cover all the basics of preserving fruits and vegetables and together we make five you can take home.

You'll learn about sterilising jars, using sugar, salt and vinegar correctly as preservatives, reaching ‘setting point’ for jams and jellies, safe bottling and more. Class sizes are kept small and very hands-on. As well as your filled jars, there are recipes and guidance notes to take home.

At the Spring workshops we will use seasonal vegetables to make five different chutneys, pickles and relishes inspired by different culinary traditions around the world. The exact menu will be decided nearer the time when we know what produce the fields will be yielding!

“I greatly enjoyed the workshop. I thought there was the right combination of instruction, hands on experience and nice people. The lunch provided was delicious.”

“Thank you for a really inspiring and enjoyable day Spring Preserving. It’s just amazing what was produced and it made for an excellent Mothering Sunday! The atmosphere was so good and you really create a great event. I look forward to the next.”

Dates: Friday 27th, repeated Saturday 28th April 2012

Time: 10am - 3pm

Location: London N5

Price: £70 (includes lunch with wine)

To book: email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/04/spring-preserving-workshops-fr.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/04/spring-preserving-workshops-fr.html cooking classes daytime workshops chutney pickles preserving Riverford Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:05:56 +0000 Fish in a Day, Fri 23rd & Sat 24th March 2012

This workshop is a partnership between Culinary Anthropologist and the lovely Food Safari people.

We will focus on preparing and cooking sustainably caught fish and shellfish, such as lemon sole, sardines, mackerel, squid, oysters and mussels.

Anna will show you how to fillet flat and round fish, shuck oysters and prepare other shellfish. Everyone will have a go!

You will then cook your prepared seafood in various ways for a delicious and extensive Mediterranean seafood feast to share with plenty of wine to drink.

The menu will include (subject to availability):
Oysters three ways (including raw and baked)
Mackerel escabeche
Classic moules marinières
Lemon sole en papillote with leeks and dill
Risotto nero with braised and fried squid

You will go home confident to cook more fish and shellfish at home, a pack of all the recipes and a new appreciation of sustainable seafood choices. This is an intensive hands-on class, so come hungry to learn and to feast!

Dates: Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th March 2012

Time: 10am - 4pm

Location: London N5

Price: £95

To book: Email Anna

Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

Fish filleting photo credit Eating East.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/fish-in-a-day-fri-23rd-sat-24t.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/fish-in-a-day-fri-23rd-sat-24t.html cooking classes daytime workshops fish seafood shellfish Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:16:56 +0000 Cooking Club, Tues 13th & Weds 14th March 2012

March 2012 Cooking Club: Spring in the air
Lovely new greens will be appearing for use in lighter salads and vibrant dishes. We'll look to the Mediterranean for inspiration to propel us into spring.
(The exact menu will depend on ingredient availability.)

The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford's beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours - learning different culinary techniques each month - and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed these classes. I have learned many new skills and the classes have given me ideas on using seasonal vegetables. I have used many of the recipes again.”

“Thank you for another wonderfully inspiring and enjoyable evening.”

Date: Tuesday 13th March 2012, repeated Wednesday 14th if demand

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Location: London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)

Price: £40 per person per class. Or £35 if you book 3 Cooking Club class places, which could be 3 for you, or you plus 2 friends, or as gifts, or any combination of those options.

To book: Email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/cooking-club-tues-13th-weds-14-2.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/cooking-club-tues-13th-weds-14-2.html cooking classes evening classes cooking club Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:40:13 +0000 New Nordic Cuisine for the Home Cook, 9th & 10th March 2012

The world’s best restaurant, Noma in Copenhagen, has propelled new Nordic cuisine into the limelight. Chef René Redzepi’s innovative approach showcases the finest indigenous Nordic ingredients in fresh, light menus. Many of these ingredients also grow in Britain, or can be easily sourced. But with dishes such as edible soil (made from malt and hazelnuts), oyster porridge, veal and blackcurrant cookies, seabuckthorn leather with pickled elderflower, and chicken skin sandwich with lumpfish roe, this is not food most mere mortals can recreate at home.

Step in Mia Kristensen. Mia’s company CPH Good Food offers Nordic cuisine classes in Copenhagen to help home cooks translate the new Nordic diet movement into do-able, delicious and healthy home cooking. Culinary Anthropologist has teamed up with CPH Good Food to offer some special classes to bring new Nordic cuisine and its innovative use of all things seasonal, wild, smoked and preserved to Anna’s home teaching kitchen in London. We're going to cook up a feast together, including making our own bread and pizza, curing our own bacon and hot-smoking salmon - all techniques any home cook can master. See full menu below.

“I am passionate about Nordic cuisine - its seasonality, lightness of ingredients and symbiotic relationship to nature. Nordic foods contain all five basic tastes and this makes it complete. Many ingredients are found in nature, which encourages wonderful family trips, cooking in nature and of course eating together,” says Mia Kristensen.

A student of Food Science and disciple of the world’s most pre-eminent food nerds, Dr Harold McGee and Professor Peter Barham, Mia will share her knowledge of the whys and wherefores of cooking during our hands-on class, providing an insight into the culinary magic of restaurants like Noma.

On the menu:
Crispbread with ramson (wild garlic) pesto
Lightly cured & smoked salmon with celeriac salad
Malt pizza with home-cured bacon & herbs
Apple bread made with old wheat varieties
Pork cheeks in wheat beer
Cauliflower salad with salted hazelnuts, cress & dried cranberries
Spicy spelt salad with horseradish, cream, cabbage & apples
Danish Apple cake with skyr (Icelandic curd cheese) foam, oats & hazelnuts

Dates: Saturday 10th March 2012, and also Friday 9th March if demand

Time: 10am - around 2pm

Location: London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)

Price: £80

To book: Email Anna

Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/new-nordic-cuisine-for-the-hom.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/03/new-nordic-cuisine-for-the-hom.html cooking classes daytime workshops denmark nordic scandinavian Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:12:05 +0000 Eastern Mediterranean Meze class, Sat 11th Feb 2012

At this hands-on class you will cook a range of beautiful and delicious vegetarian meze dishes from Greece, Turkey, Syria and the Lebanon.

Our menu will include lemony stuffed vine leaves, smoky babaganoush, homemade flatbreads with colourful beetroot and butternut squash dips, falafel with tzatziki, spinach & Feta filo parcels and more, with honey-drenched baklava and sweet Turkish tea for dessert.

You will pick up lots of cunning culinary tips, eat and drink very well, and go home with a stunning new repertoire of recipes suitable for family suppers, dinner party starters and buffets for large crowds.

“Thanks for such a great class, it was brilliant fun and I learnt a lot.”

“Everything was perfect and so delicious. My friends and I were all blown away.”

“Thank you for a fantastic day on Saturday - so informative and enjoyable. Can't think how it could be improved.”

Date: Saturday 11th February 2012

Time: 10am - around 2pm

Location: London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)

Price: £70

To book: Email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-meze-cla.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-meze-cla.html cooking classes daytime workshops mediterranean meze Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:35:49 +0000 Cooking Club, Tues 7th & Weds 8th Feb 2012

February 2012 Cooking Club: Comfort cooking
As winter drags on we'll warm up with a delicious winter soup, hearty stew and comforting pud. Crowd-pleasing one-pot dishes will be the order of the day.
(The exact menu will depend on ingredient availability.)

The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford's beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours - learning different culinary techniques each month - and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

“Anna's style of teaching is calm, friendly, educational and relaxed. She really engaged with the group and gave exceptional tips on how different ingredients interact with each other. I learnt a lot and felt energised and motivated to cook with confidence.”

“We had a ball! It was a fantastic class.”

Date: Tuesday 7th February 2012, repeated Wednesday 8th if demand

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Location: London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)

Price: £40 per person per class. Or £35 if you book 3 Cooking Club class places, which could be 3 for you, or you plus 2 friends, or as gifts, or any combination of those options.

To book: Email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/cooking-club-tues-7th-weds-8th-1.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/cooking-club-tues-7th-weds-8th-1.html cooking classes evening classes cooking club Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:18:39 +0000 Winter preserving workshops, Fri 3rd & Sat 4th Feb 2012

Seville orange marmalade
Moroccan preserved lemons
Grapefruit curd
Spiced pickled oranges
Blood orange & port jelly or Cumberland sauce

"Thanks again for such a brilliant day and for sharing your wonderful skills. I can't believe how much we made and how much I learned in your lovely kitchen!"

"The pace was just right- a good combination of a bit of the science behind preserving, a hands on approach to learning, and the opportunity to chat and discuss. I think the size of the class was ideal."

Dates: Friday 3rd, repeated Saturday 4th February 2012

Time: 10am - 3pm

Location: London N5

Price: £70 (includes lunch with wine)

To book: email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/winter-preserving-workshops-fr.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/winter-preserving-workshops-fr.html cooking classes daytime workshops citrus marmalade preserving Riverford Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:56:56 +0000 Lemon panna cotta small, crisp cookie.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/lemon-panna-cotta.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/02/lemon-panna-cotta.html anytime desserts italy recipes cream lemons panna cotta Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:35:13 +0000 Baklava the southeast, notably the town of Gaziantep, which is surrounded by pistachio groves and known for its master baklava makers. Traditionally it would be made with yufka, which is a super-fine dough rather like filo, and baked in a round dish called a tepsi in a wood-fired oven. There are all kinds of different baklava shapes - layered, rolled, twisted and coiled - and it can of course be made with different nuts - walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts being most common. For added flavour use honey instead of some or all of the sugar.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/baklava.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/baklava.html anytime breads and cakes desserts greece recipes turkey baklava filo honey nuts sugar vegetarian yufka Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:05:01 +0000 Secret Kitchen menu, 22nd Jan 2012

a breakfast tour

Bloody Mary
Turkish nibbles

Polish żurek

Ethiopian ful

Blood orange sorbet

Coffee
Baklava

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/secret-kitchen-menu-22nd-jan-2.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/secret-kitchen-menu-22nd-jan-2.html secret kitchen breakfast menu Secret Kitchen Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:44:07 +0000 Winter rainbow coleslaw

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/winter-rainbow-coleslaw.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/winter-rainbow-coleslaw.html recipes salads uk winter cabbage coleslaw roots salad vegetarian Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:20:22 +0000 Cooking Club, Weds 11th Jan 2012

January 2012 Cooking Club: The usual suspects
We'll be cooking the usual winter suspects in some new and delicious ways. Think cabbages, swede, parsnip and celeriac - but fun and delicious!
(The exact menu will depend on ingredient availability.)

The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford's beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours - learning different culinary techniques each month - and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

“I really enjoyed the Cooking Club - and was very impressed with the results! You are inspirational!”

“I had a great time last night - it was fun, informative and relaxing.”

Date: Wednesday 11th January 2012

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Location: London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)

Price: £40 per person per class. Or £35 if you book 3 Cooking Club class places, which could be 3 for you, or you plus 2 friends, or as gifts, or any combination of those options.

To book: Email Anna Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/cooking-club-weds-11th-jan-201.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2012/01/cooking-club-weds-11th-jan-201.html cooking classes evening classes cooking club Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:46:49 +0000 The Ruby the fantastic bar in Copenhagen where we discovered it. Having made our way through their menu of forgotten cocktails - flips, punches and a real Martinez - we asked the barman to make us something with dill aquavit. Dill aquavit was on our shopping list as we knew it was traditional to serve at Christmas, and we were planning a Danish Christmas feast for one of our Secret Kitchen dinners in London.

The barman’s creation was a revelation - distinctly dilly, pink with grapefruit but most certainly a proper grown-up cocktail. (He called it an ‘866’, but we never found out why…) This is our own version, and the addition of grapefruit bitters is ours; you could leave it out. We recommend serving this with pickled herring on thin slices of rye bread.

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/the-ruby.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/the-ruby.html anytime drinks recipes aquavit cocktail denmark dill grapefruit Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:34:55 +0000 Glögg

]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/glogg.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/glogg.html drinks recipes winter Christmas denmark red wine sweden vodka Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:27:06 +0000 Indian spices tarka dal...

Nigella seeds, otherwise known as ‘black cumin’ despite being nothing to do with cumin, are from a flower closely related to love-in-the-mist. The Egyptians were some of the first to cultivate it, and must have valued it highly as some seeds were found in Tutankhamen’s grave. Two teaspoons of crushed seeds taken twice a day is said to boost the immune system. (Didn’t seem to work for young Tutankhamen though.)

Fenugreek seeds come from a bean plant. In some countries they are cooked up as a staple like dal or used to make a milk substitute for babies. Tutankhamen liked them as well, apparently. Used as a spice fenugreek has a distinctive aroma - a sweet savouriness reminiscent of maple syrup. In fact, it’s used to flavour artificial maple syrup.

Cumin seeds crop up in all sorts of recipes all over the world, from North African tagines, to Indian curries, East European soups, Mexican burritos and a few European cheeses and breads. The ancient Greeks loved it so much they kept it on the dining table in its own special box.

Fennel seeds are anise-flavoured, like the stems and leaves of the plant. Star anise is chewed in China, and fennel seeds in India, to ‘sweeten the breath’ - literally - the distinctive chemical compound common to both spices is 13 times as sweet as regular sugar, by weight.

Asafoetida powder, charmingly nick-named ‘devil’s dung’, is made from the sap of the root of a member of the carrot family. The sap is aged until resinous, sometimes in goat or sheepskin to enhance its naturally sweaty, sulphurous, stinky cheese scent. Don’t let this put you off, some claim the smell reminds them of white truffles. The vegetarian Jains in India use asafoetida in place of onions and garlic, which they avoid as uprooting them kills the future plant and disturbs the little bugs in the soil.

Cayenne powder is derived from the Cayenne variety of chilli pepper, which is approximately 3 times ‘hotter’ than the Serrano, at least 15 times hotter than Paprika, and over 100 times hotter than the Bell pepper (in Scoville pungency units). So beware how much you use.

Turmeric powder comes from the dried rhizome of a plant in the ginger family. It has been used since prehistoric times to colour skin, clothing and foods yellow, for ceremonial purposes and as a medicine and preservative. It’s still popular today - India produces some 350,000 tonnes each year.

Mustard seeds are usually added at the end of cooking as prolonged exposure to heat reduces their pungency and leaves behind a generic cabbage-family aroma. Black mustard seeds are the strongest, then brown, then yellow. On the global scale of trade, black pepper is the only spice to outdo mustard in monetary terms. The word ‘mustard’ comes from its use in the popular condiment - ‘must’-‘ardens’, ie ‘piquant must’, as prepared mustard used to be made with grape must.

Curry leaves come from a small citrus tree and are used widely in Indian and Malaysian cuisine. ‘Curry’ probably hails from the word ‘kari’, which means ‘spicy sauce’ in many languages in those regions. Most local names for the plant include the word ‘kari’, however there are no kari leaves in the usual curry spice mixes, and ‘kari’ can also mean ‘black’ it seems, referring to the colour of the leaves of a similar looking bush. Which would mean that the stupid Brits just called them ‘curry leaves’ because they heard a word that sounded similar - ‘kari’. To complicate matters further there is some evidence that the word ‘curry’ was used for stews in Britain before the first traders arrived in the subcontinent. A great etymological mystery that I will assign to my linguist husband for further research… Anyway, the leaves are usually added whole to dishes, like bay leaves, and often fried briefly in butter before being added, as in this recipe. They’re much better fresh than dried, and can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a week or two before they lose their flavour. Buy them on the branch if possible. It’s antidiabetic qualities are supported by scientific research.

Sources:
On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee, 2004
Food Plants of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk, 2005
www.wikipedia.org
www.plantcultures.org.uk
www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl ]]> http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/indian-spices.html http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2011/12/indian-spices.html herbs and spices india ingredients spice Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:11:00 +0000