Greece|Ελλάδα, RecipesTim PhedonMediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Pie, Chicken, Chicken Pie, Recipe, Shallot, Filo, Pastry, Greece, Greek Food, Greek Recipe, Eggs, Nutmeg, Dill, Thyme, Stock, Chicken Stock, Olive Oil, Mediterranean DietComment

Greece|Ελλάδα, RecipesTim PhedonMediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Pie, Chicken, Chicken Pie, Recipe, Shallot, Filo, Pastry, Greece, Greek Food, Greek Recipe, Eggs, Nutmeg, Dill, Thyme, Stock, Chicken Stock, Olive Oil, Mediterranean DietComment
Kotopita - The Best Chicken Pie in Greece Home RSS Another corker of a recipe here from Rick Stein, and when I mention the 'best' chicken pie in Greece, I am quoting the words of Mr. Stein himself in his cooking and TV series 'From Venice to Istanbul.' It was a recipe that I knew I had to try as soon as I watched him prepare it with some women in the mountainous region of Epirus in Western Greece. This was a clever recipe I thought. Using few ingredients (it's all you need), a whole chicken and more importantly the medicine the chicken produces in the form of stock, I liked the look of it. Equally using filo pastry (and sesame seeds as I have) brings you back to the Eastern Med, as opposed to say, Bolton. The beauty of this recipe really is the use of minimum ingredients that give maximum flavour. After testing it a few times, I added some extra flavours (nutmeg, thyme & dill) in usual FeedTim fashion. Perform this recipe when you have time because the longer and slower you poach the chicken, the sweeter the meat. It also makes a great dinner party piece. People love a pie. Kotopita Serves 6-8 as a main.   Ingredients Onions or shallots - 1kg, chopped 1 whole chicken - 1.5-2kg Nutmeg - 1/2 fresh grated or 1 tbsp ground Thyme - 8-10 sprigs fresh or 1 tbsp dried Dill - bunch of fresh or 2 tbsp dried Zest & Juice of 1/2 Lemon Eggs - 3, beaten Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper Light Olive Oil Filo Pastry - 2 x packs (around 14 sheets in total) White or Black Sesame Seeds for garnish Method Prepare your onions and add to a heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid that will comfortably fit a whole chicken. Add the chicken (with skin on) and cover with cold water until almost submerged. Put the heat on the lowest possible setting and cover partially with the lid so that it's barely on a simmer. Leave to poach for 5 hours. You can speed up the cooking process by cooking the meat on a slightly higher heat, but keep an eye on it so the pan doesn't overflow. You can tell when the meat is cooked because it should fall off the bone (between the leg & breast for example). Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool and strain the wonderful stock into a separate pan. Reserve the onions. Reduce the chicken stock on a high heat without the lid until it becomes a thick, gelatinous liquid. This will take a while (at least 30 mins). Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6 and take the filo out of the fridge. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, extract all of the meat from the bone and skin and add to a bowl with the onions, herbs, nutmeg, lemon zest & juice, eggs and seasoning (plenty of it). Add the stock to the same bowl once reduced down and mix well. With a bowl of olive oil at the ready, grease a rectangle or 30cm round pie dish with oil and begin layering the first pack of filo, alternating direction each time and brushing each layer with a little oil as you go. Add the chicken mixture and fold in the overhanging filo edges. Top with the 2nd pack of filo, alternating in the same way and folding over the filling. Seal in any overhanging edges and brush the top of the pie with a little more oil. Score the pie and garnish with the sesame seeds. Cook the pie for approx 50 mins, until it has browned nicely. Allow to rest for at least 15 mins before serving. Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummy with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Italy|Italia, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonGCL Food IngredientsVideo, Food Video, Inside The Factory, Factory, Nottingham, Italian, Italian Food, Tagliatelle, Sausage, Meat, Basilicata, Authentic, Authentic italian, Ragu, Pasta, Fresh Pasta, Food Documentary, Documentary, NPD Kitchen, ChiantiComment

Italy|Italia, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonGCL Food IngredientsVideo, Food Video, Inside The Factory, Factory, Nottingham, Italian, Italian Food, Tagliatelle, Sausage, Meat, Basilicata, Authentic, Authentic italian, Ragu, Pasta, Fresh Pasta, Food Documentary, Documentary, NPD Kitchen, ChiantiComment
GCL Food Ingredients x FeedTim </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS GCL Food Ingredients Ltd is a business with history, and one founded on the back of necessity and graft. The very man who started the business in 1964, Giorgio Tudino, represents the thousands of immigrants who came to the UK over this period to begin a new life. With humble roots in the town of Accettura situated in the Basilicata province of Southern Italy, this is a company that I look at with great admiration. It's one that makes me reflect on my own family's journey from Cyprus around the same period. But what I am going on about. A factory? Indeed. The HQ is a factory in Nottinghamshire that distributes predominantly Italian and Mediterranean produce to foodservice and industrial retailers and companies across the UK. Their list of clients is pretty impressive, including producing meatballs for Ask Italian & noodles for Wagamamas. But I didn't need any convincing to come and visit when I received the generous offer from MD Salvatore DeVivo. Salvatore (or 'Sav') is a cool guy. He's incredibly passionate about his work and has been a core part of leading GCL through massive expansion over recent years. Despite its size, the business still retains a family feel with a number of Sav's children, nephews and something in laws working there. A 2nd generation Italian, Sav has not forgotten his roots and despite his momentous ambitions for the business, quality of the ingredient is paramount in everything he does. This faith that is so entrenched in the company's philosophy was evident from the espresso presented before me as soon as I arrived. It hit me that this is a little pocket of Italy on an industrial estate in the East Midlands. The video summarises the experience nicely. I would however like to give a shout out to Sav, Pep, María and everyone else at GCL who made me feel part of the team for the day. What a fantastic experience it was and I had a lot of fun. I get excited walking down the international aisles of Tesco's, so being shown wines and D.O.P protected cheeses and cured meats hailing from Italy, France and Spain in every single physical form possible (be it whole, sliced or grated) was damn cool. What was even cooler was seeing the step by step process of the fresh Tagliatelle being made and learning how the guys there can adapt how the pasta is made to each customer's needs, from raw to partly cooked or completely cooked that simply needs 10 seconds to heat up before being served. This same flexibility applies to both fresh and filled pasta. Something I learnt while at GCL was the 'Bronze Die' method of producing pasta in the factory. How it works is that manufacturers create the dough which is then pushed through a mold (or 'die') that works it into the desired familiar shapes such as penne, spaghetti, orecchiette etc. The Bronze Die method more closely resembles how pasta would be made at home, because it's less perfect. In contrast to the norm of using teflon or steel dies which produce a more smooth, shiny (and perfect) pasta, Sav proudly explained how Bronze Cut means that the dough is extruded at a lower, less stressful pace that maintains a coarser texture. The result is that sauces can cling on to it more effectively.  The factory has a daily schedule of production depending on demand. When I popped along this included their fresh Tagliatelle and home made Basilicata sausage (a sausage originating from the family's region of Italy), whose recipe is unchanged. María and I cooked a ragù to create a dish that championed these fine ingredients. Despite going against the traditional ragù mix of beef & pork, I look forward to you trying this recipe out for yourself. If you struggle to source Basilicata sausage, the spicy Italian alternative 'Nduja will also work. I do however challenge you to source some pasta that has just been made as we did (any respectable Nonna will do).  A thank you to you for reading and watching. Recipe below... In the words of María -  Tagliatelle all'uovo with Basilicata Sausage Ragù  Recipe measurements adapted to serve 4. Also note cooking times will vary depending on whether you're using fresh or dried pasta. Before being hit by a wave of criticism, I am aware the traditional method of cooking an Italian ragù does not include tomato passata or chopped tomatoes, but stock and tomato paste. But as we're not using the traditional blend of pork & beef (or veal), this is a bit of a hybrid version anyway.    Ingredients Onion - 1 large, finely chopped Carrot - 1, finely diced Celery - 1, finely diced Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped or minced Basilicata sausage meat - 500g (alternatively use a mix of high welfare pork mince and 'Nduja) White Wine - 1/2 bottle (Chianti a nice option) Chopped Tomatoes or Tomato Passata - 2 tins (800g) Fresh Basil - roughly torn (plus extra to serve) Paprika - 1 tsp Salt & freshly ground Black pepper Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tagliatelle - 600g, fresh or dried Grated Parmesan or Pecorino to serve   Method Prepare your sofrito (onion, carrot, celery, garlic) and add to the pan with a good glug of olive oil. Cook the Sofrito for approx. 10 mins on a medium heat until soft but not brown. Sausage meat - add to the pan and brown (don't stir it too much as this will release a lot of its juices and make it boil rather than brown) Wine - add to the pan once the meat has browned slightly and the sofrito has started to caramelise with the meat juices Tomatoes - add and fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan Basil, Paprika & seasoning - add and mix well Cook on a simmer with the lid ajar for at least 45 minutes (anything above 2 hours will deliver the best results). Stir occasionally.  When ready to serve cook the tagliatelle in a pot of boiling, salted water 3 minutes before what the packet instructions say (it will still be too raw to eat). Add the pasta to the ragù with tongs, making sure to add some of the starchy cooking water, and add a small cup of extra water after. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, stir on the heat then clamp the lid on and leave to rest off the heat for a minutes before serving. (Don't worry if it looks a bit wet at this point, the cooked pasta will absorb the oil and cooking water as it rests). Serve with some extra fresh basil and grated cheese.   Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummy with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Greece|Ελλάδα, RecipesTim PhedonStifado, Vegetarian, Onions, Shallot, Stew, Greece, Greek Food, Healthy, Sherry, Wine, Easy, Recipe, Easy Recipe, Traditional, Tomato, Vegan, Greek Recipe, Food Blog, Food Blogger, Mediterranean, Mediterranean FoodComment

Greece|Ελλάδα, RecipesTim PhedonStifado, Vegetarian, Onions, Shallot, Stew, Greece, Greek Food, Healthy, Sherry, Wine, Easy, Recipe, Easy Recipe, Traditional, Tomato, Vegan, Greek Recipe, Food Blog, Food Blogger, Mediterranean, Mediterranean FoodComment
Shallot Stifado Home RSS Stifado, the humble Greek stew that everyone seems to love. It came to my surprise when a very good friend of mine from Barnsley stated boldly that it was one of his favourite dishes, ever. I can easily agree with my good Yorkshire man, it's en example of slow cooking at its best, it's easy to prepare and produces a rich, umptious and sweet sauce that is divine. But here's the thing, I don't really get chunks of meat in a stew. There's no reason why, I just prefer stews kept veggie and the meat (or fish) prepared in a different way. Some might argue that this view deprives the protein from taking on the flavour of the stew. Quite right, but then separating the two allows the cook to be more creative and to incorporate different flavours, cooking methods and textures that can enhance the dish even further.  A stifado traditionally features two main components: shallots and Rabbit or Beef (time to plug my review of the stifado I ate at Lemonia in London). I took inspiration however from the one cooked by Rick Stein in his 'Venice to Istanbul' cookbook that substitutes the meat for even more shallots. While Rick had the privilege of using the local 'vatikiotika' variety of shallot in the Greek Peloponnese, I made do with Tesco's own. In any case the key here is long, slow cooking to make the shallots extra sweet. Using the quantity of shallots in this recipe ironically gives the dish a meaty feel in its own right. Shallot Stifado Serves 4 Optional sides include orzo pasta, rice or even mashed potato.   Ingredients Shallots - 1kg (approx. 40), peeled and kept whole Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped Bay - 5 leaves Mixed Spice - 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar - 2 tbsp White Wine or sherry - 1 glass Honey - 2 tbsp (use Greek honey if you want to be more authentic) Chopped Tomatoes - 1 400g tin Fresh Vine Tomatoes - 3, roughly chopped Tomato Purée - 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper   Method Preheat your oven to 150C/130C fan/Gas mark 2. Shallots - add to the pan of olive oil on a low heat and cook gently for at least 15 minutes to soften and brown slightly. Stir occasionally. Garlic, Bay & Mixed Spice - add to the pan and stir Vinegar & Wine - add once the shallots have softened and reduce on a medium/high heat Tomatoes (fresh, tinned & purée) & Honey - add when the wine has reduced to a thick syrup Season well with Salt & Pepper then cook in the oven for 1 hour with the lid on. After an hour replace the lid and cook for another hour. Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos.  Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummy with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonAnnie B's Spanish KitchenSpanish Food, Spain, España, Salad, Healthy, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Cadiz, Aubergine, Cumin, Preserved Lemon, Carrot Salad, Chickpea, Cheese, Feta Salad, Vegetarian, Re, Easy, Spanish Wine, Wine, SherryComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonAnnie B's Spanish KitchenSpanish Food, Spain, España, Salad, Healthy, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Cadiz, Aubergine, Cumin, Preserved Lemon, Carrot Salad, Chickpea, Cheese, Feta Salad, Vegetarian, Re, Easy, Spanish Wine, Wine, SherryComment
Annie B's Spanish Kitchen (Salads & Dips) </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS The final episode in the trilogy hosted at Annie B's Spanish Kitchen features an array of new and exciting salads that will stand your dinner party apart. Please use the measurements in the recipes as a guide, as the amount of certain flavours can be altered to taste. Carrot & Cumin Salad Ingredients Carrots - 4 Parsley - handful, chopped finely Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsp, toasted  Garlic - 2 cloves, finely sliced or minced Sherry Vinegar - 2 tbsp (or 20 sprays as in video) Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt   Method Carrots - boil until tender. Drain and cool before peeling their skins off. Slice into 1cm rounds. Mix with all other ingredients. Chickpea, Orange, Feta & Mint Salad Ingredients Chickpeas - 400g tin, drained & rinsed Orange - 1, peeled and cut into segments (juice reserved) Feta - 100g, cubed Fresh Mint - handful, roughly chopped Fresh Parsley - handful, roughly chopped Olives - handful, pitted (Kalamata olives recommended)   Dressing Juice of Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil Red Wine Vinegar - 2 tbsp Salt & Pepper Aubergine, Garlic & Tahini Dip Ingredients Aubergines - 5 Garlic - 2, peeled Tahini - 3 tbsp Salt & Pepper   Method Aubergines - roast or barbecue whole with skins on until soft. Blitz with all other ingredients until you get a purée. Loosen with a little water if you prefer a runnier consistency. Cucumber, Preserved Lemon & Parsley Salad Ingredients Cucumbers - 2 peeled, deseeded & roughly chopped Preserved Lemon - 1-2, flesh extracted and peel finely diced (or sliced if preferred) Parsley - handful, roughly chopped White Wine Vinegar - 2 tbsp Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummy with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonRecipe, Spanish Food, Spain, Spanish, Spanish Language, Chicken, Moroccan, Moroccan Food, Marinade, Butcher, Organic, Free-range, Video, Youtube, Cumin, Soup, Vegetarian, Vlog, Cadiz, Healthy, Garlic, Gazpacho, SaladComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonRecipe, Spanish Food, Spain, Spanish, Spanish Language, Chicken, Moroccan, Moroccan Food, Marinade, Butcher, Organic, Free-range, Video, Youtube, Cumin, Soup, Vegetarian, Vlog, Cadiz, Healthy, Garlic, Gazpacho, SaladComment
Annie B's Spanish Kitchen (Moroccan Chicken Marinade) </iframe>" data-provider-name="" Home RSS Alas, the final episode to come out of my series in Andalucía is with Anne Manson, the woman who really made this whole series possible. If you follow me on social media you’re likely to have come across Anne’s name a fair few times. The simple reason for this is that Anne massively impacted my passion for cooking and learning of Spanish/North African flavours eversince the time I was a student at her cooking school in July 2015.   After learning the fascinating science behind sherry and how to pair it with food, sourcing all our ingredients from local suppliers and being escorted back in time with every recipe, I think Anne could tell her youngest student on that course was pretty excited about what he was seeing (me btw). I must have done something right because it wasn't long after that she invited me back to Spain to assist at her cookery school for 3 months, an offer I couldn’t refuse.  I will never forget the first day I arrived back to Vejer for this opportunity. This was the day I learnt that, apart from when cooking classes were being held, I had reign over the kitchen. Perhaps it was because Anne enjoyed the Spaghetti Vongole I prepared for lunch that very day with the fresh clams we bought from the market. The three months I spent with Anne and the other friends I had the honour of making out there was quite literally a dream for me. At Annie B’s Spanish Kitchen, I was a free spirit cook. There were no limits, and I learnt so much. If I saw something I wanted to try one morning, I would be testing it that very afternoon. One day Anne came across a photo posted by Moro  restaurant in London of the Cuttlefish Koftas that were on the specials that day. Before I knew it I was on the phone to Sam Clark (joint owner with wife Sam) writing down the ingredients (I am still over the moon that he gave me his time). We later tested the recipe, which can be found here .   I owe a lot to Annie, and of course this final episode in Andalucía is in honour of her. Whether it was the random days we would venture into the town to sample new dishes for lunch (for ‘research’ purposes), allowing me to cook for her friends at dinner parties and of course the time she took me to Tangiers for my birthday, I was living a life where I was inspired everyday from a rightfully acclaimed ambassador of the local food and wine. It is for this reason that this trilogy is different from the other episodes in the series, with more live cooking and a menu with influences from Morocco. The 3 videos with Anne will teach you a spectrum of colourful and flavourful recipes, including a chicken marinade in Part 1, an iconic white gazpacho in Part 2 (which makes a great dinner party appetiser in summer) and some exciting salads and dips in Part 3. If you are looking to take part in a cooking programme, then it’s evident which one I would recommend…as does the Times….and the Daily Telegraph.  Part 1 - Moroccan Marinade This episode begins at Carnicería Paco Melero, the local butcher in Vejer who has become a hero somewhat. The town really depends on his locaIly sourced Retinto Beef, chorizos, morcillas and corn-fed chickens. However Paco and his team are most famed for Lomo en Manteca (literally pork in its own fat). His pride and relationship with suppliers has attracted media from across Spain to his humble butchers.  We prepared this marinade for chicken, but it also compliments lamb and fish very well (especially salmon & monkfish)   Ingredients Coriander Seeds - 1.5 tbsp Cumin Seeds - 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar - 1/3 cup Cinnamon - 3 tsp Salt - 2 tsp Sugar - 2 tsp Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp (to taste)   Method Coriander/Cumin seeds - toast in a dry pan until you can smell their gentle aromas. Keep an eye out so as not to burn. Then grind both spices in a pestle & mortar (or coffee grinder as we did in the video) All ingredients - add to a jar and shake Marinade your meat/fish and leave in the fridge for the spices to infuse (preferably overnight) Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Welcome Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummy with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonArroz, Rice, Potato, Paella, Tuna, Atún, Spain, Spanish Language, Spanish Food, Spanish, Tomate, Tomato, Healthy, Andalucía, Andalusia, Anchovies, Gazpacho, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Sofrito, MackerelComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonArroz, Rice, Potato, Paella, Tuna, Atún, Spain, Spanish Language, Spanish Food, Spanish, Tomate, Tomato, Healthy, Andalucía, Andalusia, Anchovies, Gazpacho, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Sofrito, MackerelComment
Magi's Kitchen (Arroz con Tomate) </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS A wonderfully simple dish with its roots in a traditional paella that goes heavier on the smoked paprika. Very Spanish. Unlike paella though, it’s not served as the main dish but as an accompaniment. Judging by our faces, we were thoroughly enjoying preparing it as well. Let's hope you do too. In the original recipe, Magi added canned tuna to the rice and decorated the dish with slices of fried potato. In this recipe I replaced the tuna with a piece of fresh, pan-fried mackerel and ditched the potato. Arroz con Tomate Serves 6 Preparation Prep Time – 15mins Cooking Time – 1hr Rest time – min. 30mins   Ingredients Green Peppers – 3 (reserving 1 for decoration) Onion – 1, finely chopped Tomatoes – 6 peeled and roughly chopped Bay Leaves – 3 Pimentón (sweet or spicy smoked paprika) – 1 heaped tbsp Bomba (Paella) Rice – 300g / 1.5mugs White Wine – 125ml / ½mug Stock Cubes – 2 (dissolved in stock) Saffron – good pinch (dissolved in stock) Water – 1litre / 4mugs Lemon Juice – squeeze (extra to serve) Salt & Pepper Fresh Mackerel fillets - 1 per person   Method Pre heat your oven to 220°C Green Pepper – add 1 to the oven on a sheet of foil for 45mins, turning over half way through. After set aside to cool Prepare your sofrito: Tomatoes – cover in a jug of boiling water while you prepare your other ingredients Green Peppers and Onion – deseed peppers and dice both. Add to a pan of olive oil over a medium heat for 15mins, stirring occasionally Tomatoes – remove from water, dry and peel skin. Once peeled, roughly chop and add to the pan with the onion and peppers Bay Leaves, Pimentón, Black Pepper – add to pan after tomatoes and cook down for approx. 20mins Rice – add to the pan and stir to coat in the juices White Wine & Water – add to the pan (with stock cubes and saffron dissolved) Salt & Lemon Juice – add and give it a good stir Bring to the boil, stir for a final time and turn down the heat. Cook until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, shuffling the pan occasionally (approx. 20mins) Make sure NOT ALL the liquid has been completely absorbed In the meantime: Green Pepper from oven – core, deseed, pat dry and thinly slice for decoration Once most liquid has been absorbed and the rice tests slightly al dente, remove the pan from the heat, remove the bay leaves, decorate with the green pepper and cover tightly with foil. Leave to rest for min. 30mins before serving As the rice rests: Dry and salt your fresh mackerel fillet Add fillet to a heated pan of olive oil. Fry skin side down for approx. 2mins (or until the fillet begins to inflate) then turn over and fry for 1min Add further lemon juice to taste  Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos.  Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummie with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonSpain, España, Salad, Tuna, Tuna Salad, Healthy, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Andalucía, Andalusia, Cadiz, Atún, Spanish Food, Spanish Language, Spanish, Sardines, Grilled, BBQ, Fresh Fish, Recipe, How To, Food VideoComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonSpain, España, Salad, Tuna, Tuna Salad, Healthy, Mediterranean Food, Mediterranean, Andalucía, Andalusia, Cadiz, Atún, Spanish Food, Spanish Language, Spanish, Sardines, Grilled, BBQ, Fresh Fish, Recipe, How To, Food VideoComment
María's Kitchen (Tuna & Pepper Salad with Grilled Sardines) </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS Tuna salad with María’s Peppers Like the Arroz con Tomate dish I prepared with Magi, this refreshing salad used tinned tuna. I hate to say it but tinned tuna is just not the same over here. Many Spaniards will buy canned Bonito tuna which is more meaty (and delicious) than the kind we get over here. You can quite easily find canned Bonito from most Mediterranean delis, but as a substitute I would suggest canned sardines. Alternatively, if you can get your hands on some lush organic peppers then I don’t think fish is even needed. Let the fresh veg speak for themselves. Preparation Roasting Time - 1hr 30mins Prep Time - 20mins   Ingredients Rough guide Green & Red Peppers - 3 in total Onion - 1 Bonito Tuna - 1 can Sea Salt Sherry Vinegar - 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil Method Peppers - roast whole for approx. 1hr 30mins at 180°C until charred and very soft. Once cool, halve, core, deseed and dry the peppers before slicing them in to long, thin strips. Add to the serving bowl Onion - finely slice and add to the bowl Tuna - Remove from the can and delicately slice into small chunks (removing any bones if using sardines) Dress with the sea salt, sherry vinegar and a LIGHT coating of extra virgin olive oil (unlike myself). Give it a good but gentle mix and serve (or chill in the fridge and dress later) If you can get your hands on some fresh sardines, grill them as a side dish. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and salt and cook on a burning hot barbecue or griddle pan until crispy. To check that the sardines are cooked, pinch the thickest part of the fish where the flesh should fall off the bone easily. Before serving squeeze over some lemon juice and fresh parsley Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummie with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonSpain, Spanish Language, Spanish, Spanish Food, Andalucía, Andalusia, Cadiz, Paella, Shellfish, Gambas, Salmorejo, Video, Recipe, Episode, Youtube, Tapas, Monkfish, Sofrito, Rice, Eggs, JamónComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonSpain, Spanish Language, Spanish, Spanish Food, Andalucía, Andalusia, Cadiz, Paella, Shellfish, Gambas, Salmorejo, Video, Recipe, Episode, Youtube, Tapas, Monkfish, Sofrito, Rice, Eggs, JamónComment
Pepi's Kitchen </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS Episode 3 and we’re cooking with Pepi. It’s been a while since I have known this awfully humble and kind lady. Pepi is one of the quieter women of the town of Vejer de la Frontera that you will typically meet. She has a soft and very warm approach and I was fascinated by her from the first time we met.  Why Pepi in particular? Well, I first met her whilst a student on a week long cooking course at Annie B’s Spanish Kitchen , the very reason why I first found myself in the stunning hilltop town. Pepi was, and still works as Annie’s kitchen assistant. A petite woman with rich brunette hair and wide eyes, she is quite a model as she prepares ingredients quietly in the background for the class ahead while Annie takes you on a gastronomical journey (literally through the markets and sherry bodegas) but also at her home where she endlessly produces maps, herbs, spices and indeed wine to explain the background of the dishes to be cooked over the day. I can’t remember a time when I have seen Pepi without heels on; which trust me, is a crazy prospect if you are to ever visit and walk around the steep hills of Vejer.  I naturally gravitated to Pepi because she speaks little to no English - this was a chance for me to whack out some of the lingo I (hopefully) had learnt during my degree. Returning to Vejer in 2016 allowed me to get to know Pepi and her family. Her husband Ignacio is the well-known local barber whose barber shop is designed like a 70s living room. Furnished with plenty of wooden panels, there is a continuous stench of tobacco from his regular breaks smoking outside the front door of the shop (except not really outside). A proud, slightly macho entertainer with an impressively low-voice, I enjoyed paying Ignacio a visit. It’s safe to say I always looked very ‘local’ whenever I stepped out of Ignacio’s barbers.  I always appreciated Annie taking on a local Vejeriega from the town to assist her. Pepi loves her job and despite born, raised and still living in Vejer, she has been exposed to a host of different cultures and people through her job. And of course, who better is there to teach you an authentic Andalucían paella which features on the course. The memory I had from preparing and eating this paella gave me no choice but to cook it again for my series, but this time in Pepi’s own kitchen. In fact Pepi was delighted when I asked her, which delighted me because I was desperate to share the recipe.  Paella is a staple across the entire eastern and southern coast of Spain (from the Costa Brava in Cataluña to the Costa de la Luz in Cádiz). Unlike, for example, a Valencian paella that typically features meat (rabbit, chicken, even snails) with green beans, an Andalucían paella celebrates fish and notably shellfish. What fascinated me most about cooking this dish was that Pepi would regularly mix the rice. I was so used to leaving the dish once adding the rice because of paella rice's sensitive structure. My evening cooking with Pepi was not just a run through of a typical paella and salmorejo for starters, but a lesson in Andalucían cookery (aka a dream). My tip here is to prepare your own stock with the heads and shells of the prawns you will use and to not hold back on the saffron. Paella de Pepi Serves 6 - 8 You will need 3 pans for this marathon dish and a visit to the fish market is a must. A paella pan is not essential This paella is an effort, but I can promise you now it’s completely worth it. Again, prepare your own stock…   Ingredients   Olive Oil Onion - 1 large Red Pepper - 1 Green Pepper - 1 Tomatoes - 4 Fresh Mussels - 1kg Cuttlefish - 700g (calamari a good alternative)  Gambas - 500g (reserve heads & shells for stock, leaving some in their shells for decoration) Clams - 500g Bomba Rice - 2 cups Stock - 6 cups Saffron - 1/4 cup (refer to video) Sea Salt Monkfish - 1 fillet (filleted)  Lemon - 1 Fresh Parsley - handful Method Prepare everything - chop your veg, peel and deseed your tomatoes, clean your mussels and clams, slice your fish and fillet if required, behead and skin your prawns (reserving some for decoration) - be ready Sofrito - heat a good glug of olive oil in your pan on a medium heat and begin by frying your chopped onion and red pepper. After a couple of minutes add the chopped green pepper and then your roughly chopped tomatoes  Mussels - boil in another pan with plenty of water for just a few minutes until they begin to open. Drain and discard any whose shells are still closed. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells (reserving a few in their shells for decoration) Cuttlefish - add to the main pan and coat in the sofrito. Pepi suggests adding the fish once the water from the sofrito has evaporated Prawn heads & shells - add olive oil to the same pan used to boil your mussels on a medium heat and fry the heads and shells of the prawns. After a few minutes add 600ml to the pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer gently for at least 20 minutes Clams - drain the stock water into another pan and discard the heads & shells of the prawns. Bring the stock back to the boil and add the clams. Boil until the shells begin to open then drain from the pan and keep for later, reserving the stock water as well. (Once cool you can remove the clam meat from their shells if you wish. I prefer to keep them intact) Rice - add 2 cups to the main pan and coat well in the juices Stock & Saffron - add 6 cups of stock to the pan with a really good pinch of saffron dissolved. Pepi suggests that you add 3 cups of stock for every cup of rice Salt - season well with sea salt and give the dish a good stir Monkfish - once the stock soon starts to bubble, add the monkfish Prawns, Mussels, Clams - once the rice is almost cooked (after approx. 15 minutes) stir in the raw prawns with the cooked mussels and clams. Mix again. When the prawns have turned pink, turn the heat off and leave to rest. Pepi says there should still be some liquid left at this point   Add olive oil to a separate pan and fry the reserved prawns in their shells on a high heat until pink Decorate the dish with the prawns and muscles in their shells, lemon wedges and fresh parsley Subscribe Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Email Address Sign Up Hey guys. I'm Tim and I'm on a mission. I'm on a mission to go to the heart of communities around the Mediterranean and cook with the locals. It's how I can best combine my passion for cooking and speaking languages. By doing this I hope to feed you as well. Thank you very much for subscribing. 
Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonAndalusia, Andalucía, Tapas, Fish, Mackarel, Sardines, Video, Episode, Series, Youtube, Vlog, Healthy, Simple, Recipe, Fideo, Sofrito, Market, Spain, Spanish Food, Spanish Language, Pasta, MackerelComment

Spain|España, Recipes, VideosTim PhedonAndalusia, Andalucía, Tapas, Fish, Mackarel, Sardines, Video, Episode, Series, Youtube, Vlog, Healthy, Simple, Recipe, Fideo, Sofrito, Market, Spain, Spanish Food, Spanish Language, Pasta, MackerelComment
María's Kitchen (Mackerel with Fideuà) </iframe>" data-provider-name="YouTube" Home RSS From Magi I cooked with María. María was a woman I had a lot in common with as we shared a mutual love for food and Andalucía. A native Vejeriega (citizen of Vejer de la Frontera) María returned to the stunning white village where she grew up after a stint living in London’s Paddington. The passion she had for her region was infectious and very tangible. María and her husband Pepe had themselves a farmhouse in El Soto just outside of Vejer, and one glorious Sunday in May they invited me to join them with some close friends for a barbecue.  What an experience. We arrived and Pepe was soon showing me around their huerta (vegetable patch) where I came across the most beautiful courgettes, lettuces, pumpkins, potatoes and cauliflower. The house sits on the banks of the Barbate River where the soil is very fertile. As I marvelled and helped María pick some veg for lunch, the barbie was alight and the entire shoulder of a cow was displayed before me. This was only ever going to be from Pepe’s own cow of course. Pepe is an extremely proud Andalucían hombre (he rides his horse on the beach) and a real character. I must say I do miss both Pepe & María dearly. María has such a wealth of knowledge about the culinary heritage of Spain’s Cádiz province, so much so she documents it in her own blog . I remember her recounting stories of her childhood and the kind of food she grew up with. Like any local family, there was plenty of fish devoured and so it was only natural to have fish on the menu again. What María proposed was Fideos con Caballas (fideua noodles with fresh mackerel). Naturally she would bring the fresh veg from her farmhouse and so brought along organic peppers that she had already roasted for our salad by the time we arrived. They smelled and tasted so sweet (I had to sample) and I was salivating before the filming began. I would provide the fish, which made for a good opportunity to visit the fish market in the neighbouring town of Barbate. If you watch the opening to Part 1 you will see that the market was brimming with the freshest fish you could wish for. Rick Stein would be impressed.  I feel privileged to have met and cooked with someone like María. A very intelligent woman with a worldly view, she knows that home is where the heart is and so decided to stay. I respect that a lot and what an ambassador she is for her home. Here she gave me the opportunity to produce another rustic dish from this beautiful part of the world. Rustic is what excites me most, especially when sitting on a terrace sheltered by the Andalucían summer sun, knowing that every ingredient that touches your lips (including the wine) is from the surrounding area.  Mackerel with Fideuà (Fideos con Caballa) Serves 6 The key to this dish is the stock. Try and get yourself to your local fish market and ask the fishmonger to fillet the mackerel and give you the heads, tails and bones. It will make the world of difference Preparation Prep Time - 25mins (including preparing the stock) Cooking Time - 30mins Resting Time - 5mins   Ingredients Stock - fresh fish stock (otherwise 2 stock cubes boiled in water) Olive Oil  Garlic - 2 cloves Green Pepper - 1 Onions - 2 Sea Salt Smoked Sweet Paprika - 2 tbsp Tomatoes - 3 ripe tomatoes (optional) Fino or Manzanilla Sherry - 1/2 glass (otherwise white wine) Fresh Mackerel - 2 or 3 fresh fillets Fideuà pasta - 250g  Method Prepare the stock - ideally you will have the mackerel heads, tails & bones which you bring to the boil in plenty of water and boil for at least 15mins (the longer the better) with salt and a bay leaf. (Otherwise you can cook your mackerel fillets for 1 minute in boiling water before removing and reserving them for later. If you want to remove the skin of the mackerel, boiling them like this will make it easier to remove the skin and any remaining bones once cooled. You can dissolve a fish stock cube in this water for added flavour) The Sofrito - Chop your garlic, green pepper and tomatoes (if using) in to roughly sized pieces and your onion in to long and thin juliennes. Pour some olive oil into a large enough pan to cook the entire dish and add your garlic, green pepper and onions over a medium heat Salt, Paprika & Tomatoes - once the sofrito  has begun to fry, add the salt and paprika followed by your tomatoes Sherry - cook down further, stirring occasionally, and then add approx. 1/2 glass of Sherry  Mackarel fillets - add the raw mackerel fillets to poach.  If you boiled the fillets earlier to prepare the stock, add the mackerel later with the pasta Stock - add enough ladlefuls of stock to cook the pasta in (approx.1/2 litre).  If made from the fish bones,  y ou will need to strain the fish stock before adding it to the pan Fideua Pasta - bring the stock to the boil and then add the fideua. Cook to the time advised on the packet (around 12mins). Cook on a medium heat for 5mins then lower the heat (still high enough to maintain a rolling boil) As soon as the mackerel and pasta are cooked (it should not be al dente), turn the heat off, cover the pan and leave it to rest for 5mins. At this point you are looking for the dish to be 'caldoso,' which is Spanish for soupy. This is not a dry dish like a paella and so some liquid should remain at the end of cooking Subscribe Sign up with your email address for the latest recipes, stories & videos. Email Address Sign Up Welcome to the Med from my kitchen in Birmingham. I am a born and bred Brummie with Greek Cypriot roots and time spent living in Spain. Mediterranean food is what gets me up everyday. It's my thing, and after extensive travel and experience in kitchens, let me show you what this stunning and diverse sea means to me through recipes, videos and stories.