Win a paella kit from Orce Serrano Hams!
Posted: 24 August '10 by Niall and Kelly
Orce Serrano Hams
Just like us, our good friends Iain and Gayle at Orce Serrano Hams are getting into the Tomatina Festival spirit – although they have a far better chance of making it to the food fight from their home in Andalucia!
They’ve selected a little piece of Valencia from their fantastic range of Spanish delicacies to help you celebrate too – a complete paella kit!
The kit includes:
- a special paellera pan
- a sack of Calasparra rice (D.O)
- paella spices and saffron
- Spanish paprika
- recipe and instructions
They’ve even added a few Spanish tapas to help you make the celebration complete – all in all, €60 worth of goodies!
Chilli and Chocolate members:
If you are a member of Chilli and Chocolate you can enter the competition by visiting the Members’ Section for more details.
Best of luck!
Other information
You can see our own paella recipe here.
You can visit the Orce Serrano Hams website to buy a wonderful selection of authentic Spanish hams, tapas, and chorizo at: www.orceserranohams.com.
Tags: competition, orce serrano hams, promotion, spain, spanish food
Categories: Competitions : Promotions
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On my command, unleash.. tomatoes!
Posted: 24 August '10 by Niall
La Tomatina, Wednesday 25 August 2010
The world’s biggest food fight starts tomorrow at 11am!
The population of Buñol more than triples each year as thousands descend on the small Valencian town to join in the massive tomato fight, with over 100 tons of over-ripe tomatoes being thrown in an hour of fun and mayhem.
No-one really knows why the event began, just that the original celebration was held around 1945. “La Tomatina” lasts for a full week of festivities, but the food-fight itself takes place on the last Wednesday in August each year.
Trucks carrying tons of ripe tomatoes are driven into the town square and, at the signal to begin, all hell breaks loose! The tomato fight continues until 12 noon when a second rocket is fired to signal the end of messy melee.
There are a few rules so that everyone can enjoy themselves with the least chance of trouble:
- Crush the tomatoes before you throw them;
- Stop throwing tomatoes when you hear the second rocket;
- Don’t carry bottles or hard objects; and
- Diving goggles are a good idea – the acid from the tomatoes hurts your eyes after a while.
And..?
Well, because we can’t make it to Buñol ourselves, we thought that we’d celebrate the Tomato Festival in our own way by making our own Stuffed Tomatoes for dinner tonight – a tasty Spanish recipe which we’ll post tomorrow.
And you never know – Kelly might get more than she’s bargained for when she walks into the kitchen tonight too!
You can see more photos hereImage 2Image 3
Other information
You can find out more information by visiting the official La Tomatina website.
Credits – image 1: Sydney Morning Herald – image 2: http://www.latomatina.es – image 3: http://www.latomatina.es
Tags: News, orce serrano hams, spain, spanish food, Tomato
Categories: News
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Our Harnett Oils winner is..
Posted: 23 August '10 by Niall and Kelly
Harnett Oils
We recently ran a competition to win a basket of Harnett Oils products, asking you the name of the process for squeezing the oils from the grains.
While a lot of you got the answer right (it was cold-pressing, by the way) we could only select one lucky winner.
Congratulations to Jill H.! A basket of delicious Hartnett Oils products is in the post.
Thanks to everyone that entered, and to Jane and the team at Harnett Oils for the fantastic prize.
Tags: competition, competition winner, harnetts oils, promotion
Categories: Competitions : Promotions
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Win your copy of Pasta by Theo Randall
Posted: 18 August '10 by Niall and Kelly
Win a copy of Pasta by Theo Randall
Our friends at Ebury Publishing have very kindly given us 3 copies of Theo Randall’s “Pasta” cookbook to give-away.
Hopefully you’ve read what we think of the book -we’re pretty confident that “Pasta” will become an immediate favourite for the three lucky members that win the competition!
Thanks again to everyone at Ebury that gave so generously.
Chilli and Chocolate members:
If you are a member of Chilli and Chocolate you can enter the competition by visiting the Members’ Section for more details.
Best of luck!
Tags: competition, promotion, Promotions, theo randall
Categories: Competitions : Promotions
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Pasta by Theo Randall
Posted: 13 August '10 by Niall
Pasta by Theo Randall
Just looking back through our recipe-list it’s pretty obvious that Italian cuisine is a big favourite of ours. I think I’ve bought most of what Antonio Carluccio, Giorgio Locatelli, and Elizabeth David have written on the subject.
So it says a lot about Theo Randall’s abilities that we became such huge fans of his so quickly. I can’t quite remember the point at which we became converts, but it’s probably the first time we came across him on “Market Kitchen”. Despite regular appearances in fron tof the camera he still seems quite reserved and even shy on camera, unusual in these days of flamboyant and out-spoken TV chefs, and allows his cooking to command the viewer’s attention (a cookery programme about cooking!?! What next?!).
Theo’s recipes and cooking-style smack of authenticity, a no-nonsense approach that focuses on flavour and practicality rather that fussy chef-y flourishes, and a clear love of all things Italian. It sounds strange to say it but his recipes actually made me excited about getting back into the kitchen to try them out – I don’t think I’ve been able to say that before!
Needless to say there was a certain degree of expectation in our house when Theo Randall’s cookbook “Pasta” was published – the book really did have a lot to live up to..
What’s in the book
After a short two-page introduction to Theo Randall and his love of pasta, the book takes a quick look at fresh and dried pasta: how to make it, how to cook it, how to serve it, and how to eat it. It’s a logical start to a book about pasta, particularly when we don’t really know that much about the subject in the chilly British Isles. The tone is nice and breezy and makes easy reading, with just a slight slap on the wrist for our habit of plating up mountains of pasta for our main courses rather than a starter-sized portion, all’italiana.
Suitably chastised, we’re taken without further ado to the recipes. There are 110 of them which are divided into ingredient-based sections: Tomatoes, Vegetables, Fungi, Fish, Seafood, Meat, Poultry and Game, and Cheese.
There is a world of pasta know-how in this book, and something for everyone, for every kind of mood. If the egg- and cream-based Spaghetti Carbonara is too much for you there’s always Ravioli with Sweet Potato, Fennel and Chilli or Tagliatelle with Creme Fraiche, Parmesan and Asparagus.
The photos deserve a special mention – they are glossy, high-coloured, and well-chosen. Our evening meal has been decided by these loving close-ups even more than the recipes themselves on more than one occasion.
Details
- Title: Pasta (hardback)
- Author: Theo Randall
- Pages: 224
- Publisher: Ebury Press
- ISBN: 978-0091929008
- Cost: RRP. £18.99 (now £10.96 on Amazon)
- Where to get it: From www.amazon.co.uk
Our verdict
Pasta by Theo Randall has immediately become a treasured book in our house.
The range of recipes is impressive and the photos even more so. I’ve cooked three of these recipes so far and each one has been an absolute winner – the wonderful aromas from the kitchen, the delicious flavour of the food, the contented sounds of a meal much-enjoyed.. “Pasta” delivers all of these things.
If you even think that you might enjoy an Italian dish some night or have even a fleeting interest in Italian food, buy the book.
Other information
After 10 years as head chef at the acclaimed Italian restaurant “River Café”, Theo opened “Theo Randall at The InterContinental” in 2006. He continues to cook seasonal Italian food here to this day.
You can find out more about Theo Randall and his restaurant by visiting: www.theorandall.com.
Tags: cookbook, italian food, pasta, theo randall
Categories: Books for Cooks
