Pub Week Retrospective

During Pub Week, No Free Lunch crossed 500, 600, and 700 pageviews! I would call this a big success. I want to thank you, the readers, for your continued support. Two readers even posted on their successful dinners after having made some of the dishes posted here.

Looking forward, No Free Lunch will resume its more relaxed pace of recipe posts. Tomorrow's is especially near and dear to my culinary heart. As always, suggestions for future recipes are always welcome.

Happy Chinese New to all of you... stay tuned for some Chinese favorites later this week.

Bangers and Mash

Pub Week, Day 7! Pub week rolls to a close with perhaps the most quintessential pub grub of them all: Bangers and Mash. Most of the time, I tell people that most complicated-seeming dishes are actually pretty easy to make. This one, however, is the opposite. Bangers and Mash seems very simple, but it actually takes a fair amount of dedication to produce, since it has 3 separate elements that need to come together at once.

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes

• 2 gold potatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons half and half
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sausage and Gravy

• 2 links pork sausage
• 1/2 onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Mashed Potatoes

Boil water in a pot. Peel the potatoes and cut into halves. Boil the potatoes until soft (pokeable with a fork), 20-30 minutes. Once soft, drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add butter and half and half, and mix thoroughly. Season to taste.

Sausage and Gravy

Heat sauté pan to medium-high and brown sausages on both sides. Fill the pan up with water, about 1/3 up the sides of the sausages. Cover the pan and poach for 20 minutes. While the sausages cook, dice the onion.

Drain the water and set the sausages aside. Melt the butter in the pan and sauté onion pieces until soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir together to integrate. Pour in the beef stock and a splash of Worcestershire. Mix together and reduce for a few minutes to thicken the sauce, and season to taste.

Once all three components are ready, place a mound of potatoes on the plate, top with sausages, and pour the gravy over the plate. Serve with a strong English pale ale for a full alehouse meal. I went with Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale.

Roasted Potato Wedges

Pub Week, Day 6. With the whirlwind of blogging going on this week, I've decided to present my roasted potato wedges early. These have been a staple of my diet going back to undergrad. Easy, tasty, and they make the kitchen smell great. The first time I made roasted potatoes, it was in a toaster oven - you can really improvise when the conditions are right (or is it wrong?). These potatoes are a great accompaniment to any meal, be it steak, burgers, fish, or chicken. You can even make a delicious one-pan meal by roasting chicken  legs or sausages on the sheet pan with the potatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 red or gold potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash each potato and cut in half. From each half, cut into 3-4 wedges depending on size of potato. Leave the skins on. Place wedges in a gallon-size plastic bag. Pour olive oil into the bag, then add the seasonings right onto the potato. Amounts of each is at your discretion, but 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon is about right for any of them. Use enough of the dried herbs so that you can see plenty of them on the wedges. You may also choose to add paprika or cayenne pepper to taste. Seal the bag and mix the ingredients around liberally to coat the potatoes evenly. Another great variation to try is to grate Parmigiano-Reggiano into the bag.

Lay out the wedges on a non-stick sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then take the pan out and turn each wedge over to brown the outside evenly. Bake for about 10 more minutes. The potatoes will be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Let cool a bit and serve with sour cream.

Beer-Battered Tilapia

Pub Week, Day 5. Fish and chips are an absolute pub classic, as well as popular street food in the UK. Here I have put a few twists on the traditional formula. I've swapped cod for tilapia, which is readily available in US grocery stores. I also chose to make roasted potato wedges instead of french fries (chips). The recipe for the potato wedges will be posted next week. The exact formula for the batter is still something of a work in progress - you may desire to add a bit more flour, or perhaps some spices. Ideas are welcome in the comments!

Ingredients

• 2 tilapia fillets
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• Malt vinegar
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Pour flour and Guinness into a bowl. When pouring the beer, try to pour against the side to stop the creamy head from forming. Crack the egg into the batter, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Whisk together thoroughly.

If you look at the tilapia fillets, you will notice they have a natural divide down the center. Slice each fillet in half, so that they'll be more manageable to cook. Lightly salt, pepper, and flour each side, then dip in batter to coat. Drop each piece into the oil, taking care not to crowd the oil or let the fish pieces stick together. I did two pieces at a time in my small fryer. Cook for about 6 minutes.

Serve immediately to retain crunchy exterior. Pour malt vinegar over the fish and salt to taste before eating. This recipe, along with the potatoes, makes 2 servings. There is more than enough batter here to fry a lot more fish than just our two fillets, so keep that in mind if multiplying the recipe.

Chicken Curry

Pub Week, Day 4. The British left India in 1947, but they took curry with them, and the dish has left an unmistakable mark in the food of the British Isles. In return, the Indians got cricket, which they enjoy with equal zeal.

There are countless options when making curry; use whatever meat or vegetables you like. I have made curry with beef sirloin, pork loin, or even ground meats. Mushrooms and potatoes (boil them ahead of time) are also good options. This time, we're mixing it up with chicken breast. Curry is a good use for chicken breast, since the dish already has lots of bold flavors to complement the chicken. Using sour cream as the base for the sauce, this recipe will give you a relatively thick curry.


Ingredients

• 1 split chicken breast
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• Wondra
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Peel and dice the carrots and dice the onions. Heat oil in a sauté pan, medium heat. Add one teaspoon of curry powder to the oil. Sauté the carrots and onions for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

While vegetables are cooking, cut the chicken meat off the bone and into chunks about one inch a side. You may choose to keep the skin for extra flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken pieces into the pan with the vegetables, and add more oil if needed. Add the rest of the curry powder and mix well. Cover the pan and cook the whole mixture until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Turn the chicken occasionally so it cooks evenly.

Add the sour cream, half and half, and peas to the pan, and stir to integrate. There is no need to defrost the peas beforehand. Give the sauce a taste; add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. If desired, thicken the sauce by sprinkling in some Wondra. Now turn up the heat a bit, and reduce the sauce for a few minutes. At the end, it will really stick to the chicken and vegetables. Serve over white rice.

Scotch Eggs

Pub Week, Day 3! I've been a fan of scotch eggs for a long time, but I had never made them before. I first ate them at the Minnesota Scottish Fair, state fair style - on a stick. As luck would have it, my wonderful girlfriend gave me an electric deep fryer, so today was a perfect opportunity. As it turns out, scotch eggs are actually pretty easy to make, with very common ingredients. This recipe makes two scotch eggs.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (2 for boiling, 1 for egg wash)
• 1 link raw pork sausage, or equivalent bulk sausage
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Start by hard boiling the eggs. Fill a pot with cold water, submerge eggs, and bring to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and set aside to cool. This can be done well in advance.

A note on sausage: I always buy link sausage, for two reasons. First, as a person living alone, it is very easy to freeze the individual links for later. Second, you can always de-case the links. I used Italian sausage here, but use whatever kind you have.

If using links, de-case the sausage. Conveniently, a regular sized link will be perfect for two scotch eggs. Divide the sausage in half and form into thin patties. Flour both sides of the patty and lay a peeled egg on it. Wrap the sausage up and around like a blanket, working it with your fingers until it thins and covers the whole egg. Make sure it's secure and there is no egg showing. This is actually a lot easier than I was expecting - the sausage stays on very nicely.

Preheat oil in a pot or deep fryer. You want the oil to be hot enough to get the breading nice and crunchy, but not too hot so that it will burn. Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and beat with a fork. Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl or plate, and season with salt and pepper. Roll each sausage-egg in the egg wash, then in the breadcrumbs, and carefully drop into the oil. You can fry two eggs at a time. Cook in the oil for about 4 minutes, then let them rest on a paper towel for a few minutes. Carefully cut the eggs in half with a serrated knife.

You can enjoy your scotch eggs hot or cold. They are great on their own or with a dipping sauce. I whipped up a quick spicy mayo using regular mayonnaise, smoked paprika, a little garlic powder, and a few squirts each of Sriracha and Worcestershire. You can also use a straight hot sauce or anything you like.

Pimm's and Lemonade

Pub Week, Day 2: Pimm's is a refreshing English cocktail perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day supporting your favorite team at the County Championship. So what are we doing in the middle of January? I drink Pimm's all year round as I pine for warmer days. You can use whatever fruits you like, but this is my go-to recipe. Also traditional is a sprig of mint. Readers from this side of the pond will notice that in the UK, "lemonade" refers to lemon-lime soda.

Ingredients

• 1 part Pimm's No. 1 Cup
• 3 parts lemon-lime soda (Sierra Mist is my preferred)
• 1 slice lemon
• 1 slice orange, halved
• 1 slice cucumber
• 1 strawberry
• ice cubes

Instructions

Cut off the top from the strawberry and slice the other fruits. Put ice cubes into a tall glass. Pour in Pimm's and lemon-lime soda. If you are really into measuring, 1 shot glass of Pimm's and 3 of soda works well. Stir well, add fruit, and enjoy!

Guinness Stew

To kick off Pub Week, we have a hearty Guinness stew. I did a bit of research beforehand and came up with a sort of amalgam of the recipes floating around on the internet. This one is pretty simple to make. It's also delicious - I just ate it.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 3 potatoes (red or gold)
• 4 carrots
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bottle Guinness (or other stout)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• Parsley

Instructions

If you don't have beef broth, you can do what I did and heat 4 cups of water in a saucepan and dissolve one bouillon cube in it. Purists may scoff, but I don't care. One cube is enough; we don't want the broth to be too salty.

Have two large bowls ready to set aside ingredients. Season the beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Preheat olive oil in a large pot, high. Brown the meat for a few minutes, one pound at a time. Remove and set aside. When I did this, the beef gave off a lot of liquid. Set this aside with the meat also. 

While the beef is cooking, peel and chop the carrots into disks. Saute the carrots in olive oil for a few minutes, then set aside. While the carrots are cooking, wash and cut up the potatoes into about 10-15 pieces, depending on the size. Add more olive oil and saute these for a few minutes as well. Set aside with the carrots. While potatoes cook, roughly chop the onion into strips. Turn down the heat to medium, add more oil, and brown the onions. 

Once the onions are soft, pour the Guinness and beef broth into the pot. Add beef and tomatoes, along with the juice in the can. Cover and simmer for one hour. Now add the potatoes and carrots back in and cook uncovered for another hour. By now, the meat and vegetables will be very tender.

The star of our show.

If you, like me, desire a thicker broth for your stew, prepare a roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and stir together. Keep stirring as it cooks to avoid clumping and burning. The roux will bubble and slowly darken. Remove from heat after a few minutes, when the roux attains the color shown below.

Spoon a little of the broth from the stew into the roux and scrape it all into the main pot. Stir to integrate. Now, taste the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Below you'll see what the stew looks like at the end. Serve in bowls and sprinkle parsley over the top of each. I suggest serving with a bread roll to sop up the stew.

Store the remaining stew in the fridge, and you will eat for days!

Announcing Pub Week!

As the first week of posts on No Free Lunch draws to a close, I am proud to announce that next week is Pub Week! After all, what blog is complete without theme weeks? Even Chad Speaks did it.

I will be featuring my versions of popular pub foods. The first of these is on the stove right now.