Good morning everyone and Pete… time for another post which is this crazy idea from one of my fellow scribes …but food fun…F is another doozy…well not quite so many as last time but a few to choose from…

Aperitif…Cheers!

Something we have all partaken in at some time or another or maybe on a regular basis…an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer is the official meaning…although that has relaxed in recent years and there are options for non-alcoholic aperitif’s whether or not they stimulate your appetite remains to be seen…It’s just lovely to sit and enjoy a drink with family or friend before a meal isn’t it?

Bay leaf…

An aromatic leaf used in cooking either fresh, dried or ground it is a staple in my store cupboard and something I use very regularly. It comes from the laurel tree is an evergreen shrub which is used to flavour soups, stews and many other dishes.

Biscoff…

Invented in Belgium in 1932 and since then, every single Biscoff cookie has been baked there, according to the exact same recipe….founded by three brothers Jan, Emiel and Henri Boone the brothers made cookies for breakfast and also speculoos for St Nicholas’ Day; they later specialised in speculoos. The original cooked contained nothing but natural ingredients which was why they were named Lotus after the flower which is the symbol of purity.

Photo by Anna Gru on Unsplash

Biscoff is now famous worldwide and coffee lovers everywhere ask for a lotus Biscoff.

Boeuf…

Quite simply it is the French for Beef…It was also the very first meal I cooked for my now husband …I made boeuf bourguignon for a man who stated he doesn’t like garlic in his food…well, he had an absolutely clean plate and a second helping I believe from memory…he now loves garlic…That was the first lesson he learnt in my kitchen…hehe…

Breadstuff…

Is any bread product…food made from a dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked.

Cornbeef…

This is where the English and the Americans have a different concept of what is Corn beef…Corn beef to me is the only processed meat I eat from a tin and with which I make corn beef hash or I mash it with the potato from a baked (jacket)potato then put it back in the skin and crisp it up a little…I also love a corned beef sandwich.

The other Corned Beef is what I call salt beef and what everyone else calls corned beef although there is no corn in this particular beef the name originated from the salt used which were called corns of salt…Corned beef and cabbage is also a favourite meal of mine and a popular Irish dish…

Cream Puff…

Made from puff pastry and filled with jam and cream sometimes they have iced tops and sometimes a custard filling …my mother used to make these for Sunday Tea as treat…

Decaf…

The shortened term for decaffeinated …which is where caffeine is removed from coffee beans, cocoa and tea leaves…

Duff…

A stiff flour pudding made with fruit and spices and boiled in a cloth bag or steamed…Plum Duff, Figgy Duff there are many duffs…Traditional puddings like the Christmas pudding way back in my great grandmothers time were referred to as Plum Duff or Figgy duff and probably still are in some communities.

Don’t forget it will soon be time to make our Christmas puddings and cakes…

Dwarf (Beans)…

Also known as the French bean is a small bean which grows faster than its climbing brothers and is easy to grow in pots as it doesn’t require staking…

Available pretty much all year round and a vegetable which can be cooked whole or chopped.

Greaseproof (paper)…

Something which as a cook I always have a supply handy for lining cake tins or ideal for wrapping sandwiches it is a kitchen staple…

Goldleaf…

Edible gold leaf is a gold product that can be used to decorate food. Gold is considered “biologically inert,” meaning it passes through the digestive tract without being absorbed. It is mostly used in desserts and candy making and is available in sheets and as flakes.

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

It seems to be quite popular with TV chefs or posh restaurants and bakeries…It adds a bit of glitz and glitter.

Heatproof…

Not all dishes and pans which we use in the kitchen are heatproof…some are just serving dishes and decorative dishes…to be deemed heatproof the pan/dish has to be made from materials which can withstand either a bare flame or the heat from the oven and the same goes for handles on pans always check that they are oven proof just in case you wish to use the pan as a hob to the oven dish.

Mapleleaf…

Not something I have used in cooking but Maple leaves have been used since the 13th century in Japan…

 

Pilaf…

Originating in Turkey a Pilaf or Pilau is a rice dish cooked in stock or broth with added spices, vegetables, meat or fish. Pilaf refers to how the rice is cooked…it is first sautéed in butter or oil and then cooked in stock or broth, usually with seasoning by doing this it ensures the rice stays separated.

Stroganoff…

Originating in Russia …A stroganoff is pieces of beef cooked with sour cream until soft and tender…It is a dish famed around the world and there are many variations…it can be cooked low and slow or as I do by cooking the beef quickly, slice it and add cream, wine and mushroom sauce sometimes for a change I use Brandy…Stroganoff is also popular in Nordic countries. In Sweden, a common variant is a korv Stroganoff (sausage Stroganoff), which uses the local falukorv sausage as a substitute for the beef. In Finland, the dish is called Makara-stroganoff, Makara meaning any kind of sausage. Although Beef Stroganoff is, however, still a common dish. Diced brined pickles are also a normal ingredient in Finnish Stroganoff.

Tealeaf…

Green tea is my favourite leaf tea which when correctly brewed has none of the bitterness which often associated with green tea…Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves. After water, it is the most widely consumed drink in the world.

Wheatsheaf Loaf…

A sheaf is a tied bunch of grain stalks after they have been harvested. … Symbolically, however, the wheatsheaf represents plenty, a good harvest, fertility and even resurrection, as the cycle of seasons has once more given grain for bread…A loaf of bread shaped and decorated like a wheatsheaf is also a common sight on Harvest Festival which as a child always fascinated me …I still remember the words of ” We plough the fields and scatter the good seeds on the land” Our church was always filled with so many vegetables and these loaves afterwards boxes were distributed to the elderly and infirm…This video reminds me of that wheatsheaf loaf of my childhood…

That’s all for this week see you in two weeks for the letter G (juG)…

Please stay safe as it seems in some places lockdowns are being introduced again…not good xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and well being.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…Then, I will be happy!

Please stay safe and well and follow your governments safety guidelines remember we are all in this together xxx

 

 

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