The Culinary Alphabet …..Series 3… the letter G

 

Welcome to series 3 of the Culinary Alphabet…WHERE the middle letter is G…

Nothing is as it seems here…this new series is the brainchild of Chel Owens who writes at A wife, My Verse, and Every Little Thing…my followers are so good to me they think up all sorts of permutations of the Alphabet for me to blog about…not sure if they want me to call it quits or what they will come up with next…Chel like Pete was, however, will be called on to make her contribution every two weeks…they don’t get off scot-free…so I hope you have started brainstorming Chel…haha x

So what’s in store? In this series the A, B, C, etc will be the middle letter, for example, Aga, Cabbage, and Yucca… how easy that will be who knows I am sure some of the letters of the alphabet could cause the grey matter to rebel or implode…haha…I also don’t want to use plurals to form a word as I may need that word for another letter and its sort of cheating I think…unless of course I really get stuck…which I am sure will happen…

Today it is words where the middle letter is G...which as it happens was a lot easier than I initially thought…The Aga..the oven my grandmother taught me to cook with or on… to a child it was big, hot and always on…Bangers is the British slang for sausages…Kugel a baked pudding or casserole…Vegan is a diet plan so food is involved and Clingfilm is our word for plastic wrap… of course, Papa Gino’s is not allowed …x

So let’s go…

Aga…

I have such happy memories of learning to cook with my grandmother… she had this Aga in her kitchen and to me, as a child it looked huge and hot…The Aga has been manufactured in England since 1930…My grandmother’s aga was a buttercup lemon colour but pretty much identical to this image..nothing fancy but she made the best bread and cakes…

The Aga is considered by many to be the heart of the country kitchen – a romanticised iron cooking range that is always on; baking bread, roasting meats or just boiling the kettle…

Arugula…

Also known as rocket is fast becoming a well-known salad vegetable, a tender, tangy, peppery flavour that compliments many salads…Grown and used since ancient Roman times, arugula was first used as a medicinal herb and aphrodisiac.

Bagel…

Many happy days of my teenage years were spent down Brick Lane, East London browsing the antique clothing stalls and stopping for a bagel…salt beef being my favourite filling and of course, always spelt Beigel…is there a difference ..of course, it’s in the bake…beigels are always made the old-school way, so they’re boiled first to get that chewy texture you know and love; while modern bagels are not always boiled…Although I love the cinnamon and sultana bagel there is a place in my heart for the old fashioned way and yes I boil my beigel dough.

How do you like your bagels?

Bargee’s Pail…

This a fascinating tale of an old recipe…Bargee’s Pail Bruny Style…

Beignet…

To put it simply, beignets are square-shaped pieces of dough that are deep-fried and generously sprinkled with confectioners sugar. They’re best served hot and are best paired with a cup of coffee or café au lait!

Bolognese…

Bolognese sauce is a sauce made with meat that is then mixed with pasta before eating. It is called Ragù alla bolognese in Italy. The sauce came from Bologna in Italy. Most Italian people eat their Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle, a broad, flat type of pasta.

Bulghur…

Bulgur is a cereal food made from the cracked parboiled groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Courgette…

Or zucchini by another name is a baby marrow picked while immature also known as a summer squash…Cooking courgettes is easy, and there are so many ways to work with them whether you want to bake them with cheese, stuff them, or turn them into courgetti pasta.

Egg…

The Egg is laid by female animals of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, a few mammals, and fish, and many of these have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen, and vitellus, contained within various thin membranes.

The story goes that the 100 folds in a chef’s hat represent the 100 ways to cook an egg, but is this true? Well, let’s see… there’s scrambled, over easy, over medium, over hard, poached, shirred, soft boiled, hard-boiled, pickled, baked, sunny side up; in an omelette, quiche, or frittata; etc, etc, etc.

Espagnole…

One of the five mother sauces Espagnole is a basic brown sauce with a strong flavour…not directly used on food it is used as a base for other sauces

Faggots…

Faggots are meatballs made from minced off-cuts and offal, especially pork together with herbs for flavouring and sometimes added bread crumbs. They are traditionally wrapped in caul fat or crepinette. Crepinette is the web-like fat that holds the kidney and liver all in place. As a result, it makes it the perfect way of holding together these soft meatballs. It is a traditional dish in the United Kingdom, especially in South and Mid Wales and the English Midlands.

Fenugreek…

Fenugreek is a clover-like herb native to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, and western Asia. Its seeds, which smell and taste like maple syrup, have been used in cooking and as medicine. Fenugreek is used as an ingredient in spice blends and a flavouring agent in foods, beverages, and tobacco.

Isinglass…

Isinglass is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish. It is a form of collagen used mainly for the clarification or fining of some beer and wine.

Jaggery…

Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in East Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour.

Mangoes…

Edible stone fruits which have been cultivated in South Asia for thousands of years…before I came here to Thailand I knew and had eaten mango but didn’t know how many varieties, colours and uses there were for them…

One of my favourite fruits I eat them raw and green with a spicy dip or as a dessert with sticky rice… it pairs well with chicken and makes a beautiful smoothie

Orangeade…

A drink made with orange juice, sweetener, and water, sometimes carbonated.

Oregano…

A flowering plant belonging to the mint family…it has been used for thousands of years to flavour food and to treat health conditions.

The Greeks and Romans associated oregano with joy and happiness.

Sangria…

Originating from Spain and Portugal it is believed to have originated over 2,000 years ago…I find the bottles of Sangria far too sweet for me …I make mine with Spanish Rioja and a little Brandy with Oranges, lemons and a cinnamon stick then chilled and served over ice and topped with some sparkling water or soda…a beautiful sundowner …

Sorghum…

It is an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia, and is the “fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world”…

Sorghum is used to make both leavened and unleavened bread. In Sahelian Africa, it is primarily used in couscous. Various fermented and unfermented beverages are made from sorghum. It can be steamed or popped and is consumed as a fresh vegetable in some areas of the world.

Sugar…

Used as a sweetener it has no nutritional value but is a source of carbs and energy…it comes in many forms granulated, powdered, cubed, liquid and has many names…I’ll stop here…Suffice to say it is the cause of many ailments…Added sugars…

Vinaigrette…

Is quite simply an oil mixed with something acidic like lemons/limes and with added aromatics …fresh herbs, salt and spices. Then drizzled over a favourite salad.

That’s all for today for the letter G…

Thank you so much for your visit I hope you have enjoyed the read…See you tomorrow for another episode of made from scratch… Love Carol xxx

 

52 thoughts on “The Culinary Alphabet …..Series 3… the letter G”

  1. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…May 30th-5th June 2021…#Stiletto Heels, Whimsy, Music and Lifestyle Changes | Retired? No one told me!

  4. alexcraigie

    I don’t have an Aga but I know other who do and there’s something incredibly reassuring and comforting about them. Owners become familiar with the range of temperatures and it’s as if there’s a connection between cook and cooker that results in perfect outcomes.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Adele Marie

    I loved my Mum’s aga it was buttercup yellow too. Some of the older ladies on Rousay, (the island where I originate from) still had black stoves and the kettle would sit on an iron hook above it all day. The tea of course was stewed, but such a comforting sight. xxx

    Liked by 1 person

  7. dgkaye

    You make learning fun Carol 🙂 I learn words here I’ve never heard of. Do you search for these things or are you actually familiar with all these foreign foods you mention? Also, I know a few people in UK who use the Aga. 🙂 xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      A bit of both, Debbie some names I know but don’t really know what they are and others are new then I have the ones I know, love and use…Yes the aga is still quite popular and they last forever 🙂 Hugs xx

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I think with food it is so different around the world, Liz both in dishes and in ingredients that no one even me could know it all and I learn a lot from some these posts and I pick up words as I go I discovered one for the middle letter Y yesterday I was reading something and just came across it…Have a great week, Liz 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

  11. OIKOS™-Editorial

    Bad, what I don’t know. But I know bagels. If I understand correctly, the dough of real bagels is first boiled in water and then briefly baked. Thank you for this very instructive cooking lesson, Carol! 🙂 As I have just seen it is 1.14 a.m , in Thailand.. Enjoy the day! Michael

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Doing these posts is also a learning curve for me, Robbie but that’s good and why I love blogging I learn something every single day…I hope your weekend is going well and that you have a good week ahead 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. petespringerauthor

    Though I’ve never tried it, I know that people eat “alligator.” One of my favorite beverages is a “lager.” That’s my modest contribution for this week.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. beetleypete

    When I worked for the Police in London, the 24-hour bagel shop in Brick Lane was a regular trip for us on nights. Fresh Salt Beef bagels at three in the morining! 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Pingback: The Culinary Alphabet …..Series 3… the letter G – MobsterTiger

  18. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

    Another packed post Carol… I love faggots and gravy and have not had them for ages.. I used to live near a butcher who made them from prime cuts and they were delicious. They seem to have gone out of fashion.. great reminders of how many varieties there are across the spectrum of the food that is available to us…Will put in the blogger daily later…hugsx

    Liked by 1 person

  19. marianbeaman

    My husband is a beignet nut. He is spoiled by the light, airy ones in New Orleans, LA. Lots of fluff and tons of sugar.

    I’ve read about the Aga in British novels, I believe. Looks sturdy, like my Grandma’s iron stove.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Chel Owens

    Well, not surprisingly, you took the two or three I thought of: egg, mango, sangria… I do think you cheat the rules with ‘mangoes.’ 😉

    After late-night internet research, I’ve discovered Nargesi and Langsat. The former is a Iranian dish with eggs, onion, and spinach; the latter says it’s a small fruit that tastes like a mix of a grape and a grapefruit.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      How could I forget Langsat they are Lily’s favourite fruit and it has given me an idea for Tropical Friday sometimes you don’t see what is under your nose do you? Thank you, Chel and well done…I am going to check out Nargesi it sounds delicious 🙂 x

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