Archive for July, 2007
North Star Named Checked #2
A nice mention for North Star in the 19th of July issue of the South Manchester Reporter - with photo - in an article detailing our nomination for two awards in the forthcoming Manchester Food & Drink Festival. The article features an interview with Deanna who comments on Chorlton having become a really wonderful destination for Manchester foodies.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Manchester Town Hall on October 15th.
If you've not already voted (for us, obviously!) please do so via the link on the right. We sincerely appreciate your support.
Adam’s China Trip Report #2
Day 1(Still): "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
On the highway back to Beijing we passed what looked like a huge concrete bird’s nest. "That’s known locally as the huge concrete bird’s nest," explained Jenny. Beijing is beset with construction projects for the 2008 Olympics, & the National Stadium is a truly magnificent structure.
We were due to leave the city early next morning; not enough time on this visit to take in the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. We opted for Tiananmen Square, at 440,000 square meters, the largest urban space in the world. Waving away swarms of rickshaws descending amongst the flagging tourists, we undertook the long march towards Mao’s huge portrait.
At 6pm precisely, the Five Starred Red Flag was struck by an honour guard in front of the Tian’an Gate. Impressive, but power in China increasingly resides in the office blocks of the financial districts. As the sun retreated over the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and the Chairman’s countenance faded into dusk, my thoughts turned inevitably to dinner. Jenny’s thoughts turned inevitably to shopping.
We compromised with a visit to the Oriental Plaza. Beneath gleaming frontages flaunting western brands, its vast subterranean food hall is a cornucopia of culinary traditions. Cities and provinces were represented, from Shanghai to Szechwan, as well as Japanese and Thai foods. Sushi, dumplings, seafood, noodles and curries all jostled for attention under the bright lights. The USA had colonised an ignored corner from where McDonalds and KFC glowered like Nixon. I had a Big Mac & fries. Not. Jenny wanted to take me to her favourite Szechwan restaurant, so we hopped on a bus.
At Jin Shan Cheng I enjoyed the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. The menu was extraordinary, featuring such items as boiled cow frog with chilli pepper; river turtle with Chinese prickly ash; braised fresh deer tendon; frozen fungus; crystal jelly fish; smoked rabbit tea flavour; crispy iced algae and braised sea cucumber. I’d been awake for 36 hours and it was all getting a little surreal. I gazed hollow-eyed at the swimming images.
"How about the frog?" enquired Jenny.
"Just get me chicken or lamb."
"It’s farmed frog, it’s nice."
"Chicken or Lamb. And a beer."
Crispy lamb shank, and chicken sautéed with red chilli & peppercorns arrived at the table with spinach & pine nuts, cold potato noodles, & boiled rice. The lamb was tender and fragrant, the volcanic chicken one of the best (& hottest) dishes I’ve ever eaten. For desert - white dark yin yang bean curd cakes, sweet rice congee, and turtle shell jelly. The jelly, a medicinal delicacy, tasted vile, it’s bitterness unassuaged by the tablespoon of honey I’d added to help it down. The entire meal cost less than the equivalent of twelve pounds.
A taxi to the hotel, a deep and dreamless sleep, and a morning trip to the airport. Destination Lanzhou, from where we take the Quingzang train over the mountains to Tibet, and the holy city of Lhasa…
“And the Winner is…”
Okay - it's not the Oscars, perhaps, but North Star has been nominated in two categories in this year's Manchester Food and Drink Awards! Far better for us than an Oscar would be!
We're up for Best Coffee Bar and Casual Dining Venue and Best Food and Drink Outlet and we're very chuffed to be nominated along with some really great foodie places. Note that Chorlton features heavily!
We'd be even more chuffed to actually win - but for that to happen, we'll need your vote. You'll see a box on the right hand side of your screen with the festival logo - give it a click while your here and follow the links. We really appreciate your custom and your support.
North Star Birthday Cakes
Ahh! Deanna's daughter, our very own Katie Bo, had her first birthday on Saturday, and mummy laid on a fantastic party. Here is the centre-piece of the spread - a cake every bit as delicious and pretty as the birthday girl herself!
North Star Delicatessen really excels at producing bespoke, home-made cakes for any occasion. Our fantastic, freshly made in-store cakes - carrot cake, chocolate cake, the gluten free lemon almond & polenta cake and our coffee and walnut cake - are all available to order whole. Just as easily we can create pretty much any flavour cake you like and ice and decorate it to your specifications. All we require is at least 24 hours notice.
So, if you're looking for a real talking point for your party table, why not contact us directly?
Adam’s China Trip Report #1
I've recently returned from a trip to China. Over the next few weeks you can read about some of the amazing culinary experiences I enjoyed during my travels.
Day 1: Brunch in Beijing
After a comfortable flight, we arrived at Beijing. Our time in the city would be brief, so a drive through the early morning rush-hour took us straight from the airport to The Great Wall.
Wanting to stretch our legs after an eight hour flight, we opted to walk up. At 4000 miles, The Great Wall is the longest human-made structure, and some sections date from as early as 200 BC. Seemed to me like a lot of trouble just to keep the Scots out! Nevertheless, it made for a steep and tiring two hour climb in the humid noon sun. At the top we had our photo taken next to a sign quoting Mao's proclamation that any who had managed to reach this point without collapsing were heroes. Bolstered by this, we decided to take the cable car back down and head back to the city for brunch.
Like many of you, I've been enjoying Chinese cuisine in the UK for years. How, I wondered, would it differ in its eponymous homeland? Jenny Li, my delectable and erudite travelling companion, hails from Beijing, & was eager for me to sample its culinary diversity. She took me to one of her favourite restaurants specialising in crab recipes.
Even in a city as large and cosmopolitan as Beijing, If you don't speak Mandarin (which I don't yet), you're lost. I was presented with a menu without a word of English. No matter, Jenny ordered a local beer to keep me occupied whilst she perused the carte du jour. Minutes later the waitress set a huge live crab in front of me at the table.
Not wanting to offend local custom by leaping out of my chair, I tactfully nodded my appreciation. What to do... make friends with it? Jenny said that the staff merely wanted to assure us that the food is fresh. Fresh? It's grabbing my shirt! To the Chinese, she explained, the concept of eating seafood that has been dead for an indeterminable period is distasteful, so it's kept alive until the moment of preparation... which sounds very sensible to me.
The crab waved goodbye to us as it was taken away. It returned ten minutes later in a pan with leeks, shallots, chillies, coriander, and star anise. Accompanying dishes were boiled rice, and one of my favourites - Chinese spinach. There were several cold dishes too; thinly-sliced braised beef, pickled mixed vegetables, & green beans.
The meal was spicy, & delicious, but the beer reminded my brain that it was, by my body-clock, five o'clock in the morning. No time for sleep yet, though, the city awaits…
Deanna’s Recipe of the Week #6 Rustic Fish Soup
Rustic Fish Soup
People are always curious about what I cook at home for dinner. This is really popular in my house because it's tasty and low fat. I always make it when we go away on holiday too(self catering of course!) with what we've found at the local fish market. Chrolton locals are well advised to visit Out of the Blue on Wilbraham Road - how lucky we are to have such a fantastic fishmonger on our doorstep!
Once you've put the white fish in, you can use any seafood you like, even frozen packs of mussels, prawns and squid. Below is just what I used the other day but it varies.
This should serve 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, sliced
1 bulb fennel, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, squashed then chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 red pepper
tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 glass red wine
1pt fish stock
Handful fresh basil leaves
250g large prawns
500g any flaky white fish (I sometimes use those frozen blocks of cod and pop them in straight from the freezer)
1 jar/tin of mussels or clams
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Cut the red pepper into quarters, remove the seeds and place on a tray under a hot grill, skin side up until blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film or a plate. leave to go cool and then remove the skin. Roughly chop the peppers.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pan and add the red onions.
Cook for 5 minutes then add the thyme, chilli, garlic and fennel.
Cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the roasted and skinned pepper, wine, the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree and fish stock. Cook for about 20 minutes.
Add the fresh basil and blend (you can leave it a little chunky if you prefer)
Add the fish (from fresh or frozen it doesn't matter) and cook until the white fish disintegrates, about 20 mins.
Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and finish with the chopped parsley.
Serve with bread. It's nice to have toasted baguette slices topped with freshly made basil pesto.
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