Junk Food

After about four years of increasing food snobbery I appear to be having a small regression, foodwise. Yesterday, I bought (whisper it) frankfurters from (even quieter) Tesco's. They were amazing. I miss them again even thinking about them. I bought a can of Tesco Tuscan bean soup, chopped up the frankfurters and microwaved the hell out of the whole lot. Afterwards I felt replete, filled with meat flavoured water. Yum. To make matters worse, on the way home last night (I'd been out cocktailing with one of my friends who's just got engaged - she won't read this but yay Helen!), I stopped into Akdeniz (awesome, ever-open Finsbury park place) and bought a cuppasoup. Admittedly, was a Tom Yum cuppasoup, so potentially a little classier, but I had it for lunch today and upon checking the ingredients found them reassuringly heavy on MSG. In an attempt to make up for this, I've currently got a vegetarian (plus a bit of chicken since surely that doesn't really count as meat...) curry simmering on the stove (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root-and-lentil-casserole, sort of, but with extra cumin seeds, fresh chilli, mango chutney, tomato paste, coconut cream, cardamom pods, coriander seeds and East End jalfrezi powder - I sometimes suspect that my general success in cooking is really just a result of an excess of ingredients. Half of them cancel each other out but some of them are bound to hit the mark). Not only is this Made From Scratch but it's simmering evenly and softly on my unreliable, always a bit too hot gas hob, courtesy of my mother's birthday present to me - an amazing RUN pan. It's big, black and beautiful, and I've spent a bit too long polishing it with vegetable oil (I was working at home today and avoiding a particularly repellent bit of work - there are so many more options for distraction at home, it's dangerous). So, posh pan, good ingredients - what more can you ask? Well, my redemption continues - I have no real idea what one of the vegetables in here is! My cousin and I bought it from the Vegetable Shop of Joy (I've ranted http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root-and-lentil-casseroleabout it before, but please visit it on Seven Sister's Road, is called Frank's + something in Turkish). It's something like an Enoch, but not. Edin, maybe? Anyway, it's white inside and very starchy when you peel it - as slippery as soap on the inside. On the outside it looks a bit like a wizened coconut, with a hairy yet peelable skin. Ah - some googling reveals that it might be an Edo. Anyway, I've just tried a piece and can reveal that it tastes like a very sticky potato - it's actually quite nice, and will definitely use in curry again. To go with my Edo (or whatever it's called), I have celeriac, lentils and carrots, so is a pleasingly unconventional curry. For interesting descriptions of weird vegetables - take a look at this article: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/features/2186.html. Just remembered my pan goes in the oven as well as on the hob!! *Runs off to switch oven on and put it in there, just because I CAN.


It occurs to me, looking back in this blog, that I totally missed the riots. I spent a blog being upset about feeling left out, but didn't feel the urge to document something as depressing, timely and revealing as the riots. Oh well. Clearly this just isn't the kind of blog that covers important world events, and it would be a shame to confuse my profile now. I will just say that I'm planning on volunteering, but still trying to figure out where a slightly confused English student who's irredeemably middle class can best be useful, rather than irritating.