James Steen - The Foodie: Curiosities, Stories and Expert Tips from the Culinary World

The

FOODIE

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The

FOODIE

Curiosities, Stories and Expert Tips
from the Culinary World

JAMES STEEN

This edition published in the UK in 2015 by Icon Books Ltd.

Previously published in the UK in 2014 as The Kitchen Magpie
by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre,
3941 North Road, London N7 9DP
email:
www.iconbooks.com

Sold in the UK, Europe and Asia
by Faber & Faber Ltd, Bloomsbury House,
7477 Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DA or their agents

Distributed in the UK, Europe and Asia
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Frating Green, Colchester CO7 7DW

Distributed in Australia and New Zealand
by Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd,
PO Box 8500, 83 Alexander Street,
Crows Nest, NSW 2065

Distributed in South Africa by Jonathan Ball,
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Woodstock 7925

Distributed in Canada by Publishers Group Canada,
76 Stafford Street, Unit 300,
Toronto, Ontario M6J 2S1

ISBN: 978-184831-839-7

Text copyright 2014, 2015 James Steen

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

We believe the information contained in this book to be accurate. However, neither the author nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for any personal injury/illness or other damage or loss arising from the use or misuse of the information and advice in this book.

Typeset in Fournier by Marie Doherty

Printed and bound in the UK by
Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

In memory of my mum, the original Kitchen Magpie.

This book is for Louise, and for Charlie, Billy and Daisy,
with their ever-open beaks.
Lets eat in Prague!

INTRODUCTION

Tie thy napkin!

Never eat more than you can lift.

Miss Piggy

Foodies are unlike normal people.

They are obsessed with food and drink, to the point that nothing else really matters to them. They will pretend that other things are important, but, truth is, they are instantly aroused and distracted by the sensual pleasures of food, be it the whiff of a ripe poisses, the fragrance of a tiny strawberry or the bashing of a meat mallet on veal.

When discussions arise concerning the subjects of politics or religion, foodies make good listeners. That is because they are immersed in thought, painting colourful layers of foodie-ness over the dull subjects: silently contemplating Abraham Lincolns love of apples or how Pope Sixtus (was it the fourth or fifth?) drank not a sip, but a whole glass of wine in between mouthfuls of food.

Most foodies divide their attention between past, present and future, i.e. the last meal, the one that is currently being consumed and one that will be made or served soon.

Foodies are not discriminating. Foodies can be tall or small, young or old, or of medium height, medium build or middle-age. Anyone can be a foodie. Some people go through life with no interest in food. Then, one morning, they awake to discover a love of cooking, and they raise their hands to the heavens and say, I was blind but now I can see the oven.

Come inside the mind of a foodie

Imagine, God forbid, that an epidemic were to erupt on the Australian island state of Tasmania. World leaders and decent human beings would be concerned, naturally. Foodies, however, would also find a food association. They would dwell on the effect of the epidemic upon Tassies sustenance enhancers, and they might ask themselves these questions:

What will happen to the Bruny Island Cheese Company and its heaving shelves of pongy Jacks Dad or soft, white Saint?

Will the crop at Tas-Saff (a farm of fine-quality saffron) be neglected?

How will the epidemic affect wine production of Janszs sparkling wine (the vines thrive in the free-draining basalt soils in the Pipers River region)?

(Oh, by the way. Be sure to try Tasmanias pinot noir if ever it reaches your end of the table.) The point is, if a survey were conducted, nine out of ten foodies would admit to thinking only of food and drink; one out of ten foodies is a liar.

Foodies have existed since the beginning of time, but they did so without a name. The word foodie was coined around 1980, when the worlds population of foodies had yet to boom. In those days, foodies dreamt of prawn avocado, over-poached salmon and lumpy chocolate mousse. Today, the foodie still dreams of all those things.

This book began life in hardback form as The Kitchen Magpie. The magpie, incidentally, is a scavenger, looked upon with great favour by the Tudors because it kept the streets of the City free from filth. The bird is deemed unclean, but it is edible. McDonalds has yet to pluck it and pattie it, but in the late Middle Ages magpie beaks were all the rage. Worn around the neck, they prevented toothache, but that doesnt work anymore.

I want to thank you for finding the (valuable) time to read this slim but well-fed miscellany of morsels about food. Its content is inspired by the modern-day kitchen and the items that we take for granted as conveniences: oven, fridge, freezer, kettle, wine rack, even the fork. These accepted luxuries and many more provide the foundation of the chapters. The kitchen as we know it will not exist for much longer. Everything fridge, cutlery, kettle, you name it will be hidden from view within the next decade or so. The Foodies quest is pleasure: to celebrate what is on sight today and, perhaps, tomorrow.

Speaking of kitchens, my career has taken me into scores of professional ones, not to cook but to interview great chefs and accomplished cooks on a variety of subjects. As part of the delightful process of compiling, collating and writing The Foodie, I have drawn upon thousands of hours of interviews, revisiting tapes, digital recordings and wine-stained shorthand notes. Food, every part of it, is best when shared. On that basis, I was driven to share what amounts to a feast of culinary knowledge, the food memories and the thoughts of Britains best-loved characters in gastronomy.

For this book, I also asked a number of gastronomic idols and icons to answer one single question: what is the food of love? It is a question with no boundaries or limitations, and the responses, which are sprinkled throughout the chapters, are insightful and often surprising. These chefs and cooks, you see, opted not for so-called aphrodisiacs, but for the simplicity of comfort food such as baked beans, roasted pigeon, and a ripe peach picked from the tree.

We can all play this game. My own food of love is ham and eggs, which my mother made when I was a child. One thick, sweet slice of honey-roasted ham beneath a fried egg, and there you have it: the contrast of runny, yellow yolk and firm, pink meat; the mix on the palate of hot egg and cold ham. Give me that humble dish for breakfast and my wifes shepherds pie for lunch and the day is heading towards perfect.

Within these highly appetising pages you will also come across old recipes that have been forgotten. They have been gathering dust upon kitchen bookshelves and deserve to be remembered. I hope you agree. These recipes offer a swift, reassuring connection to all of our ancestors. You will read them, feel hungry, and will want to devour them straight from the page.