Bang On!

I went to the restaurant Elephant & Castle last weekend with a few friends to enjoy some English food and fun. Elephant & Castle is supposed to be an English Pub that serves English cuisine and beers, which I am sure isn't even close to an authentic pub, but I liked it anyway. After all of the random shots of whiskey it didn't really matter how authentic it was!

We started off with a few appetizers: brie with cranberry jelly, veggie spring rolls (so NOT English) and potato skins (so NOT English). Me and my girls eat brie with apricot at just about every single get together we have. It's our most favorite thing!

For dinner I had Shepard's Pie...my absolute favorite thing to eat. It combines meat (which I fucking LOVE), mashed potatoes (which I fucking LOVE) and veggies (which are okay) and makes it into a yummy warm casserole bake. If you didn't already know this...I LOVE casseroles. I love my food all mixed up together, which sometimes makes it look unappetizing to others, but scrumptious to me (more about my casserole addiction to follow).

I also brought home some Bangers and Mash for my fiance. I am not a huge fan of sausage, but I tried a bite of the bangers...and wow, it was really really good. It was extremely entertaining to order too!

Also, their fish and chips looked really good too...I think I want to move to London and live off of pub food!

Hungarian Pörkölt

Apologies for the absence, but I'm back at last, and hopefully with a good one to kick off with!

This is a recipe I've had for a while, and is incredibly easy to make, as well as being strangely addictive, as you can't help but go back for seconds! I'm going to try and talk through how to make it, although as always, nothing is measured, I just go by guesswork and what looks right. Plus there will probably be hundreds of Hungarians shouting that it's not right; well it's just the way I was taught to make it. By a Hungarian!

The first step is to chop up some onion and fry it up; I usually go for red onions, and although I'm sure other onions would work just as well, I like to stick with tradition on this one. I used two medium sized onions.


Once they're slightly browned, or at least soft, it's time for the meat. About 500g of diced beef seems to be a good size for two (or one if you have my appetite). Cook until brown with no pink showing.


At this point, I used add salt, pepper, and if you like, some mixed herbs. The herbs are optional, but can help add a little to the flavor. Next, add in some chopped tomatoes; and here I've used four medium tomatoes. Probably best to chop them a little smaller as it will be easier to cook, although it will all boil down anyway. I was just being lazy.


Once the tomatoes have started to cook and come apart, it's time to add in some water to make it into more of a stew. Alternatively, you can do as I did, and replace water with some cheap red wine that you were given as a gift. It certainly adds colour, and I love the smell of wine in cooking!


Now, bring it to the boil, turn it down, throw on the lid and leave it to simmer for as long as you can before hunger takes over. The longer the better as the beef will become softer, and I'd usually say half an hour is a minimum.

Finally, the paprika needs to be added about 5-10 minutes before the end, and be generous with it! I added about three teaspoons, and that seemed just right, but again, no strict measurement is required.

The final result will probably look similar to this, although mine is a little redder for using wine rather than water. You can serve is up with boiled potatoes, although I'm usually happy enough to have it on it's own!


Enjoy!

Nachos

I was just thinking about some of my favorite restaurants to go to and why I like them so much. One of my new favorites is Bar Louie. They have a fantastic drink and food menu and it's reasonably priced. They also have a full bar and they don't water down their drinks. I really want their chicken nachos...RIGHT NOW! Yum!
These are NOT Bar Louie's chicken nachos...but these look good too!

Tiki Bar Drinks

A fun night out with my gal pals at Hala Kahiki a fantastic Hawaiian/Polynesian themed tiki bar. The drink menu is expansive and everything tasted fantastic...trust me...we tasted ALL of the drinks on the menu! They only serve pretzels...bummer!


From left to right: Maiden Punch, Surf Rider, Missionary Downfall and Purple Monkey. The Surf Rider won the taste test...but Missionary Downfall for sure won for title!
Slipper Nipples and Blow Job shots.
Yummmm...communal drinks...lots of backwash! The one on the right was The Volcano and the middle part was on fire. They were fantastic! Can't recall what the other one was named...and can't really recall what they tasted like exactly...but I know there were good!

Yummy!

Good food doesn't have to be fancy all the time...it just needs to satisfy! Donovan's favorite food is pasta...all kinds of pasta and sauces...his favorite being cheese tortellini and pesto! Seeing my son enjoy his food makes all the dirty dishes not matter!



So pretend your two again...and enjoy your food...get it all over you face and love it!

Spicy Tuna Steak

Today we're going for a home cooked speciality; Spicy Tuna Steak

This is a great one, as it's quick and easy to put together, and is pretty healthy (providing you don't stick a large lump of butter on the sweetcorn, as I did).

First and foremost, you need a fresh tuna steak. You can go with pre-packed, but I always think the fish fresh from the counter is much better, so go fresh if you can. Then create your spicy coating. As always, I make it up as I go, and suggestions are always welcome, but mine was made of the following:

Olive Oil

Tarragon

Dill Tips

Mild Chilli Powder

Afraid I'm not good with measurements, and you can vary each one as to your taste. I used about 2 tablespoons of oil, then about 1 teaspoon each of the tarragon, dill and chilli. Experiment, and go with what looks and tastes right.

Mix them all together in a shallow dish, and give the tuna steak a good rub around to get it fully coated and soaked in. You could probably marinade it, but I prefer the quick option!

Then, just throw the steak in a frying pan on a medium heat for about 7-8 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of the steak).

What you serve with the steak is also up to your own preference. I went for carrots, sugar snaps and sweetcorn as I like a lot of color on the plate. The whole thing probably took about 15-20 minutes.

Ministrone Soup & Muffins

This is the easiest minestrone soup to make and it tastes fantastic. It's actually more of a stew than a soup. I don't like broth based soups that much...I go for the creamy soups. So this is a healthier option and its not brothy! It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. What you will need:

1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 Bag of frozen mixed vegetables

2 Stalks of celery chopped

1 Can of kidney beans

1 Clove of garlic

1 Box of the pasta of your choice

Basil, Oregano, Salt & Pepper to taste.


Then just dump it all in a pot and let it simmer a bit. I top mine with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and your good to go!

When you crack these muffins open...it's nothing but blue...way too many blueberries...but still yummy!

Eating Out: The Swan

Saturday night was a leaving celebration for a friend, and we decided to head down to one of our old local pubs for some traditional pub food, at The Swan.

First off, a warm up with a tried and trusted pint of London Pride. I'd like to think that bitter is coming back into fashion, and personally, I'd like to see a return to the handle glass!


So, onto the food. All the food on their menu sounds fantastic, and looking at other peoples dishes, I don't think you'll go far wrong with whatever you pick. I finally decided on the steak, or as the menu describes.

Grilled fillet steak with triple cooked chips, oven dried tomatoes and garlic and parsley butter

My only issue when I get served something like this is how small it looks on the plate, but to be honest, it was a thick steak, and despite how small the potion seemed, it was certainly filling, with just enough space for dessert. Dessert incidentally, was chocolate brownies with hot chocolate sauce. Afraid that didn't stay around long enough to have it's picture taken!

So, if you ever happen to be near Chesham in Buckinghamshire, The Swan is well worth a visit!

Introduction

From the people who brought you Blog This! and Meaning of Loaf, welcome to Carnal Cuisine!

If you've just stumbled across this blog, either through links that other people will hopefully be providing, or just by random chance, you might be wondering what the hell this all is. Let me try and explain.

Born out of a random moment of inspiration, and a love of food, we've decided to create a blog which is dedicated to cooking, eating, and everything and anything to do with food. If you were after pictures of women performing obscene acts with food, sorry, we're not going that way. Unless we really need to boost the readership.

So whether you're looking for some ideas for dinner, or just want to drool over something hot and tasty, we hope you enjoy the blog!