Ramblings of a Geek… A blog all about me… musings, thoughts, comments, rants, inspiration, likes, dislikes, web, design, funnies, and photography… Want to know more, just ask! Challenge… I’m also undergoing 3 challenges for 2012, check out Eats, Shoots & Reads to find our more…Tumblr (3.0; @liamgoldstein)http://www.liamgoldstein.com/<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzt0u85meK1r7lwgko1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #53: Avenue Q</h2> <p>Off to see <a href="http://www.avenueqthemusical.co.uk/" target="_blank">Avenue Q</a> tonight - super excited!</p> <p>I will update this post later with my verdict…</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18075689566http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18075689566Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:06:08 +0000avenue qchallengeexcitedfunnymusicmusicalpuppetsshootstheatrereview<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzrkb0Robn1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #52: Happy Pancake Day</h2> <p>My favourite pancakes are with golden syrup, lemon, fruit and nuts. What’s your favourite recipe?</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18030529627http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18030529627Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:12:32 +0000shootschallengepancakesgolden syruplemonfruitnutsThis weeks number is 129, Spinach and goat’s cheese risotto. I love risotto and already make...http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18006315461http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/18006315461Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:00:05 +0000eatschallengejamie oliverspianchgoatgoats cheesecheeserisottoricestockcelerygreen<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzpmynvJH21r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #51: Shop Done!</h2> <p>Trip to Morrisons done and ingredients for pancake day bought… Why isn’t it pancake day today?</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17967247922http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17967247922Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:13:34 +0000shootschallengemorrisonspancakeshoppingfoodyum<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhbseSdw01r7lwgko2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhbseSdw01r7lwgko3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhbseSdw01r7lwgko4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhbseSdw01r7lwgko5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzhbseSdw01r7lwgko6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><h2>Eats #7: Cauliflower Cover Up</h2> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> head of cauliflower, sea salt, olive oil, knob of butter, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 1-2 dried chillies, handful blanched almonds, lemon. <br/><br/><strong>Difficulty:</strong> 1/5 <br/><strong>Rating:</strong> 1/5 </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: line-through;">This weeks</span> last weeks recipe was <strong>“Roasted cauliflower with cumin, coriander and almonds”</strong> (page 342, Cook with Jamie)</p> <p>Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut into florets - pop into boiling salted water for a few minutes, drain and allow to steam dry.</p> <p>Crush the cumin and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, add the chili, almonds and a pinch of salt. Heat a dry pan until hot and pour in the spice mixture and toast for a few minutes. Toss the cauliflower in olive oil and a knob of butter and add to the pan, fry until slightly golden and add the zest and juice of a lemon.</p> <p>Roast in the oven for 15 minutes and you’re done.</p> <h3>Summary</h3> <p>What can I say about last weeks recipe… Not a lot to be honest! It was always going to be a challenge to make what’s essentially a boring vegetable exciting and this recipe failed to wow my taste buds.</p> <p>The chili, lemon, cumin and coriander gave the cauliflower an extra dimension in terms of flavour but the combination was a little odd for my liking. The lemon was too tangy and dominated the other flavours and the almonds gave each mouthful a weird texture.</p> <p>I have to admit that there were a couple of diversions from the recipe - I used fresh chili instead of dried and I could only find almond flakes instead of whole almonds but I don’t think either would of changed the outcome.</p> <p>Perhaps nothing could make cauliflower exciting for me or perhaps the recipe just isn’t to my liking… one things for sure, I won’t be cooking this dish again in a hurry.</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17943060984http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17943060984Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:42:05 +0000almondscauliflowerchallengechillycoriandercumindifficulty: 1 out 5eatsjamie oliverlemonrating: 1 out of 5zest<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lznpp6gAVC1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #50: Day at the Zoo</h2> <p>Met up with Fi, Dean and lovely Isla today and went to see some animals! Hugs and kisses to you all… Missing you already x</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17899876294http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17899876294Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:17:29 +0000shootschallengezoofriendshugsfriends<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzlmoj9I6O1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #49: Baaaaa</h2> <p>Lovely day in Stratford and Hatton… Looks like spring has arrived!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17828894725http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17828894725Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:17:07 +0000shootschallengehattonstratfordspringsheepfarm<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzk4h2MWOf1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #48: Pops!</h2> <p>Arrived safely at dads… Beer and food and a chilled evening planned!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17783501090http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17783501090Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:46:14 +0000shootschallengedadcoventryfoodbeer<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lziaf6OU4h1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #47: Burger Time!</h2> <p>Yummy burger at Ruby Tuesdays after the cinema… Nom nom nom!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17728427705http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17728427705Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:59:30 +0000shootschallengeruby tuesdaysburgeryumnomfries<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzgclgETAQ1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #46: Cauliflower Revamp</h2> <p>Can Jamie Oliver and I make Cauliflower more interesting?</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17670332662http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17670332662Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:51:16 +0000shootschallengecauliflowerjamie oliver<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeax2eLw21r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #45: Happy Valentines Day</h2> <p>Hope everyone has had a lovely valentines day?</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17613747829http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17613747829Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:19:50 +0000shootschallengevalentines daypresents<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzco4pgptW1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #44: Here’s One I Prepared Earlier!</h2> <p>Chocolate marble cheesecake finished and chilling in the fridge for valentines day - Yum!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17566488059http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17566488059Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:10:01 +0000This weeks number is 342, Roasted cauliflower with cumin, coriander and almonds. Although this...http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17557039911http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17557039911Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:32:05 +0000eatschallengejamie oliverrecipecauliflowercumincorianderalmondsvegetablesideaccompanyside dishstarter<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6a7l7wUV1r7lwgko8_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><h2>Eats #6: Tubular Yumminess…</h2> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> [Vegetable Ragu] small handful dried porcini mushrooms, 3 carrots peeled and diced, 4 sticks celery diced, 1 large red onion diced, 1 leek diced, 2 cloves garlic sliced, 5 portabello mushrooms finely chopped, 5 x 400g tins plum tomatoes, large bunch of basil. [White Sauce] 285ml single cream, 500ml creme fraiche, 4 anchovy fillets, handful grated parmesan. [Other] sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, pamesan cheese, 500g cannelloni tubes, olive oil. [Spinach] 680g fresh spinach, grated nutmeg. <br/><br/><strong>Difficulty:</strong> 4/5 <br/><strong>Rating:</strong> 3.75/5 </p> <p>I finally managed to select something other than fish! I was delighted to be cooking <strong>“Honeycomb cannelloni”</strong> (page 76, Cook with Jamie).</p> <p>First step… find a saucepan or cooking pot suitable for the job. The recipe clearly states that you need a saucepan/pot with a diameter of 20cm and a depth of 12.7cm so the cannelloni tubes can stand upright.</p> <p>After some searching I <a href="http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17165651711/shoots-37-going-to-need-a-bigger-kitchen">found a cooking pot</a> that I thought was suitable… unfortunately it wasn’t quite deep enough but It was too late to return the pot so I pressed on…</p> <p>I started preparing the vegetables for the ragu. Peel and dice the carrots, leek, celery, onion and portabello mushrooms. Cook the vegetables in a splash of olive oil until soft and add the soaked porcini, portabello, garlic and a wine glass of water. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the tinned tomatoes and basil stalks. Reduce for 45 minutes then add the basil leaves.</p> <p>The ragu was relatively easy to make but took a lot longer than expected. By the time I’d prepared all the vegetables and reduced the sauce almost 2 hours had past. Despite following the recipe to the letter my ragu hadn’t reduced to the consistency in the photo so I ladled off some of the excess tomato juice (which made a lovely tomato soup).</p> <p>Next I prepared the spinach by wilting it in a splash of olive oil and seasoning with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and nutmeg.</p> <p>The final step before assembly was the white sauce. I mixed the single cream, creme fraiche, anchovies and parmesan. The photo in the book showed a creamy, thick white sauce, what I created was runny and had the consistency of single cream. I contemplated this for quite some time, and even considered going to the supermarket to buy more ingredients, but decided it was all part of the learning curve and challenge.</p> <p>Finally I was ready to assemble the <strong>Honeycomb cannelloni</strong>. I poured 1 inch of white sauce into the cooking pot, sprinkled in a handful of parmesan, added the spinach and half the ragu. I pushed the cannelloni tubes into the layers and worked in circles creating the honeycomb pattern.</p> <p>Unfortunately, as my cooking pot was the wrong size, I ran out of cannelloni tubes leaving a hole in the middle. I spooned the remainder of the ragu into the cannelloni tubes and finished with white sauce and parmesan.</p> <p>Poped it in the oven for 45 minutes and served!</p> <h3>Summary</h3> <p>The outcome was surprisingly tasty and despite wrong consistencies and measurements the final dish worked well. The cannelonni tubes were filled with a delicious tomato ragu or a creamy, cheese sauce.</p> <p>Each mouthful was a different taste combination and the anchovies gave the white sauce an extra dimension.</p> <p>This dish also helped me understand the process of turning recipe into reality a lot clearer. One of the key lessons learnt is to use the recipe as a guide rather than an exact process.</p> <p>I need to start using common sense and interpret the recipe, photos and descriptions to achieve the right textures and consistencies. It’s not enough to blindly mix the ingredients in the hope that the outcome will be as expected.</p> <p>I also learnt the importance of preparation before cooking. In previous recipes I’ve tried to prepare parts of the dish whilst cooking others - making the process far more stressful than it needs to be.</p> <p>Despite the little mishaps along the way this proved to be a very unusual take on cannelloni and I’d definitely try this dish again!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17549115013http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17549115013Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:49:06 +0000anchovycannellonichallengecreamcreme fraichedifficulty: 4 out of 5eatsjamie oliverparmesanporciniragurating: 3.75/5tubularyumminessportabellotomatoesbasilceleryleek<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzamoqyr5Q1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #43: Darts Farm</h2> <p>Last day in Devon today, headed to Exmouth and pottered around Darts Farm - Lovely weekend!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17499927638http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17499927638Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:43:38 +0000shootschallengeexmouthdevondarts farmshoppingbeach<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz8nxv9Syp1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #42: Time to Relax</h2> <p>Just on our way back from a lovely day in Mount Edgcumbe, Cornwall. Chilly but very relaxed… off for a lovely meal later tonight!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17432468866http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17432468866Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:16:44 +0000shootschallengemount edgcumberelaxdevoncornwalltime<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6ttllalI1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #41: Devon Awaits!</h2> <p>All packed and ready to hit the road… Newton Abbot here we come!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17377014929http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17377014929Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:27:21 +0000shootschallengedevonpackedmini-breaknewton abbot<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz52dix4mR1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #40: Mmmmm Cake!</h2> <p>Lovely day off pottering around Cardiff Bay with my good friend Judy… topped off with coffee & cake.</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17325901487http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17325901487Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:36:54 +0000shootschallengecardiff baycakeday offjudyfriends<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz36hju1Fr1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #39: Amazing Deli…</h2> <p>Cardiff has some awesome and unique shops hidden away in its shopping arcades - one such place is Wally’s Delicatessen.</p> <p>Porcini mushrooms purchased, now to cook <a href="http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17158225051/eats-6-honeycomb-cannelloni">Honeycomb cannelloni</a>.</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17270774177http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17270774177Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:10:31 +0000shootschallengeshoppingarcadecardiffwally'sdeliporcinimushrooms<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1ipxhn4G1r7lwgko1_500.png"/><br/><br/><h2>Shoots #38: Cinema Time!</h2> <p>Just seen <strong>Journey 2: The Mysterious Island</strong>. Not a great film but fun and light hearted… I’d wait for the DVD though if you’re planning to go see this!</p>http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17222457438http://www.liamgoldstein.com/post/17222457438Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:39:32 +0000shootschallengejourney 2mysterious islanddvdmichael cainefunlight hearted