PRODUCTS/PLACES TESTED BY 67GOINGON50 (3)

1.  BELAZU TAHINI:

This Middle Eastern tahini is the 'bees' knees'!

Belazu Tahini is produced by a family of Samaritans on Mount Gerazim close to Nablus, the original home of tahini, close to Jerusalem.

  

67 tested it completely unadorned on wholemeal bread (first time ever) and was impressed.  Lighter and 'cleaner' than peanut butter, smooth, not at all claggy, it tastes and smells fresh and delicious.  

It only comes in 1 kilo jars but tahini isn't just for hummus.  It's an essential component of many popular global dishes from the Middle East, in China, Japan, India and contemporary health food.  

It's lower in sugar and saturated fat than peanut butter but equal in cholesterol.  

It's delicious on bread, with or without honey.  It also appears as a sauce for meat and fish, in salad dressings, on Chinese noodles (!!) or in sweet desserts.  (some recipes below)

If you're a small household, share the purchase price with friends.  It's worth it. 

Belazu Tahini £11/kilo; keeps a year from production date; from   Black Truffle on Englands Lane 

 

Lamb Kebabs with Spicy Tahini Sauce

Spicy Sesame Noodle Salad 

2.  70+% Cocoa Solids Baking Chocolate

   When it comes to baking chocolate, 67 uses a variety of brands.  If feeling frugal, it's Cadbury's Bourneville (though not 70% cocoa, it's good in baking and still produced in the UK); then, Morrisons's Dark Baking Chocolate (before it disappeared from the shelves).  

   Nowadays, it's M&S's 70% Dark Cooking Chocolate (£1.10 for 100gms).  

   Sainsbury's is now offering 76% Belgian Dark Chocolate.  It's not as sweet or creamy as M&S's and it has a slightly bitter undertone; nor is  it such a bargain at £1.50 for 100gms .  But if my local M&S runs out of baking chocolate (as it often does)  Sainsbury's will do fine.

Sainsbury's 76% Belgian Dark Chocolate: £1.50/100g

3.  Bournes Fishmongers and Seafood Bar/Restaurant, Belsize Village  

    Belsize Village is really up-and-coming these days.  

    This new fishmongers/deli/restaurant in Belsize Village was popular with locals, even before Covid-19 shut down its Wine Bar and downstairs restaurant...and before the new popular restaurant extravaganza Belsize Streatery.  

    The fresh fish is as pricy as any other fresh fish outlet but the quality is fantastic and the staff friendly, helpful and and knowledgable.  For the few pennies more, I'm happy to skip the long convoluted trek to my usual source, Whole Foods in Kensington. 

     I've not yet tested the bar/restarant but am looking forward to doing so.   

DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  Any information not sourced to a second party is the copyright of the blogger.

TRIPLE DUTY PAELLA: MEAT, FISH & VEGETARIAN lower-fat high fibre

Easy paella which feeds either vegans, carivores and pescatarians...or at the same time!

Vegetable-strewn Paella with an almond accent 

Looking for a knock-out dish that will satisfy vegans, carniovores AND pescatarians?  Without exhausting chef? 

Spanish Paella, a terrifically tasty one-dish meal, solves all the problems that come with a household with conflicting food demands.  And it's lower-fat, too.                

The dish is not complicated.  Cooking for either vegetarians or meat or fish eaters is simplest.  But if feeding more than one food group, simply divide the vegetarian rice base as needed, adding tofu, nuts and/or pulses OR chicken, pork or lamb OR shellfish/white fish as required.  

For example, to feed a group of carnivores and vegetarians, divide the cooked rice base in two; add half the ingredients for classic paella to one half of the cooked rice and to the other half of the rice, add half the ingredients for vegetarian paella.

Depending on the size of the household, one recipe can be enough for carnivores and vegetarians.  If you're serving a crowd, doubling the recipe is recommended.

The recipe is lower in fat than normal. Use brown rice instead of white and it's a high-protein, rich-in-fibre winner in the health stakes!

The key ingredient, saffron, IS expensive (in fact one of the most expensive foods in the world) but nothing else has its delicate smokiness.  A half gram of saffron strands is £3 in major supermarkets like Waitrose and is enough for this recipe and more.  Fortunately a little saffron goes a long way and keeps well.

A less expensive option is turmeric, but only in small quantities to colour the rice without overpowering it.  

To accompany -- Authentic Spanish Sangria. 

Serves: 6-8 
Cost: min £6.50, max £1l'ish depending on ingredients (12/24) 

Ingred:

Base:1.5 cups rice - pref brown, not quick cook - well rinsed (see tips) 

2 peppers of different colours
1 onion diced (or fodmap friendly fennel)
1 clove grated garlic (opt)

3 cups/600 ml litre good stock (granules ok) incl 1 glass white wine or white grape juice  
1 tablespoon saffron

a small mug fresh/frozen peas 
1 large tomato, de-seeded and in medium dice

lemon wedges for garnish

ADDITIONS: option of one, two or three types

Classic Paella (adjust additions to base as necessary; ie if making half chicken & fish paella, halve the amount of rice and halve the amount of classic ingredients listed here; the other half of the rice base is cooked with half the ingredients for either vegetarian or seafood paella ) 

Usually chicken with mixed seafood but cubes of white fish keeps cost down

     1 chicken in 16 pieces (neck and back removed for stock) or 8-12 small chicken thighs or 12-14 wings divided in two 
    12 cm chorizo or merged spicy lamb sausage 
    white fish or prawns and/or mussels  (a generous mugful) opt

Vegetarian/Vegan  (adjust additions to base as necessary; ie if making half vegetarian/vegan, halve the amount of  cooked rice and halve the amount of  veggie ingredients listed here; the other half of the rice base is cooked with half the ingredients for either classic or seafood paella ) 

Tofu & Avocado Paella with a twist 

     1 tin drained, rinsed chickpeas or 1 large mug reconstituted dry chickpeas 
     100 gm M&S artichoke, olive and sun blush antipasti OR 3 oz/85gm artichoke hearts OR
     113-175gm/4-6oz smoked or spiced tofu, organic if budget allows, in bite-size pieces

     1/3 avocado (opt)


Seafood Paella (adjust additions to base as necessary; ie if making half seafood paella and half vegetarian or vegan; divide amount of rice in two and add half   the amount of seafood ingredients listed herein one half; the other half of the rice base is cooked with half the ingredients for classic or seafood paella ) 

2-3 generous mugfuls of fresh or frozen shellfish and/or salmon or white fish

    

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