Mr Nicolas Hoare talks Odd Bits

Sauerkraut Tart

My husband made his annual sauerkraut, the recipe for the cabbage and the sauerkraut are in Odd Bits.  Of course we had leftovers, which we enjoyed during the week. We devoured the sausages and pork hocks first and then were left with just tasty cabbage. What to do with it other than Reuben sandwiches?

Cookbook Awards 2

The Beard nominees were announced yesterday and I am very pleased to be included. My thoughts are the same as when the IACP nominees were announced in February. Also the same are the two other nominees for Single Subject cookbook. I always keep good company.

Chicago - my kind of town

Here I am in the Butcher and Larder with owner Rob Levitt. We had a great demo, Rob braised lamb neck with olives, lemon and mint from Odd Bitsand I made blood pancakes, which surprised and fascinated the group. There was a complaint - they didn't taste weird enough! They just tasted delicious. With such a keen and educated group I'm expecting blood waffles, blood bread and pancakes will be common fare in Chicago soon.

Fat-tailed lamb follow up

Well I finally tasted my version of qawarma. No favas, no yoghurt, no mint I just warmed it up in a pan and spread it on bread and it was fabulous. Well spiced, lamby and delicious. There were only three of us and it was a snack with drinks before dinner. However, we polished off two-thirds of it and would have eaten it all if I'd warmed up the remaining third, but I'm keeping for my friend Naomi to taste this evening.

Fat tailed Lamb

I was very excited when Laurie from Hawk Hill Farm contacted me. She raises heritage breeds, which include Tunis sheep. They put fat on their tails and she had read of my search in Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes for fat-tailed lamb. Generously she sent me tails from lambs that were pastured and slaughtered at 6 months.