True love

I should let you in on a secret. Although I witter on about fantastic things like carrot cakes, butterscotch cakes, pumpkin scones and other things of that ilk, they are not my true passion. Give me the choice between a whole Victoria sandwich or a small plate of delicious seafood, seafood will win out every time.

I love it. Can never get enough of it. Like Barry White and that random girl’s love he croons about but better. A trip to the fish market in Deira is my own personal smelly paradise, complete with gunk that sticks to the bottom of your trousers has the neighbourhood strays (cats, dogs, sometimes people) following you round the block. It’s the only attention I get these days anyway.

So yesterday, when I found myself at a loose end in the evening and faced with an empty but full cupboard (full of useful things like nori seaweed, corned beef and baked beans yet curiously devoid of anything to make a meal you’re willing to eat), I knew what I had to do. I had to take a trip to the supermarket and stock the cupboard with beautiful things that work better than corned beef and treat myself to a decent home-cooked dinner.

From the outset, I had my mind on the prize, I’d pick up some cockles, squid, mussels and other piscine delights and make my favourite Thai-styled seafood broth, hot, steamy and bursting with delicate flavours.

When I got home, laden with products however, my sense of adventure kicked in. “What’s the point in eating the same old thing every day,” it taunted me. “Pooh pooh to your boring old seafood broth. Next thing it will be Ovaltine at 9.01pm every night after which you’ll have allotted reading time of 10 minutes followed by a prompt lights off at 9.15.”

In defiance of this dreary vision, I decided that I, Julianna Barnaby, would refuse to be tarred by the boring brush. Though reluctant to give up on the seafood idea, I would improvise – something off the cuff. Eyes alighting on the bottle of red wine by the cooker (handy in all kinds of food emergencies and life crises) it dawned on me that there was only one dish I should be making – a hearty seafood stew.

Think of this as your winter comfort food – rich and packed with chutzpah that makes your tongue tingle and your stomach purr in content but a lot lighter – it’s hot and filling but doesn’t drop to the bottom of your stomach like a brick. Best of all, it can be whipped up in half an hour.



Bourbon drinking squid, courtesy of www.indiesquidkid.com

NB: I hate to preach but this I have to say. Overcooked squid rings are like control pants that are too tight – they could have been fantastic, but instead, they push your fat up to a disgusting roll which springs out under your boobs and you’d have been a lot better off going without them. Sound revolting and disappointing? Think of that the next time you contemplate leaving your squid in the pan for too long. For this recipe, one or two minutes will suffice.

Moans aside, here’s the recipe: I served it with some short-grain brown rice and salad on the side.

Seafood stew (serves 2)
500g mixed seafood of your choice – can be cockles, scallops, mussels, prawns (peeled), squid – anything
Olive oil infused with chilli (or normal olive oil)
Dried chilli flakes
1 glass of red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin tuna in water (drained)
A few basil leaves torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Onion, finely chopped
½ clove garlic, minced

On a low heat, sautee the onions in the chilli oil after 10 minutes, add the minced garlic, basil leaves and tinned tuna – stir for a few minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, red wine, chilli flakes and oregano and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add mussels/ cockles/ clams/ scallops and simmer until they’re fully open. Discard any that do not open.
Turn heat up, when bubbling, add squid. Cook for a further minute or two. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

This is also pretty tasty as a chilled leftover the next day. Think the cold cutting refreshment of a gazpacho but with a lot more substance.

Look out for the next post. If all goes to plan, it will be pretty exciting. If it doesn’t, there’ll be an amusing story in it I’m sure.

Locavore Dubai style

I know that food blogs traditionally start with a recipe but I’ve been run off my feet over the last couple of days and, shock horror, have had no time to cook anything. Unless cups of tea count. However, I was browsing the internet yesterday and found something that made me chuckle:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/25/lucy-cavendish-obesity

Lucy’s account of her absolute misery while trying to lose weight is hilarious and so true to form. I’ve always envied those girls able to munch on celery and savour it like it’s a big fat slice of Lime Tree Carrot Cake (there’ll be a separate post on this another day). The only thing I savour like carrot cake, is umm, carrot cake..



And a few other things like flatbreads with goat’s cheese and caramelized onions, oven-baked camembert fresh out the oven runny, goeey, messy and delicious – perfect for dipping big hulks of fresh French bread in. You get the point.

One thing that has caught my attention is the locavore phenomenon. I know this is nothing new – but it suddenly struck me that this could have hilarious consequences in Dubai. If you only ate what had grown in a 100 kilometre radius, you’d be looking forward to a wholesome diet of fat locals and expats (everyone grows in size when they get here), thorny and sparse gorse-like bushes and not much else.

Well that’s a lie – you can get some pretty decent fish here – a few months ago myself and some friends went deep-sea fishing and came back with the most glorious catch of fish. 2 barracudas and 1 kingfish (which is very similar to mackerel). We caught more but we released them back into the ocean.

If you live near a good fishing spot, it’s worth the time, effort and money – lying in the sun, waiting for the whirring of the reel, looking out at the azure blue ocean would be worth it alone. But then the action when you get a bite, reel and heave, reel and heave – arms straining and body braced against the boat – think of it like adrenalin shopping. With the ocean as your supermarket and a hell of a lot more fun involved. You don’t catch them all, but even the ones that get away are worth the effort.

The gutting and cleaning wasn’t particularly messy – but it was my friends’ first time in such close contact with the innards of fish and I think it made them just a little bit queasy. Still, the job was done pretty quickly, and when it was, we had three fish dying for the barbeque. Barracuda’s not a great fish to eat, but it’s decent enough when you spruce it up with this gorgeous fish marinade with preserved lemons (below), pair it with a glass of wine and some fresh salad leaves.

The kingfish however, ruled supreme, even though we merely gutted it and drizzled it with a little lime, flat leaf parsley and chilli marinade. The meatiness of the flesh is marvelous – juicy but firm – like mackerel it’s able to take pretty much anything you throw at it, so it’s a good fish for experimenting with.

So there we were, we’d cruised for our catch, come up trumps and were eating the fruits of our labour and they tasted pretty damned good. Although I was in favour of the kingfish, both my friends said that the barracuda pipped it to the post for them – of course I was right but looks like it was pretty close.

Cheeky quick preserved lemons
10 lemons, scrubbed, quartered, pith in the middle and pips removed
3 cups water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup salt

Take the lemons and put into the water, along with the sugar and the salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rind of the lemons is soft and pulpy. At this stage, remove the lemons from the syrup, and place aside to cool. Continue to simmer the syrup until it is of a thick consistency, similar to honey. Once this is done, turn off the fire and let it cool. Place the lemons in an airtight container and cover with the syrup. Seal and place in the fridge and use when necessary. To marinate the fish, score the sides, place a wedge of lemon and some syrup in each score and place the remainder inside the fish. Wrap in foil and cook on barbecue or in the oven.