Sorry if this is elsewhere - parmesan ends, and yucky cereal - help!

Caterina

lostinrates wrote: »

No, pero mio marito e toscano my mother's just a good cook though.

I am sure she is, lostinrates! I am probably one of the few Italians in the UK that has never denigrated English food. In fact I had a great big argument on an Italian forum just about this subject as I got fed up with all the newcomers going on about the stuff that the English eat etc...

When I first arrived, in 1983, I was already of the opinion that all countries, including the UK, have their own time-honoured good food, which is unfortunately not reflected by the industrial rubbish "food" that tourists come across when they first arrive.

So, armed with a Woman's Own cookery book (79p, I still have it and it is very well used!), I spent a whole year cooking different recipes for my (then) new husband (the first one, now long gone!). Every day a new dish, trawling all over the Isles, from Beef in Ale to Colcannon, to herrings in oatmeal (a favourite of my now ex, who came from Scotland), passing via PanHackety (sp.?) and Cornish Pasties, etc etc etc. interspersed with Italian dishes of all descriptions and a lot of invented recipes, made up to use our leftovers and bits and pieces - we were quite skint and lived in a bedsit - but (at least for the first couple of years) we were happy....

Ah, good old times when I still loved cooking a lot! Now,with a (relatively) new husband (22 years together) and two very large and hungry children, cooking has somehow lost its novelty value.

But I still know and fully acknowledge the beauty of REAL British food, home-cooked with love and fresh ingredients!

Caterina

lostinrates

Caterina wrote: »

I am sure she is, lostinrates! I am probably one of the few Italians in the UK that has never denigrated English food. ....
But I still know and fully acknowledge the beauty of REAL British food, home-cooked with love and fresh ingredients!

Caterina

Oh no, I didn't think you were! In fact though, my mother is not British, just not Italian either but of course, DH's influence is great.

And yes, great British food is wonderful, and I'm glad its becoming more popular both to cook at all and to cook good national food among a varied repetoire in British kitchens.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply offence was taken:o

Whitefiver

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Blitz cheese in processor and mix with breadcrumbs.

Then coat some chicken thighs/strips with flour, then beaten egg and finally the parmesan/breadcrumb mix, and cook in oven. Make a lovely crispy coating.

More detail on BBC Good Food page today, by sheer co-incidence.

Regards,

White.

marrbett

Parmesan Cheese.
I was always taught to shave off the outside of the hard bit( with a sharp knife) and then to grate starting with the hard bit. It's hard going, but worth it when you reach the softer bit. Then you grate it all, with no bits left over.:j
HTH

elyphant

Ooh, brilliant ideas especially for the parmesan. Great tip Marrbett to avoid all these bits leftover in the future. And I love the breadcrumbs idea white fiver, I think my blender could probably cope.
Hooray for you guys - THANKS!!!