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mairead · Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:50 am Post subject:

Only one ?? oooo, you are mean.

_________________
I fear not hell, nor English strife,
For Scotland, I will give my life

Blackadder · 'Our Scotland' Fossil Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 4272

Well, I thought it better to start you off on one since they are an acquired taste. They're not the same as frogs legs.

Here's a nice little recipe for them, my ex-cook used to use for small dinner parties.

Ingredients (to feed 6)
3 doz frogs legs
juice of 1 lemon
3fl oz oil
salt
pepper
1 crushed clove garlic
1 bunch chopped parsley
1/2 pint coating
batter

Marinate frogs legs with salt, pepper, parsley, oil and lemon juice. Dry with a cloth at last minute, coat with batter and fry in very hot fat. Serve in a pile with fried parsley
Cooking time: 5 minutes

They're a roaring success at my parties ... do try them and let me know they go down.

mairead · Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:10 pm Post subject:

Gosh, you do recipes too. How clever of you, but I'm not really into frogs legs, or escargot come to that. I do however have a penchant for Octopus and squid.. Very Happy

_________________
I fear not hell, nor English strife,
For Scotland, I will give my life

Blackadder · 'Our Scotland' Fossil Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 4272

My mother made sure we could all cook before Dad kicked us out of the house (at age 16) to make our way in the world. I did work for a time at a taverna on the black beach at Perissa on Santorini in the Med (I lived there for a year), where I did some octopus hunting with my friends Demetrios and Marios, then got taught how to to cook it. Here's a recipe for you ...

Pickled Octopus (Htapothi toursi)
You'll need ...
1kg (2.25lb) young octopus
about 150ml (0.25pint) olive oil
about 150ml (0.25pint) red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic
salt and black pepper
4-6 stalks thyme or 1tsp dried thyme
lemon wedges, to serve

Directions
Prepare and wash the octopus. Place the head and tentacles in a pan with 6 - 8tbsp water, cover and simmer for 1 - 1 and a quarter hours until it is tender. Test it with a skewer. Drain off any remaining liquid and set aside to cool.
Cut the flesh into 1/2 inch strips and pack them loosely into a screw-topped jar. Mix enough oil and vinegar to fill the jar ... the exact amount will depend on the relative volumes of the seafood and the container ... stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.
If you are using dried thyme, mix it with the liquid at this stage. Pour it over the octopus, making sure that every last piece is completely immersed. If you are using thyme stalks, push them into the jar.
Cover the jar and set it aside for at least 4 - 5 days before using.
To serve, drain the octopus and serve it on small individual plates or
saucers with the lemon wedges. Cubes of at least one-day old bread, speared on cocktail sticks, are the usual accompaniment.

Serves 8

As you can see I had a wide education which serves my dinner guests well.

Cooks? Who needs 'em? I also bake bread and rolls and make savouries.

mairead · Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:13 pm Post subject:

Aren't you just soooo wonderful.
_________________
I fear not hell, nor English strife,
For Scotland, I will give my life

Blackadder · 'Our Scotland' Fossil Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 4272

In a word ... yes!