Saturday 27 March 2010

Recipe: The One Parent Family Dinner.

I would imagine that since I was born my mother has spent about 90% of her money on stuff for the house, stuff for my brother and I (when we were younger) and stuff to eat…..the other 10% probably got spent on MDMA or something. Anyway, what I’m saying is that my mum has put my brother and I before herself every single day of her life…..apart from 2 weeks in July 1987 when she jetted of to Acapulco and left us with a case of Panda Cola, a freezer full of Findus Crispy Pancakes and whole box packed with VHS films that wouldn’t play on our poxy Betamax machine…..she then said “I wont be long and don’t answer the door!”

After she returned and her golden sun tan had worn off she quickly got back in to the groove of looking after us and cooking was a big part of that. Dinner was always on the table a few minutes after we got home from school and it was usually a healthy, well balanced meal the point of which normally got ruined by the sugar overdose we received in the form of one of her home made puddings like ‘Coconut Cakes’ or the dreaded ‘Oaty Flapjack’. But from time to time an evening meal was not as easy to come by as it should be so my mum had to use her imagination and creativity to make a hearty dinner out of very little.

One of those cheap meals survives to this day and we actually had it yesterday. My mum affectionately refers to as her “One Parent Family Dinner” and it has 4 simple ingredients: Oxo Cubes, Potatoes, Corned Beef and Heinz Baked Beans (we were never too poor for Heinz)…..now before you say it, no, it’s not Corned Beef Hash…..it is ‘Corned Beef Surprise’!

……and here is the recipe:


Serves 6


INGREDIENTS:

2 Tins of Corned Beef
3 Tins of ‘Heinz’ Baked Beans
Potatoes (I don’t know how many, it depends on how big they are, use your initiative!)
3 Oxo cubes

…..and if you want to be posh as we are these days…..

A bit of Cheese (anything will do)
A few Tomatoes


METHOD:

Put a pot of water on to boil and cut up the potatoes ready for boiling. NOTE: Only peel the potatoes if the skins are not very nice, what is the point of wasting all the goodness and flavour that is in the skin?

Boil the Potatoes, drain off the water and then…..mash ‘em up!.....but not too much, you still want to find the odd lump of potato.

Dissolve the 3 Oxo Cubes in just 1 mug of Boiling Water.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 5.

Squish the 2 tins of Corned Beef in to the bottom of a large oven proof dish then add the Oxo and leave to soak in for 1 or 2 minutes. Now pour over the 3 tins of beans and pile on the mashes potato as you would with a Shepherd’s Pie.

Now for the posh part! Grate a load of cheese over the top then add a few slices of Tomato.

Smash it in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden!

“Corned Beef Surprise…..done!”

Tip: If you are not part of a one parent family, why not arrange for either the mother or father not to come home that night for a real authentic feel.


Harry Federchi.

Friday 26 March 2010

What To Watch On TV This Week: Friday 26th March – Thursday 1st April.

Last week’s ‘What To Watch On TV’ blog was pretty long and mind numbingly tedious to write so I decided the make this week’s TV blog more about the week’s TV highlights…..but then I realised that watching TV is by definition a highlight of any day so I am now once again faced with the daunting task of listing the time, date and channel for every programme I will be watching. I hope you appreciate it you buggers!

Talking of highlights, if you are only going to watch 2 things on TV this week, make sure they are:

WWE Hall of Fame 2010: WWE honour the men and women who paved the way for the stars of today. This year’s inductees are Japanese legend Antonio Inoki, Maurice ‘Mad Dog’ Vachon, Gorgeous George, ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase and the man who began a legacy Stu Hart….plus more.



WrestleMania 26: In 1997 the line between fantasy and reality in professional wrestling was erased in what is now infamously known as ‘The Montreal Screwjob'. 12 years on, after fighting back from a stroke that left him paralysed Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart finally comes face to face with the man he once considered a 2nd father, Vince McMahon!.....and if that wasn’t enough the two finest in-ring performers in WrestleMania history face of in a rematch from what was voted the 2009 match of the year. Yes! The Undertaker puts his perfect 17-0 win streak on the line against ‘Mr. WrestleMania’ himself Shawn Michaels, who if he loses must retire from the ring forever! Their match last year was amazing and these two men…..no, these two legends…..no, these two gods of sports entertainment would not have agreed to the rematch unless they fully intended to raise the bar even higher. This match truly has the possibility of being the greatest match in WrestleMania history. Now if that isn’t enough to make you pay £14.95 you must be associated with Portsmouth FC…..however, if you need more to wet your appetite there is the WWE Championship match between Batista (c) and John Cena, The World Heavyweight Title match between Chris Jericho (c) and Edge and the always breathtaking ‘Money in the Bank Ladder Match’…..plus much, much more! So make yourself a pizza, get the sweets and crisps in then sit back and enjoy the greatest show on Earth…..WrestleMania!




Friday 26th March:

Embarrassing Bodies
Channel 4 – 21:00

*New Series* TNA Explosion
Extreme Sports – 21:00

TNA Destination X
Extreme Sports – 22:00

WWE Smackdown
Sky Sports 3 – 22:00


Saturday 27th March:

Football Focus
BBC1 - 12:15

Lost
Sky 2 – 21:00

Match of the Day
BBC1 – 22:30

Bear Grylls: Bourn Survivor
Discovery – 23:00


Sunday 28th March:

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
BBC1 – 02:05

WWE Hall of Fame – Live
Sky Sports 3 – 04:00

Sunday Supplement
Sky Sports 1 – 09:30

Wonders of the Solar System
BBC2 – 21:00

TNA iMPACT!
Bravo 2 – 21:00

Match of the Day 2
BBC2 – 22:00

Married, Single, Other
ITV2+1 – 23:00

Undercover Princesses
BBC Three – 23:50

WWE WrestleMania 26 *Pick Of The Week*
Sky Box Office - Midnight


Monday 29th March:

The Gadget Show
Five – 20:00

FlashForward
Five – 21:00

Gavin and Stacey
BBC Three – 21:00


Tuesday 30th March:

Tropic of Cancer
BBC2 – 00:50

WWE Raw
Sky Sports 3 – 02:00

FC Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Sky Sports 2 – 19:00

Shameless
Channel 4 – 22:00


Wednesday 31st March:

Arsenal v FC Barcelona
ITV1 – 19:30

Gavin and Stacey
G.O.L.D. – 22:00


R.I.P.


Harry Federchi.

Equality For Shorts!

If you’re a man working in an office with a dress code your choices on what you can wear to work are pretty limited. Basically you can wear either a suit or trousers and a shirt depending on how relaxed the dress codes is…..and that’s it…..that’s your choice…..whoop de do!

Now let’s take a look at what women can wear: lots of different styles of trousers, suits, long skirts, short skirts, dresses, leggings, SHORTS and all manner of tops, shirts, jumpers, cardigans…..the list just goes on and on. Add this to the fact that all the different options women have enables them to dress suitably for different seasons like leggings and a warm top in the winter and a loose linen dress in the summer…..but us poor men have to wear the same old crap all year round and sweating our cobblers off in long trousers during the hot summer months can’t be good for the sperm count!

In my last place of work men were forbidden to wear jeans but women were allowed to wear jean skirts…..how is that right?

Anyway, in the immortal words of the late Owen Hart “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change!” so what can us men do? Well we could all become Transvestites…..but wouldn’t that make weekends a bit boring if we were all dressing as women on weekdays as well?

I have always believed that men need more clothing options, especially for work. Maybe the Scots have got it right with their kilts, personally I love the idea of wearing one, think of the comfort…..no more pealing your ball bag off the inside of your leg! But maybe a kilt isn’t for everyone so the obvious option is shorts and if you’re anything like me putting on a pair of shorts just makes you feel good. A smart pair of shorts with clean crisp shirt and a nicely polished pair of shoes…..how is it possible to look smarter during the summer?.....and let’s face it, anyone wearing a suit in 80-90 degree heat looks like a bit of a tit.

So here is what we are going to do, Wednesday 28th of July, 2010 is going to be the inaugural ‘Equality For Shorts Day’ where men wear shorts to work to help the current discrimination against shorts. This is not about going to work looking like an extra from Baywatch it’s about doing your best to look as smart as possible while wearing shorts to prove that men should be allowed to wear shorts to work whenever they want to.

So if you’re a man who enjoys the sensation of a nice cool breeze swirling around your Niagra’s when the weather is warm or even if you’re a woman who just likes looking at men’s legs, join this event and invite all your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113340078679769

Harry Federchi.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Recipe: Apple Crumble…..”It’s better than my mum’s!”


“Let’s get ready, ready. Let’s get ready, ready. Let’s get ready for crumble!”

Today for dinner we had Chilli Con Carne which was left from a massive load I made a few weeks ago and then stored in the freezer. I often make large amounts of certain dishes like Curry’s, Lasagne, Stew’s and Soup’s because I find their flavour is enhanced when they have had a day or two in the fridge, I then separate them in to individual portions (the plastic containers you get from the Chinese take-away are great for this) and pop them in the freezer. This is an excellent idea for people who do not have the time to make dinner from scratch every night because it’s a ‘homemade ready meal’ that needs just a few minutes in the microwave and it isn’t full of E numbers, hydrogenated fat, artificial preservatives or excessive salt and sugar.

Oh yeah, Apple Crumble…..well that is something I did make from scratch today so I’m going to tell you how I make it!

Apple Crumble is something my mother has been making for as long as I can remember, some of the things she makes like her Sunday Roast or Chocolate Cake just can’t be improved but her Apple Crumble…..well let’s just say I have helped her original recipe to ‘evolve’. My secret ingredient is lemon juice…..damn! It’s not a secret anymore!


Serves: 4-6


INGREDIENTS:

5 Cooking Apples
1 Large Lemon
8oz Sugar
6oz Self Raising Flour
3oz Cooking Margarine or Unsalted Butter


METHOD:

Peel, core and slice the apples, squeeze the juice of the lemon and measure 2oz sugar then place all this in to a sauce pan on a low heat until the apple starts to break down. Note: Don’t take the cooking process too far at this stage because you still want pieces of apple in the crumble…..you’re not making Apple Sauce!

Place the remaining 6oz sugar in a large mixing bowl along with 6oz self raising flour and the 3oz of margarine/butter (cut in to cubes). Rub the sugar and flour in to the butter using the tips of your fingers until all the ingredients are incorporated and you have what looks like fine bread crumbs.

At this point you can leave the apple mixture on the side and topping in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and cook the crumble (remember, you want to server this straight from the oven).

When the time comes to cook the crumble, pre heat the oven to gas mark 5 (I don’t do electric), pour the apple mixture in to an ovenproof dish and then sprinkle the topping over the apple. Whack it in the oven until the top is golden which will be about 30 minutes but best to keep your eye on it!

“Psyche!”


Harry Federchi

Thursday 18 March 2010

Recipe: BBQ Ribs “A decade in the making”


Serves 8 skinny sods or 4 greedy gits!

This is a very special recipe that has evolved over the years with lots of trial and error the biggest problem I had was the first stage of cooking the ribs…..do I boil them to soften the meat but lose some of the flavour or do I roast them keeping the ribs tasty but leaving the meat very tough? About 2 years ago I came across the perfect combination of the two techniques, wrapping the ribs in cling film effectively steams them in their own moisture allowing them to become very tender without losing any flavour and the outer layer of tin foil stops the cling film from melting in the oven…..genius!

This recipe has quite a big shopping list but these spices have a long shelf life and can be used in many other recipes.


INGREDIENTS:

3kg Pork Ribs (try to get whole racks rather than individual ribs, this makes everything much easier and is the only way you will be able to remove to tough membrane underneath the ribs)


DRY RUB INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Tea Spoon Fennel Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Mustard Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Cumin Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Coriander Seeds

1 Tea Spoon Pork Seasoning

1 Tea Spoon Paprika

1 Tea Spoon Chilli Flakes

1/3 Tea Spoon Cinnamon

1/3 Tea Spoon Black Pepper

1 Tea Spoon Sea Salt

1 Tea Spoon Cajun Seasoning

2 Tea Spoons Garlic Powder

1 Tea Spoon Chicken Seasoning


BBQ SAUCE:

4 Small Chillies

1 Large Clove Garlic

½ inch Fresh Ginger

2 Table Spoons Rice Vinegar

6 Table Spoons Dark Soy Sauce

6 Table Spoons Ketchup

12 Table Spoons Honey

1 Table Spoon Sugar

1 Tea Spoons English Mustard

1 Tea Spoon Sea Salt


METHOD:

If you can you should start making these ribs the day before you intend on eating them, this will allow the flavours to intensify and also make everything a whole lot easier.


Day 1:

Crush Fennel Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds and Coriander Seeds in pestle and mortar then add all the other dry rub ingredients.

Peel back the thin see through membrane from the bony underside of the ribs, you will only be able to do this if you have whole racks of ribs (not individual ribs) and it should all come off in one piece.

Apply dry rub to ribs.

Wrap ribs in cling film (2 layers) and then tin foil (2 layers) then leave in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Place ribs (still in cling film and foil) in oven for 2 hours 30 minutes at gas mark 5.

Allow ribs to totally cool (still wrapped in cling film and foil) and then put them in the fridge.

BBQ Sauce:

Blend all ingredients to make a smooth sauce then boil/simmer until you’re happy with taste, allow to cool, cover and place in fridge.


Day 2:

Finally…..you can now remove the ribs from their cosy cling film and tin foil sleeping bag. Baste ribs with BBQ sauce and grill for 15 minutes while continually basting with more BBQ sauce every 3-5 minutes to build up a layer of thick sticky sauce.

Serve with potato wedges, corn on the cob, homemade coleslaw and lots of salad!


Harry Federchi.

Wednesday 17 March 2010

What To Watch On TV This Week: Thursday 18th March – Tuesday 23rd March.


I know about stuff…..nothing that is actually worth knowing, nothing that that can actually help me to make any money…..but stuff none the less!

One of the things I know about is TV…..now I may not know what you like to watch on TV and to be honest I don’t really care…..but I do know what I like so I am going to post a weekly blog on what I will be watching. The obsessive compulsive side of my personality dictates that I cannot start watching a series unless I have watched it from the very beginning…..ie series 1, episode 1 therefore I will be doing my best to keep you informed of exciting new TV shows that are starting each week so you don’t have to wait 12 months for it to be replayed. For those of you who are less dedicated (shame on you) I will also be giving a general run down on my viewing plans for the week ahead.

Thursday:

Sky Indie – 08:30
Short Films: World of Wrestling (Staring Mackenzie Crook from The Office)

BBC2 – 20:00
*New Series* Museum of Life

E4 – 21:30
How I Met Your Mother

E4 – 22:00
Skins

Sky Premier - 22:00
Watchmen


Friday:

Sky Sports 3 – 01:00
WWE NXT

Sky 1 – 17:00
WWE Superstars

Sky Sports 1 - 19:00
Barclays Premier League Preview

Channel 4 – 21:00
Embarrassing Bodies

Sky 1 – 21:00
Lost

Sky 1 – 22:00
A League of Their Own

Sky Sports 3 – 23:00
WWE Smackdown

Sky Premier - Midnight
Lesbian Vampire Killers


Saturday:

BBC1 – 12:15
Football Focus

Bravo - 21:00
TNA iMPACT!

BBC1 – 22:30
Match of the Day


Sunday:

Sky Sports 1 – 09:30
Sunday Supplement

BBC2 – 21:00
Wonders of the Solar System

BBC Three - 21:00
Undercover Princesses

BBC2 – 22:00
Match of the Day 2

ITV2 – 23:00
Married, Single, Other


Monday:

Five – 20:00
The Gadget Show

Fiver – 20:00
FlashForward: What Did You See?

Five – 21:00
FlashForward

BBC Three – 21:00
Gavin and Stacey: Christmas Special


Tuesday:

BBC2 – 00:50
Tropic of Cancer

Sky Sports 3 – 01:00
WWE Raw

Channel 4 – 22:00
Shameless


Harry Federchi.

If every ending is the start of something new.....what have I just ended?

After 6 months of relative inactivity other than job hunting the next few months promise much. With WrestleMania only days away, the crescendo of Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of glory in the FA Cup and Champions League qualification on the line in the Premier League, England’s World Cup campaign, The Glastonbury Festival (if I can find someone to go with) and a whole load of birthdays, engagements and weddings there are some exciting times ahead…..but what do I do in between?.....well, I continue my search for the modern day holy grail (a job), cook dinner for the family and take heed of the warning contained within the song ‘Sit Down’ by James, the lyrics of which state “If I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor”…..based I that I try not to expose myself to any real life excitement that takes place beyond my place of residents…..although I occasionally experience the delights of a trip to Sainsbury’s which can often be the highlight of any given week.

So, “what is this blog about” I hear you ask…..(is that you or just the voices in my head?)…..well, it’s about me, me entertaining you, me helping you, me giving you an insight in to the way I see things like an evangelical citizen of the World…..and I hope you will do the same in return. It’s probably going to be like a packet of Revels with some minging bits that most of you will not enjoy (the orange and coffee ones), sections that will feel like you’re having a tooth extracted (the toffee ones) and the odd bit that might take your fancy (like the Minstrels, Maltesers and peanut ones). I’m planning on discussing things I feel strongly about like football, wrestling, music, TV, food, religion, society and any other topical subjects that take my fancy. I will try to post regular blogs about our dinner times, like what we had, what I thought of it, maybe a bit about what we all talked about at the dinner table and the recipe for the meal which I hope you try for yourself and let everyone know how it turned out.

This is just a short explanation on what you can expect because I am off now to continue one of my daily tasks, making dinner. Today we are having Bacon, Cabbage, Carrots and Peas Pudding a simple dinner and just a coincidence that today is St Patricks…..besides I’m putting honey and mustard on the bacon and there will not be a spud in sight…..Jackie Charlton and Tony Cascarino would not be happy!

Harry Federchi.