Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. December Recipes by Chef Adam Handing & Irini Tzortzoglou
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, was a number one best-selling book by American born author Laura Hillenbrand.
Youngest of four children she spent her childhood on horseback and reading.
One of her favourite reads was a 1963 book “Come on Seabiscuit”. She was quoted as saying “I read it to death, my little paperback copy”
It was after her withdrawal from college, 2001, when she was ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that she wrote Seabiscuit: An American Legend
This book wasn’t just a best seller but also won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
It wasn’t difficult for me to choose this book; in fact, I’ve been waiting for our groups to get to it with a lot of excitement.
My first read of Seabiscuit was, well, I’m not sure exactly how long ago it was, but I rediscovered it when the film came along. It didn’t take me long before I’d watched it a few times, and its still a film that comes out during the festive period. (Are we going to get into the “Is Die Hard Christmas film?” debate).
Back to the book.
According to Amazon, the synopsis of this book is:
“The true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse - Seabiscuit - that symbolised a pivotal moment in American history as modern America was born out of the crucible of the Depression and the dustbowl, as the 20th century's greatest nation found the courage to bet on itself to win against the odds. In 1936, the habits of 19th-century America were finally consigned to history just as Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind was published. In their place, modern America was born. But what defined this new era? Nothing more than the story of Seabiscuit, a stunted colt with asymmetrical knees that had for two years been hacked around no-good race tracks which led to permanent leg damage. Yet, by 1937, Seabiscuit could draw crowds of 60,000 and had more newspaper column inches devoted to him than Mussolini, Hitler or Roosevelt, his popularity peaking during his appearances at the Santa Anita Handicap. America had gone to the races for the first time since the Depression and fallen in love with a misshapen colt of great character. Now it wanted a winner.
"Seabiscuit" is also the story of three men: Tom Smith, a former Wild West Showman was the trainer; Red Pollard, abandoned by his poverty stricken family at a race track became the rider; and Charles Howard, a pioneer car manufacturer in San Francisco in the 1920s was the owner and financier. These three combined to create the legend of Seabiscuit and epitomise a dream for the emerging new America.”
Seabiscuit
by Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. I give it four eggs - go read it.
This month we are lucky beyond words to have two talented people gifting us recipes.
The amazingly talented and multi award winner Chef Adam Handling and 2019 MasterChef winner Irini Tzortzoglou.
Adam Handling
Adam Handling
“Adam Handling’s culinary journey started at Gleneagles where he was the first ever trainee chef, before he went on to become Fairmonts youngest ever chef, culminating in winning Scottish Young Chef of the Year 2011.
At the 2013 Acorn Awards, he was the youngest person to be tipped by The Caterer Magazine as one of the “30 under 30 to watch”
Adam has since been awarded Scottish Chef of the Year 2015, Newcomer Restaurant of the Year in the Food and Travel Reader Awards 2015, as well as the British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year 2014.
Adam opened his first independent restaurant in June 2016 in Shoreditch, London, which won ‘Best Restaurant of the Year’ in the 2017 Food & Travel Reader Awards, alongside 3 AA rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. In 2018, Adam opened a new, larger site at 45-47 Hoxton Square. The building, which sits on the corner joining Hoxton Square, Rufus Street, and Old Street, is home to The Frog Hoxton – which also won a Michelin Bib Gourmand – as well as Bean & Wheat (a sustainable café and bar), and a dedicated events venue, Iron Stag Hoxton.
Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden opened in September 2017 and is Adam Handling’s flagship restaurant site. The restaurant has been heralded as a “smash hit” by the London Evening Standard and one of the “best restaurants in London” by Condé Nast Traveller. Frog by Adam Handling has won prestigious awards since its opening, including ‘Best Newcomer Restaurant’ in the 2018 Food & Travel Reader Awards and ‘Best Overall Wine List’ at the 2019 Wine List Confidential awards.
Eve was Adam’s first stand-alone bar and is located underneath Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden. Eve serves unexpected takes on cocktail favourites with exciting and unique flavours created in Eve’s state-of-the-art drinks lab, which is used to distil, carbonate and clarify the bar’s signature creations.
In February 2019, Adam Handling opened Adam Handling Chelsea at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel. The main restaurant, featuring an open kitchen, is located in what was once royal courtesan Lillie Langtry’s drawing room, and has an adjoining Bar and Terrace. Adam is also overseeing the entire food and beverage offering at the hotel, including breakfast, in-room dining, banqueting and events.
Cadogan’s by Adam Handling, the stunning tea lounge at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel, also offers a spectacular Afternoon Tea. Inspired by childhood memories of plentiful, delicious feeding at his grandmother’s house, Adam and his team have created a unique Afternoon Tea concept that perfectly blends history and nostalgia with show-stopping culinary technique and flair. The outstanding tea features intricate and memorable offerings freshly prepared each day, served with a selection of the finest luxury teas and Champagne.
A highly accomplished chef, Adam Handling’s beautifully presented modern British dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in a number of different, creative ways to enhance their inherent properties and deliver real depth of flavour and harmony. Across all of his restaurants, Adam is committed to sustainable cooking and eliminating waste at every stage by utilising any by-products (i.e. vegetable peelings and skins) and offcuts.”
Reading this, I’m sure you can see exactly why he’s on my friendly stalker list and why, if you get the chance, you should visit his restaurant
Salmon Gratin
Serves 5
Prep time: 15 mins
Ingredients
1 Salmon Fillet (400g)
2 Chillies
1/2 Leek
4 Cloves Garlic
300g Boiled potatoes - Cut into squares
100ml Double Cream
100ml Cream Cheese
6 Spring onions - Thickly Sliced
1 Bunch of tarragon - Picked
1 lemon
50g Parmesan Cheese
100g Breadcrumbs
METHOD:
Dice the salmon into large chunks and keep it in the fridge.
Finely chop the leek, garlic and chilli. Cook them out at a high heat in olive oil for a minute, until it sweats down.
Add the fish, stir only once or twice when the colour of the salmon starts to change.
Pour the dairy in and cook for another minute.
Turn the heat off when the salmon looks cooked on the outside. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the spring onions, tarragon, potatoes and stir.
Pour into a casserole dish and cover in breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
Put under the grill for 5 minutes until it crisps up.
Irini Tzortzoglou
Irini Tzortzoglou
And now to the talented Irini Tzortzoglou the 2019 MasterChef Winner who has supported Foodie Book Club by giving us a family recipe for Cousin Roula’s roasted almond and butter cookies (Kourabie) .
You can find this recipe and so many more incredible personal recipes in Irini’s her new book Under the Olive Tree which you can buy from Amazon and other book retailers.
Here’s a little snippet straight from her website:
“I was born in a small village on the island of Crete and was the youngest of three. My early memories of life are of scarcity of luxuries but an abundance of fresh, home-cooked food in a loving home full of people.
Treats were rare and usually home-made, delicious and created with produce the family grew, were given or sourced. Being raised in a culturally mixed environment – my mother originated from Crete and my father from Asia Minor – I was blessed with different but equally valuable life lessons and principles. Hospitality, responsibility and pride on one side and humility, appreciation and a zest for life on the other.
When I was 20 and following my father’s untimely death, I started working in my uncle’s hotel in Crete where I met my first husband who was English and I moved to London in 1980. Whilst working for the National Bank of Greece I studied for professional qualifications, and later for a History of Art, Architecture and Design Degree.
My career in banking lasted over 30 years and gave me the opportunity to enjoy a lot that London had to offer as well as activities and hobbies such as acting for the London Greek Theatre Group, being a member of the Committee of The Hellenic Bankers Association and participating in cultural and community events.
In 2010, I moved to the small village of Cartmel in Cumbria with my now husband, John, where life could not be more different to London. Cartmel is similar to Crete in that there is great appreciation of food, cooking and entertainment. The focus is on quality and freshness of produce – themes reminiscent of my upbringing.
In 2018 I decided to enter MasterChef, driven by the hope to inspire both old and young (such as my nieces, nephews and step grandchildren). I loved every single minute of the competition, including those of fear, anxiety, pressure and the occasional personal disappointment although these were greatly outweighed by the sense of achievement and the joy of having my food appreciated by others. Greek food has always had its fans amongst the millions who have visited the country over the years with appealing strong flavours, the freshness of the ingredients and the simplicity of their preparation. I firmly believe that the ingredients are king and respect the traditional methods of their treatment, but I have developed my own approach which is a little lighter than that of my grandmother and mother. As for presentation, emphasis on this has been more a thing of our times and I do enjoy spending a little time on making my food attractive. After all, it is a way to honour the person eating it, the ingredients used and my own time spent in preparing and cooking the dish.
I am loving all that has followed my success of 2019 and am working on a number of projects some longer term than others but all enjoyable and part of the MasterChef journey which I hope continues for many more years to come.”
A little bit from Irini herself:
Kourabie in Greek, kurabiye in Turkish and qurabiya in Arabic all mean a shortbread-type biscuit made with almonds. They were originally associated with Christmas and New Year, but they have come to symbolise any kind of celebration, wherever in the world there are Greeks. My favourite kourabie were those made by my cousin Roula. While she was making them for me, I never thought of making my own. Why would I, when every Christmas I would receive a beautiful box full of them in the post? That is until Roula’s recipe book was thrown out by her husband, Yiorgos, and both Roula and I were not best pleased. Thankfully, she had thought to give me a copy and I found it recently. Christmas joy restored! Make these and fill your home with a beautiful roasted almond aroma!
Cousin Roula’s roasted almond and butter cookies (Kourabie)
Cousin Roula’s roasted almond and butter cookies (Kourabie)
MAKES OVER 100 KOURABIE (the ingredients can be halved if you like)
Ingredients
500g almonds, skins on
500g butter
150g caster sugar
2 medium egg yolks
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50ml brandy, preferably Metaxa
1 tsp baking powder
750g plain flour/ icing sugar, for dusting
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Roast the almonds in a single layer on a baking tray for 12–15 minutes, until they are releasing their aroma fully and are starting to brown.
Empty them on to a cold baking tray and allow to cool.
Pulse them in a food processor in a few short bursts so as not to break them up too much.
You should have distinct almond pieces.
Now, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Line a couple of large flat baking trays with baking parchment.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and mix well.
Add the almonds, cinnamon and brandy.
Mix the baking powder into the flour and start incorporating it into the butter mixture with a spatula. Towards the end, use your hands to knead. Be careful with the amount of flour. You don’t want the dough too sticky, but you don’t want it too firm to shape easily.
Take pieces of dough weighing approximately 15g and roll each one into a ball.
Using the palm of your hand, press each ball of dough into your other palm to flatten it a little, and place them on the baking trays.
Bake until the biscuits are golden, about 25–30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar while still warm.
Much of the sweetness is not contained in the biscuit but is added afterwards, so don’t be scared to dust the kourabie again when cool so they look beautiful and seasonal when you place them in layers on a lovely platter.
Any kourabie that you don’t share with friends and neighbours, you can store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.
