A New Take On An Old Favourite
I cook fish with beans and peas quite regularly, using Lindsey Bareham’s recipe. Tonight I gave it a new twist to make it easier. I first assembled and prepared all the ingredients.
Ingredients
Note that instead of using a lemon, which I often forget, I’m using Carluccio’s olive oil with lemon. A small pack of beans are trimmed and halved, the fish is laid flat in a dish and enough peas to fill a mug are taken from the freezer.
The fish is then sprayed with a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil and then put in an oven at 200 °C for 10-12 minutes. The beans are put in boiling water for a couple of minutes and then the peas are added. It’s probably better to taste them to get them right, but I’ve done this so many times, I just use my eyes. In fact, when I need green vegetables I cook a few this way.
You then serve the fish on a bed of the vegetables.
Fish With Beans and Peas
It tasted very good with Carluccio’s oil.
The great thing about this recipe, is that all you need to buy is the fish and the beans, if like me you keep the peas in the freezer.
I should say that I’ve served it for a lady a couple of times and they’ve been impressed. One even did the washing up!
But even the washing up is minimal with this dish.
Has London Got Friendlier?
Every Sunday morning, I take the Overground to Shadwell, where I switch to the DLR and go to Royal Victoria station, from where I get the Emirates Air-Line over the Thames to the O2. From there, I go to Canary Wharf station, where I have a late breakfast in Carluccio’s. This was my intension this morning, but I left my Oystercard behind, so I took the Jubilee line from Canning Town station to get to Canary Wharf. I’ve done it now perhaps six or seven times and it allows me to get a good view on the mood of London. Today everybody was very chatty and there was a generally friendly mood.
This wasn’t the first time, that I’ve noticed this upbeat mood on a personal level in recent weeks. One particular feature, is that I’ve had more talks with black people lately, than I’ve ever had in my past sixty-odd years. Could it be, that the Olympics is helping us to live together better, as in fact we all have more common interests, than those things that divide us?
In one instance, I walked away from a bus, with a black woman about my age, chatting about our health problems, both of us remarking that twenty years before, we’d have probably not said a word.
If this is the legacy of 2012, I’m all for it! Or is it just that finally we’ve developed a modern society?
I Thought London Was Empty
Various doom-mongers have said that London was empty.
I Thought London Was Empty
This Carluccio’s in Covent Garden seems to be bucking the trend. It looks like it’s standing room only!
Are Carluccio’s Putting In Extra Seats For The Torch Relay?
Carluccio’s in Upper Street in Islington is covered in scaffolding, as this picture shows.
Are Carluccio’s Putting In Extra Seats For The Torch Relay?
As the Olympic Torch Relay passes their restaurant on the 26th of July at around 08:20, are they putting in extra seats to take advantage of the expected crowds?
A Morning Trip In The Rain
I’ve been there many times in my past, both as a child and as a parent.
It’s raining, cats, dogs and hippopotami and all of the things to do indoors have been done to death. So this morning, I decided to see what the new Emirates Air-Line is like in the heavy rain.
I took my usual route to the Northern terminal at Royal Victoria DLR station, by taking a bus and a tube to Bank station and then getting the faithful Docklands Light Railway. Is there a railway anywhere in the world, that was built as on-the-cheap as the DLR, that has morphed so successfully from an ugly duckling into a swan? Or possibly in the DLR’s case to a whole game of swans.
Even on the short trip from Bank to Royal Victoria, there is much to see, like the expensive yachts, housing and offices, the many spires of the East End and mud flats, factories and construction of the River Lea. It is a trip that delights most children.
I took these pictures on the way to Royal Victoria, during the crossing and then at North Greenwich.
Afterwards, I took the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf for a late Full Italian breakfast at Carluccio’s.
So was it a worthwhile trip? And would it be with young children?
- I only got wet walking between Royal Victoria DLR station and the cable-car and between the cable-car and North Greenwich tube station.
- The queues were less than last Sunday and marginally worse at North Greenwich. Is that because there’s parking on the South bank of the river.
- The view from the gondola wasn’t too bad at all. Is the glass treated with a water repellant?
So on balance, a trip in the rain, may even have an advantage in that the crowds are smaller and you don’t have to wait.
Location, Location, Location
With a house, business premises or a restaurant, it’s all about location.
As a coeliac and lover of Italian food, I like Carluccio’s restaurants and eat out in them fairly often.
However, the location of their Liverpool restaurant, is in one of the best places I’ve seen for a restaurant of its type.
I just went out of Lime Street Station walked down the hill for about four minutes, through the bus station and then I was on Whitechapel, a pedestrianised street, that leads between the bus and train stations to Liverpool One Shopping Centre and the Pier Head. The restaurant, is also not far from the Walker Art Gallery and St. George’s Hall.
Incidentally, just round the corner is a taxi rank and Tommy Steele’s statue of Eleanor Rigby.
So it’s in a great location to either start or finish your visit to Liverpool City Centre.
It was also much busier than I expected, as I was at an odd time for lunch. But then I seem to remember that Liverpudlians tend to be very efficient in their trips to a restaurant, as they’ve always got something important to do afterwards.
London’s First New Conductress
As my cooker has now gone, all I have to cook food is a microwave. So tonight, I took a 38 bus up to Upper Street to go to Carluccio’s.
I got a New Bus for London from the Balls Pond Road on my outward journey and by chance the same bus on the return. It was the first time, that the conductor on the bus, hadn’t been a man.
London’s First New Conductress
Note that she has taken up the surf position, that all London conductors, male or female, used to use on Routemasters and their predecessors, like the RTs, on which I used to go to school.
The Rain Claims a Victim
Tonight, the rain didn’t give up, so I took the bus to Carluccio’s in Upper Street for supper. In fact I had to go somewhere, as I hadn’t got any supper in because of the rain.
But coming down Essex Road, there had been an accident, and as we passed, I noticed that a motor cycle was on its side and it appeared that a passer-by was giving first aid to the rider. It looked like a police car had just arrived and they were helping out too.
Hopefully, everything will be alright in the end.
But it is that sort of night, where accidents will happen and you’re much safer in a full-size bus.
Carluccio’s Minestrone Soup
Carluccio’s changed their menus a week ago and added a minestrone soup to the main menu, which is on the gluten-free one without the foccaccio.
I’ve had it a couple of times and it is very good, with ham hock, green beans and lots of other vegetables in a tasty stock. It makes an excellent lunch on its own with a drink.
I should also say that this last week, Carluccio’s have had vitello tonnato as a special. As it should be their version is gluten-free. Unfortunately, I think today may well be the last day you’ll get it for some time, as they change specials weekly.
Stations Reborn As Shopping Destinations
This was a sub-headline in The Times yesterday describing the new policy of Network Rail in transforming stations. Head of Retail at the company is quoted as saying that they want to move away from the likes of McDonalds and Burger King. As a coeliac, I say good riddance to both of them. At the two stations fully redeveloped in London, they’ve got a Leon at Kings Cross and a champagne bar and Carluccio’s in St. Pancras. Both stations have proper pubs too. Next for the treatment in London is Waterloo, with Euston and Birmingham to follow. Both of the latter are terrible.
The Head of Retail also talked about removing the stranglehold of W H Smith, a shop of last resort if ever there was one. A French company, Relay, has been invited to open in Cannon Street.
Stations can’t be improved fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.
The Anonymous Widower 