The Avenue Cookery School: International Vietnamese

Diana, Sophie and Richard in their Avenue kit

The crew

If you read Notes of Bacon, you will be well acquainted with the fact that I make no claim to be a chef of any sort. I'm a cook, a home cook, and I love it. I get kicks from experimenting with weird ingredients, trying out new recipes and learning new kitchen skills (in order to a. make me appear more impressive and b. cook food that actually tastes good). Therefore, you can imagine my sheer glee when I was invited by my friend Sophie at The Avenue Cookery School to take part in their International Vietnamese cooking class.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

We have a house rule - we must always have the ingredients for spaghetti alla puttanesca in the flat, at all times. Due to the fact that the only fresh ingredients you really need for this recipe are cherry tomatoes and basil, it makes it a pretty easy feat (if I can keep my basil plant alive that is). 

Asian Salmon with Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Asian cuisine – you can’t escape it. And who would want to? Not only is London getting more and more up to speed on some of the most wonderful cuisines from across the world (E.g. Bao, Pho, Bibimbap to name a few in London) but home cooks are now attempting recipes a little further outside their comfort box – because we can! Not only do we now have access to the brains of millions of chefs and home cooks across our dear world wide web, but we have access to the right ingredients too (without having to tackle tourists for them in China Town), thanks to some wonderful Asian supermarkets popping up around town.

Asian Pulled Chicken Sliders

Sliders are basically a way to make it ok to eat more than one burger. It’s true. The mentality is roughly: “One big burger? Alright but I feel like a bit of a porker”,  “3 sliders? Oh they’re only little! Practically a canapé!”

Fennel & Prawn salad with crispy Prosciutto

Imagine surf and turf but in its lightest and tangiest form. I'm not talking a mountain of steak and lobster here, I'm referring to a colourful, crispy, lemony collaboration between prosciutto and king prawns. In 15 minutes. I've mentioned this before, but it's my ongoing desire to make healthy food taste indulgent (and look jazzy). If you feel like you're eating a plate of rabbit food, it's not exactly going to fill you up and leave you satisfied is it?

Pasta with spicy cauliflower crumbs & purple sprouting broccoli

I've got into this habit of adding crispy sourdough crumbs to my pasta. Especially when mixed with spices such as chili and garlic, it adds a beautiful flavour as well as a magnificent crunch. I realise, however, that this is adding delicious carb to delicious carb and it would be in my waitsline's favour to look at other options once in a while. Hence the cauliflower. 

Rye Sourdough Grilled Cheese with Olives & Capers

I don’t think you need to be a rocket scientist to see that this grilled cheese is going to blow your mind. I’m taking the usual formula, cheese+bread+heat, and adding a couple of little extras that I think you’re going to adore. By using a rye sourdough instead of your standard white, this adds a supreme crunchiness on the exterior of the sandwich, a brilliant sturdiness to keep your toastie from flopping (no one likes a floppy toastie) and an intense, nutty rye flavour that adds beautifully to the flavour combination of your masterpiece. You can see how the edges have crisped up into a golden crunch, and the centre of the rye bread remains soft and gooey. It is just as much about texture as it is about flavour. 

Thai Basil Chicken {Pad kra pao gai / ผัดกระเพราไก่}

Pad kra pao gai - ผัดกระเพราไก่

If you've had the pleasure of visiting Thailand, you'll know that one of the most wonderful things about it is the food. This particular dish, alongside pad see ew (to be continued...), is an absolute favourite. Alongside spaghetti oilo e aglio and this roasted salmon, thai basil chicken is a staple in our household and gets made at least once a fortnight.

Cottage style pea & bacon soup

I had the pleasure of staying in a gorgeous cottage in Lustleigh, Devon this weekend and spent the majority of the time warming my feet by a roaring fire. 

Rösti - two ways

1. Rösti with smoked salmon, avocado & dill crème fraîche
2. Rösti cakes with bacon, fried egg & roasted cherry tomatoes

Having recently visited Bad Wiessee, a picturesque Bavarian town at the foot of the Alps, I have developed a keen interest in not only hearty Bavarian cuisine, but also an incredibly simple and delicious Alpine favourite, rösti. As Felicity Cloake confirms here, it is not as easy as you might think to track down a universal recipe for this golden, crispy Swiss cuisine.