many aeons ago, there was a thread on here about making bread .... it died, perhaps because man shall not live by bread alone ..... anyway, there seem to be a fair number of people on this site who enjoy cooking, so i thought to start a thread for recipes and associated topics.

i'm assuredly no expert, but i reckon i cook tolerably well, and i know that any recipe i paste here, genuinely works - even for those who can only shop from supermarkets!

a starter recipe follows ......

Ahhhhh but you havent had a toss.

Points deducted for that Cyners you should always toss a pancake.

i prefer to keep mine in the pan rather than pick the damn thing off the floor .... and i defy you to toss and toss at the same time!

I'm a tosser cynic...... not stuck it to ceiling yet! Same mix as cyners with the addition of sultanas for that fruity taste.,.

I like mine with sugar and lemon juice but as I am trying to shed a few pounds I will do without this year - yes sad, very sad. No comments on tossing!!!!!!

BB - sounds more like a thicker drop scone or scotch pancake

Wouldn't fancy tossing yours........... and far too heavy for the likes of pancake day, should be light and fluffy, crispy around the edges. Light sprinkling of sugar, then rolled up and cut into strips and enjoy.,.

Hope you all enjoyed your pancakes - I refrained from the scrumptious delicacy and had a boring god dam yogurt. Sweet dreams.

Every recipe in the Socialist cookbook starts with "First you steal two chickens"

Kosher salt, Can you buy a Bible cook book ?

if you grow your own tomatoes, it is likely that you will have had a glut of this juicy red fruit
don't let them rot away, but make your own tomato puree and freeze it in blocks to use as a really useful base for all manner of sauces during the winter months

though manzano is one of the best for this - few pips to flesh - any tomatoes work just as well, though it takes a little longer to boil off the water content

The best wine to go with Moules Marinière? (Brancaster mussels).
Am being recommended an Alsace Riesling, but not tried it before, bearing in mind that you should cook the mussels in the same wine as accompanies it. Any thoughts? (Bearing in mind that I generally use any old french white plonk!)

alsace riesling
is delicious and perhaps a little different from what you might expect
it's worth spend an extra few shillings to get something from a really good grower - hugel or zind humbrecht and the like -and ideally with some good bottle age ..... 2007 was certainly excellent and also from memory 2009

in fact, alsace wines, like mosels are excellent value as the general pleb (chuckle) is confused by them so will avoid them

if you find you like the alsace riesling, then try others like pinot gris ..... you should find your local majestic warehouse staff very knowledgeable as i believe they get some decent training through the wine and spirit trust (an excellent organisation), unlike your supermarket staff who will know bugger all

Thanks. Only three being offered on the MJW website, but might try one of them. As the mussels here are cheap and plentiful atm (though less so this year due to last years storms affecting the mussel beds) it won't be too expensive a mistake.

you'll need about 800 gm mussels pp, unless you're greedy like me in which case you'll guzzle close on a kilo

try your mussels with ginger, chilli, garlic and onions and a splash of wine and a handful of chopped parsley or coriander at the end

==========

what's your choice of alsace riesling at mjw?
any decent indy wine shops near you?

I have an account at MJW, so that is the easiest option for me.
Choice is: Clos St-Jacques Riesling 2011, Riesling 'Les Princes Abbés' 2011 Domaines Schlumberger, Kuhlmann-Platz Riesling 2013 Cave de Hunawihr.
Apparently the Prince Abbes bottle is 'Very Dry' (like sucking on a lemon!) so might avoid that one.
The problem is that they all have distinctive bouquet and flavour, which might overpower the mussels, but no harm in trying!
Indy Wine shops????? Not heard of it , so probably not in Norfolk.

indy = independent!

of the 3 from mjw, i think i'ld plump for the clos st jacques ..... it should work fine with the mussels

how much would you (normally) be prepared to spend on a bottle of wine?

I tend to make one or two trips a year to France and stock up on french wines, so setting a price is tricky. Auchan has a very good selection and as the € is weak, if you buy enough it makes the trip worthwhile.
In the UK, my max price is probably £15 at MJW, but have been known to pay a little more than that in a restaurant (usually for rubbish!).
I'm not a great lover of the Beaune or Rhone wines which are a bit heavy for me, so that keeps me away from the expensive end of the market.

Duck this year. Couldn't face ploughing through an enormous Norfolk turkey.