LA SHORT WAY DOWN & RIGHT A BIT (London to Paris)

So, day two. 

Exited the ferry fine (day one). Had the individual time trail from the Tour De France on the TV while on the ferry which was good. Another win for Froomey ;-)

The first 5 miles was ok, good tail wind, decent speed, then the pain began. The bag I'm carrying on my back weighs about 15-20 lbs which is pushing my crotch onto my saddle like a vice. I had a sore there to begin with, and this didn't make matters better. I stopped and found a relatively secluded spot to apply some more chamois creme to my nether regions! It helped a little but 3.5 hours of rubbing against the saddle took its toll, so, like a loser, I'm getting the train to the next town, Amien. 

Depending on what my sore situation is like, I hope to finish the last leg of the trip on bike again, but will try stick as close to the train route as possible so I have something to fall back on should the problem become unbearable again. 

Putting the pain to one side a sec, I remembered some of the route, turns, corners and villages from my previous trips in northern France. Some new tarmac found itself in front of me too, but it was nice to see some familiarity. The terrain in northern France is like telly tubby land, rolling hills of green that go on and on and on. They say northern France is flat, but they're only comparing that to the Alps. In the 50-ish miles I cycled yesterday I climbed a total of just over 3,000 ft. 15 minutes of slowly climbing, followed by 60 seconds of descending. Then 15 minutes of climbing, followed by another 60 seconds of going back down again. Zzzzz

The views are incredible though. You can see for miles and miles. Every now and then a small glimpse of the sea on the west coast disappearing behind the tree line that adorns the horizon to your right. The roads are superb too. Far better than the roads back home. The drivers have a lot more respect for you too and will wait patiently, give you more room on the road and give you a polite toot to let you know they're approaching. The only negative review is for the more historic towns you pass through that still have the original cobble stones that were first laid there hundreds of years ago. It's like when you were a small child and slid down the stairs in just your underpants and bump, bump, bump, bump you hit the bottom on the stair. Not the best medicine for a sore #**#, but unavoidable. 

The hotel I stayed at, and currently sitting within its court yard typing this, is called Hotel De France. Having arrived last night the owners were already there and expecting me. I can't remember their names, but he was originally from Cape Town, and his wife, Britain (I'm guessing that one). C Town put a beer in my hand immediately and showed me the way to the restaurant, stroke, tv room which due to the fact the restaurant was closed Wednesdays, he had the Tour De France highlights on ITV4. And for the next 40 minutes or so, talked nothing but cycling. Bloody heaven. What were the chances of finding a hotel like this from the many others I could have picked? The hotel is more like a giant stables. No stables per say, but the rooms that guests sleep surround a square cobbled court yard in the middle of which is inundated with colourful flowers, hanging baskets and trellises. It really is rather nice.

So, looking at the time now I had better get my shoes strapped up, my nuts strapped up and on my way really as I need to catch the train to Amiens. Hopefully I will arrive in time to catch the second half of today's stage from the Tour De France as it is probably going to be the toughest day of the tour so far with a double helping of Alp D'Huez. If you don't know what that is, Google it.

Au revoir! 

LA SHORT WAY DOWN & RIGHT A BIT (London to Paris)

I am currently sat on a South East Trains service to Dover Priory and for some reason the train has stopped and the driver doesn't know why. Good start!

Well actually, the "good start" happened as soon as I got up this morning. Half way to the station I shouted "wait!" Grumbling ensued and I ushered the car to the side of the road. I couldn't remember packing my Garmin bicycle sat nav thing, so we stopped and checked. It was there! This, as well as getting out of bed late this morning meant that I made it to the train station and crossed the foot bridge just as the train was coming in. Had I needed to get the next train to London, I would have had only 30 minutes to get from Dover station, checked onto the ferry and safely onboard, which would have been impossible.

Also, when you intend to travel by bike on public transport, don't pick 8:30 as your departure time. I was fine, relatively speaking, but I was the least popular person on the train from Wokingham to Reading, and then Reading to London Paddington.

So here I am on a now "moving" South East Train service to Dover from London st. Pancras.

So why am I going to Dover and getting a ferry you ask? Well, as a passionate cyclist I was well aware of the fact that this year will be the 100th edition of the famous and biggest cycling spectacle in the world, La Tour De France. I had originally planned to go on my own, cycle down and stay the weekend, then head back. But as it happened, my parents told me that my uncle was due a visit to us from Hong Kong with my two cousins, Blue and Marcus around the same time and was planning a stop off in Paris on the way. Ding dong! Brain wave. I'll meet them there.

Right, going to cut a long story short. They booked direct flights to London, no mid trip stop off to Paris, I was going on my own. 

But was I? After a few house of pitching the idea, of showing night shot photos of Paris and talking my folks through the many different places they'd see whilst there, I convinced them to come. And with my uncle and 2 cousins.

The four of them don't leave until Friday as they are driving and can get from A to B in half a day. I however have only two wheels, two legs and no engine. So I need a little more time to get there. I stay tonight in montreuil-sur-mer, near Etaples on the eastern coast about 40 miles south of Calais. I know this area fairly well having cycled south from Calais several times and the fact we stayed in a small nearby village called Sempy over Christmas week last year, so I felt this would make the best starting point for the main trip. Tomorrow I will be cycling around 70 miles to a bigger town, or maybe it's a city, called Amiens. Roughly in the middle between Calais and Paris. Then, after that, Friday will see me cycle 75 miles into the heart of Paris where I will be heading to our luxury 4* hotel, about 500 mtrs from Place de la Concorde and Rue de Rivoli, which lead onto the Champs De Élysées. These locations mentioned to the left are synonymous with the rich and famous due to its vast concentration of fashion and designer shops. It is said that the Champs De Élysées is one of the most expensive streets to own a property on per square metre in the world. Either way, I'll stick to Zara and Marks and Spencer's, but its nice.

Right, better go. I'll let you know if I see anything interesting on the way. Will be on my own until Friday so I'm using this blog as my companion.

Matt! 

RECIPE: TIEVOLINESE (BOLOGNESE)

I have tried many different recipes for Bolognese over the years, as have we all. But none have come close to making my taste buds burst as much as this following recipe.

If you like rich, strong and intense flavours......... This is for you!

Serves 4:

Ingredients:

• 400 gm extra lean beef mince (Marks and Spencers does the job)
• 2 large garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• large onion (finely chopped)
• mushrooms (as many as you like. I like LOTS)
• 2 x Tbsp olive oil (I use Porcini mushroom infused rapeseed oil. Mmmm!)
• 250 gm roughly chopped chorizo
• 10 large vine ripened tomatoes (quartered)
• level Tbsp of sea salt
• level tsp of ground black pepper
• 100 ml of red wine (any will do)
• heaped tsp of dried oregano

Directions:

1. Prepare an oven at 200c. Add the tomatoes, thyme, one of the Tbsp of olive oil, garlic and sea salt to an oven proof dish or deep baking tray. Mix together well with your hands and place in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until the skin starts to go dark/black. (This is fine, the blackening adds to the overall flavour)
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan or wok and cook the onions for around 3 minutes. Add the chorizo and stir well for around a further 3 minutes. Take off the heat.
3. Add the mince and stir WELL for around 3 or 4 minutes. You want the meat to absorb the flavour of the chorizo without completely cooking through and you want to mince to break down. The less lumpy the mince is, the better!
4. Remove tomatoes from oven and scoop only the individual tomatoes themselves and small bits of garlic into the saucepan with the mince.  Leave behind any thyme, salt and oil. 
5. Cook together in the saucepan on a low heat for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
6. Add the mushrooms, oregano and red wine and continue to cook for around 10 minutes. The longer you let the mixture cook, the further the liquid will reduce, increasing its rich and intense flavours. Don't be afraid to remove from the heat once you find your desired flavour.
7. Prepare your linguine in a large saucepan according to packet instructions. If you wish to make you own pasta, follow my pasta recipe here. (Make sure you rinse the cooked pasta under a hot tap to remove any stickiness it may have after boiling)
8. Re-heat the mince and place a good "dollop" on top of the pasta. Use a fork to stir the pasta and mince together before serving.
9. Finally, grate a generous amount of fresh Parmesan over the top to finish things offs.

Worth noting: I designed this recipe to be less wet and runny like I find a lot of homemade Bologneses. This is meant to be a more compact and less watery version of this famous Italian dish. But feel free to play with a consistency that fits your taste buds better.

RECIPE: JERK CHICKEN (THE BEST RECIPE EVER)

This recipe makes enough sauce/marinade to made a lot of chicken yum. I always make it to the following specifications and is enough to do 6 chicken legs, 12 drumsticks and 8 thighs.

Ingredients:

Chicken legs, drumsticks and/or thighs
 6 sliced scotch bonnet peppers
 2 Tbsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
 8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
 3 Medium onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tsp. nutmeg
1 Tsp. ginger
120 ml olive oil
120 ml soy sauce
Juice of one lime
240 ml orange juice
240 ml white vinegar


Directions:

1. Chop the onions, scotch bonnets and garlic and place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Now blend all the remaining ingredients together, adding the onions, scotch bonnets and garlic whilst doing so.
3. If you do not have a large enough blender/liquidiser then do it in two parts and combine in the mixing bowl. 
4. Place chicken in an ovenproof dish and coat with the jerk sauce. Allow to marinade overnight for best results.
5. Once chicken has been allowed to rest in the sauce, place in an oven at 100 oC for half an hour. Turn chicken and place back in oven for a further 30 minutes. Cooking on a low temperature to begin with helps the sauce penetrate the chicken better and keeps the meat succulent.
6. Now turn the heat up to 180 and cook for 15 minutes, turning chicken for the final 15 minutes.
7. Take chicken out of the sauce and allow to rest on a plate.

To serve, I recommend serving with rice which has had a good helping of left over sauce stirred through it. Place chicken on top. 

This is one hell of a spicy dish, but nothing tastes better.

Enjoy!

RECIPE: THAI MANGO CHICKEN

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper
• Tbsp olive oil (for frying)
• Good handful of fresh coriander
• 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk

MANGO SAUCE:

• 2 fresh ripe mangos (Skinned and stoned)
• 1 red chili OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. fish stock
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 Tbsp. brown/white sugar
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced or a tsp of ground ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• zest of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Place all 'Mango Sauce' ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process well, until more or less smooth.
2. Taste-test the sauce. Adjust where necessary
3. Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then begin frying the chicken pieces. Fry 3-5 minutes per side, or until light golden brown and cooked through.
4. Add the sweet pepper and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes 
5. Add 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk. Simmer 3-4 minutes
6. Add the sauce and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
7. Serve with fresh coriander and rice (stir some fresh lemon juice through the rice to help it from sticking.

disclaimer: The above recipe is a stripped down version, and my twist on a recipe I found on this website. I have made the measurements more suited for UK cooking and have first hand experience of what the above recipe tastes like. 
Bloody lovely, actually!

RECIPE: MEATY BEEF BALLS AND TAGLIATELLE

Matt’s Meaty Beef Balls and tagliatelle

Ingredients:

Pasta for Tagliatelle
280g grade “00” pasta flour

2 medium eggs
1 medium egg yolk
Flour for dusting and rolling

Meatballs
500g lean beef mince
1 medium egg
1 level tbsp dried oregano
20-30 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 large garlic clove

Tomato sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
25g butter
2 tins of chopped tomatoes (drained)
1 small glass of red wine (any will do)
2 tsp of oregano
2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh basil
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated.(level tsp of ground ginger would suffice)
12 chestnut mushrooms, finely shopped (Chestnut mushrooms have a greater flavour)
1 garlic clove finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:

To make the pasta: Begin by mixing the eggs and yolk with the flour in a large
mixing bowl. Use a strong wooden spoon to mix into a fine dough. Additional flour
may be needed if consistency is too sticky, likewise, a little olive oil with help a
dough that’s too dry. Once both ingredients appear well mixed, turn out onto a lightly
floured surface and continue kneading until a good, soft and smooth dough is formed.
Continue to knead for around 10 minutes. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate.

To make the meatballs: Place the mince in a large enough mixing bowl and loosen
the meat up. Add a good helping of sea salt and a generous pinch of ground pepper.
(Do not be afraid to add too much seasoning. Too little will leave the meat lacking
and bland)
Mix well with your hands.
Add the oregano and again, mix well with your hands.
Add the fresh basil and mix well.
Now add the garlic and olive oil and give one final good mix with your hands.
Cover and refrigerate. Ideally over night, but if in a rush, 30 minutes will suffice)

Please note: It’s important to mix after the addition of each individual ingredient as
this ensures the ingredients are well and fairly mixed. Do not throw it all in at once
and mix as this can cause uneven flavouring.

To make the sauce: Fry the onions off in the butter for around 4 minutes or until soft.
Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook over a medium heat for one minute.
Add the mushrooms and stir until the they are well mixed with the other ingredients.
Add the herbs and season well. Continue to mix for around 30 seconds, then add the
tomatoes and cook for no more than 2 more minutes, stirring continuously. Take off
the heat.

Remove the mince mixture from the fridge and tip in your eggs and yolk. Mix well
using a spoon, or spatula making sure the mixture is well combined together. Once
mixed, use your hands to start making the balls, by rolling a small amount of mixture
in the palms of your hands. The size of each ball is up to you, but remember how
many of you there are, so make sure there’s plenty to go round. I prefer to keep them
on the slightly smaller side as you can just eat them whole like a greedy little bastard.
Once spherical, roll in flour and place on a dinner plate while you finish off making
every meatball.

Heat a tbsp of pure olive oil in a large enough frying pan and gently place all your
meatballs inside it. Gently brown for around 5 or 6 minutes until all sides of your
balls are roughly cooked.

Place your sauce back on a low heat and gently put your meatballs comfortable inside.
Cover and cook for around 20 minutes, or until meatballs cooked throughout. Do not
let burn, so make sure you remove the lid and stir occasionally.

While the balls are cooking, remove the pasta ball from the fridge and cut into 4
equally sized pieces. Roll out each section on a lightly floured surface and feed
through your pasta machine, going down through the settings from large to small.
Then feed through the tagliatelle looking cutter and place onto a plate.

Bring a large saucepan (I find using a large wok works) of lightly salted water to the
boil. Place all the tagliatelle into the water and cook for 4 minutes, or until cooked.
Taste a bit to test if done. Drain in a colander and rinse with hot water to remove the
stickiness (starch).

To serve:

Evenly distribute the pasta among your 4 warmed plates. Drizzle each plate with
sauce first to ensure pasta is coated, then place an even amount of balls and sauce
mixture over the top.

Grate generously with fresh Parmesan and serve.

Open a bottle of wine, or three….. and enjoy!

The fresh tagliatelle

Great for lunch and for dinner

The BALLS!!!

RECIPE: TIEVOLIZONE

Tievolizone®

Ingredients:

The dough:
Wrights Parmesan and sun dried tomato bread mix 500g*
(Follow the instructions, but add 20ml less water and add a tbsp of olive oil to the mixture. This
will make it stretchier and more like pizza dough)

*This may seem like cheating, but it’s quick. If you have time, make your own dough. Dough is
basic ingredients but can take a long time to prepare. If you’re restricted with time, go with the
bread mix. You need only add water and a little olive oil.

The filling:
Mozzarella (large bag - pre grated)
500g chestnut mushrooms (Thinly sliced)
2 large chicken breasts (Sliced into 1cm thick slices)
1 Tbsp Porcini mushroom rape seed oil (Olive oil will suffice)
10+ slices (2 per Tievolizone) of pancetta or rindless streaky bacon (smoked or not)

The sauce:
Lrg tsp of dried oregano
10 fresh basil leaves (torn up into small pieces)
1 tin of quality chopped tomatoes
Knorr aromatic savoury seasoning
1 lrg garlic clove finely chopped
Salt
Pepper

The glaze:
1 egg beaten
A pinch of dried oregano

Directions:

To make the dough: Follow the instructions on the back of the packet. I have done this too
many times to remember. My own tip is to add 20ml less of the water and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Once dough is well mixed, kneed for 10 to 15 minutes. This will ensure you have the best dough
possible. Don’t get lazy and stop half way through. Cover all sides of the dough in flour and put
into a mixing bowl or sauce pan with a cling film lid.
Leave in a warm place while preparing the rest of the Tievolizone ™

To make the sauce: Add all the ingredients to a suitably sized saucepan and put on a medium
heat until it boils. Allow to simmer for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

To make the filling: Heat the Porcini mushroom olive oil. Add the mushrooms until cooked
through. Do not over cook as they will continue to cook when in the oven. Remove from pan
with slotted spoon leaving as much olive oil and juices in the pan as possible.

Add the sliced chicken breast into the same pan and cook on a gentle heat (Add more olive oil if
necessary). Season well with both salt and pepper. Do not over cook. Chicken is best when juicy
so overcooking can ruin this. Under-cook it, and well…..You could die! Be careful!

When chicken is pretty much done, lay the pancetta/bacon on top and cover saucepan with lid.
Continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.

Prepare the dough: Preheat oven to (200 oC Fan assisted) (220 oC conventional) Make sure
the dough has increased in size to at least one and half times its original size (Usually about 30
minutes).
Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a sausage size shape about 12 inches
long. With a sharp knife cut into 4 or 5 equal pieces. Re-flour to avoid drying out and put onto a
plate and move to one side.

Before rolling out dough to form the base for the Tievolizone, make sure that everything is ready
to go onto the dough. The key here is speed. The longer you take to fill the calzone, the more
likely it will become soggy and tear leaving you with a mess coming out of the oven, if even it
gets that far.

Follow these steps:
1: Prepare all the filling ingredients and make sure they’re ready. Put them in a small bowls if
needs be. Believe me, preparation is KING!
2: flour the pizza tray before you place your Tievolizone on it.
3: Have the egg glaze ready with a pastry brush to hand.
4: Make sure oven is ready and hot.

Continue by taking one of the 4 or 5 pieces of dough and place on lightly floured surface.
Using a flour dusted rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle. Make it as big as you can until the
thickness is not much thicker than a stick of chewing gum. Don’t make it too thin as it will tear.
Experience and practice makes this bit easier overtime.
The size of the circle should be large enough to allow a normal dinner sized plate to be placed
over the top. Now cut round the plate and discard of the trimmings.

Place the cut out dough onto the pre-floured pizza tray.
Instantly use the pastry brush and coat the circumference/edge of the circle (about and inch wide)
with the egg.
Put a large handful of the mozzarella in the center of the dough.
Place two or three soup spoon size portions of the sauce on top of the mozzarella, avoiding as
much liquid as possible.

Put a good helping of the mushrooms over the top
Now add the chicken and bacon
Finally, add a small handful of the cheese and sprinkle over the top.

Now fold the circle in half, making sure the edges fit to the opposite side and do not allow the
dough to tear. Be gentle!

Once you have the dough folded, use a fork to press the edges firmly together. This will ensure
the seal does not come undone in the oven.

Brush the Tievolizone™ all over with the egg mixture and finish off with two slits on the roof of
the dough to allow it to breathe while cooking.
Before placing in oven, sprinkle with dried oregano.

Place in the center or top of the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes, or until the skin of the
Tievolizone looks golden brown and crisp.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving. The dough will soften up
again.

If of course you are making more than one of these, cover each finished Tievolizone™ with a
small sheet of foil to retain its heat and put to one side while making more.

Once they are made, serve.

You can cook more than one at a time, but rotate their positions in the oven.

To serve:


Put on a plate and eat.
Another more traditional way to serve is to pour a small serving of finely blended beef
Bolognese over the top. Its works very well.

Final Tip: You may need to clean the pizza tray after each use if the skin breaks and liquid
escapes. Be patient!

The Tievolizone

Mini Tievolizone (great for parties)

Tievolizone with the Bolognese topping