"One more for the road" and other food sayings to live by
Chicken, leek and Welsh nduja rice recipe
I'm not sure you'd call it a family motto exactly, but it's a saying that I've grown up living by. There's a joke that I come from a drinking family, and in answer to anyone's querying of my weirdly high alcohol tolerance, I do put it down to my genes. It's just that my rather large Welsh family likes a drink, to celebrate or commiserate (I have recollections of drinking a bar dry at a wake – don't worry, there were plenty of neatly cut and liberally buttered buffet sandwiches to soak it up), to socialise and to be hospitable. Whether out in a pub beer garden in the summer sun, in an auntie's house surrounded by the full spectrum of a nest of teak sidetables, or at a social club with narrow Formica tables, bench seats and lino, the moment will inevitably come, “Is it time to go?”, “We staying for another one?” After some deliberating, someone will utter the phrase, “Well, we'll just have one for the road, is it?” To which agreement will be unanimous in a resolute it-would-be-frankly-ridiculous-not-to expression. As I say, “Just one more for the road” is a sentiment I live by, and one which often leads to excellent conversations, laughter, singing, tears, or a combination of all four.
I was pondering this as I made my way home recently after an evening out where I had had one more before getting on the Tube. It made me wonder if there are any other food and drink sayings I live by.
One more spoonful/drop/measure for luck
This was a favourite of my Nanna Lena. When we were making fairy cakes – pretty much every Thursday through the summer holidays and more – she'd get the secret ingredient – Jif Lemon – down from the cupboard and we’d each shake in a splash and then she'd look at us (me, my brother and cousin) and say, "And one more for luck," splashing a hearty helping of lemon juice in the mix with a final flourish. We certainly seemed lucky. I still do this now, although my fairy cake making is not quite so prolific these days. I apply it to pretty much anything I'm cooking: an extra mill of the pepper grinder, and little bit more grated cheese, a dash more Worcestershire sauce, or an extra pinch of salt – all for luck.
Take it with a pinch of salt
That's not a bad expression either, everything becomes more palatable if taken with a pinch of salt. Someone once said the only difference between steak cooked by a chef and that cooked at home is gratuitous quantities of salt and butter. I've recently stocked up again on Halen Môn, my favourite sea salt from Anglesey. I go through it at pace as it lives in a pinch pot on my worktop. As well as seasoning cooking, it gets sprinkled on top of soft-boiled eggs, chocolate mousse, and used in my wine-tasting sessions to show how you can reduce the effects of tannins in red wine.
When you start thinking about it, there are loads of food expressions that I could write about, but I won’t over egg the pudding!
The Recipe
Chicken, leek and Welsh nduja rice
I've been travelling around the last few weeks. Firstly, I was in Iceland and was delighted to discover they love a lamb stew (Kjötsúpa). And I was certainly grateful for a steaming bowl of it when I returned from scaling a glacier. Then, I was back in Menorca for a few days. It has the most wonderful food scene, so much so that it was named European Region of Gastronomy in 2022. One of the things I love most, is all the rice dishes that you can get, particularly in a place called Fornells on the north coast. I was treated to a delicious arroz meloso (loosely translated as creamy rice) with squid, rabbit and sobrasada – a typical, Balearic, spreadable chorizo. With that in mind, I thought why not try something similar at home with Welsh ingredients? Here's the result. It uses Welsh nduja from the lovely team at Cwmfarm Charcuterie. Nduja is an Italian spreadable sausage but usually spicy-hot unlike sobrasada.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Olive oil
Chicken thighs (I use skin-on, bone-in to add a bit more flavour)
Salt and pepper
1 medium leek, roughly chopped
2 garlic gloves, crushed/grated
70g Cwmfarm Charcuterie Nduja
1tsp sweet paprika
1 stalk rosemary, leaves removed
300g arborio/bomba rice
100ml white wine/dry sherry
800ml stock using one chicken and one veg cube
Handful garden peas
Lemon zest and juice
Method
Heat a large pan (I use a paella pan but a large frying pan will do the trick) on a medium heat and splash in a very generous glug of olive oil.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and then lay them skin side down in the pan. Leave them to sizzle and fizzle for about 15 minutes before turning over and cooking for another five minutes. The chicken should be mostly cooked by this point and the skin crispy. Remove from the pan to a side plate.
Give the pan a bit of a scrape with a spoon to loosen any deliciousness clinging to the base and then add in the leeks and garlic. Fry gently for five minutes.
Break apart the nduja and scatter it around the pan. It’ll start to melt. Add the paprika and rosemary leaves and give everything a good stir.
Scatter in the rice evenly and let it soak in a bit of the now bright red oil in the pan.
Add the wine and allow to bubble for a moment and then add the stock. Place the chicken skin-side-up in the pan.
Allow everything to cook for about 15 minutes. Try not to stir it too much, just gently shake the pan or sort of prod it with a spoon.
Throw in the peas and cook for another few minutes until the rice is just cooked but still has its shape and a bit of bite.
Grate the lemon zest over the top and serve with a splash of lemon juice.
If you try the recipe out, don’t forget to tag any photos with #mywelshkitchen.
The Playlist
To me, cooking and music go hand in hand, whether that’s singing at the top of your voice using a wooden spoon as a microphone while waiting for pasta to boil, or dancing around with the oven gloves on as the oven timer counts down. Here are this week’s ideas for your Welsh Kitchen playlist.
Nye by Warm Coat
Supersonic Llansannan by Morgan Elwy
Ross Recommends
Good food is nothing without good ingredients and thankfully there are plenty of fantastic Welsh products on the market. Here is where you’ll find recommendations to stock up your cupboard, fridge or fruit bowl, or a really great place for food.
Community Clothing
Did you know that the world-famous Wonderbra was made in Wales?
I know it's not food related but I saw this video recently and absolutely loved the premise. Started by clothing designer and judge on the Great British Sewing Bee Patrick Grant, Community Clothing's mission is this: To make the very best quality everyday clothing; to make it from the very best natural materials in the very best factories right here in the UK; and to sell it at great prices that everyone can afford 365 days a year.
So, what does this have to do with Wales?
Wales was once a major producer of lingerie and underwear, with knicker and pant factories in Pontllanfraith, New Tredegar and beyond. The knowledge, skills and pride still exist in these Welsh communities and Community Clothing is bringing it back to work.
