This weekend, starting Friday 14th June we have the following in store:

Whiting Fillets – £4

Whiting is a good fish to use in fishcakes and homemade fish fingers.

Like pollack, its taste is sensational if eaten very fresh. The French use whiting (called merlan) to make mousseline (a sort of fish pâté) or treat it to a number of lovely wine-based or cider-based sauces. Or mix whiting with other white fish in pies and soups.

Lemon Sole – £5

It has delicate, sweet white flesh and is best cooked simply, either grilled or fried, and served with a light sauce.

Lemon sole is widely available and a sustainable choice. It can be bought whole or in fillets.

Lemon sole fillets can be rolled around a stuffing and steamed or baked; the fish also goes well with the lighter flavours of Asian cooking such as lemongrass, spring onions and ginger. Try wrapping fillets of lemon sole in prosciutto or slicing and breadcrumbing them to make goujons. Lemon sole can also be grilled, steamed or baked whole.

Plaice – £3

Plaice is a superb fish possessing a fine, moist texture, with a subtle, yet distinctive flavour. It is distinguishable by its bright and vibrant orange spots. It is high in protein and low in fat and calories and makes a simple, healthy and inexpensive lunch or supper.

Plaice cooks very quickly – fillets should only need a total cooking time of 4-5 minutes, whether grilled, fried or poached. Use the poaching liquid to make a sauce, or coat fillets of plaice in egg and breadcrumbs and pan fry in butter and a little oil.

Enjoy!

This weekend, starting Friday 7th June we have the following in store:

Lemon Sole – £5

It has delicate, sweet white flesh and is best cooked simply, either grilled or fried, and served with a light sauce.

Lemon sole is widely available and a sustainable choice. It can be bought whole or in fillets.

Lemon sole fillets can be rolled around a stuffing and steamed or baked; the fish also goes well with the lighter flavours of Asian cooking such as lemongrass, spring onions and ginger. Try wrapping fillets of lemon sole in prosciutto or slicing and breadcrumbing them to make goujons. Lemon sole can also be grilled, steamed or baked whole.

Mackerel – £4

A firm-fleshed, oil-rich fish with a torpedo-like shape and iridescent silver and blue striped skin. Mackerel is a delicious nutritious and sustainable fish, with intense creamy meat packed with omega-3 fatty acids.

Freshness is of utmost importance – mackerel, like many oily fish, tend to spoil more quickly than white fish. Check for firm, shiny bodies and clear, bright eyes.

The oily texture of mackerel makes it an excellent fish for smoking. Smoked mackerel is delicious torn into salads or whizzed in a blender with some crème fraîche or ricotta cheese, lemon juice and pepper to make smoked mackerel pâté.

Plaice – £3

Plaice is a superb fish possessing a fine, moist texture, with a subtle, yet distinctive flavour. It is distinguishable by its bright and vibrant orange spots. It is high in protein and low in fat and calories and makes a simple, healthy and inexpensive lunch or supper.

Plaice cooks very quickly – fillets should only need a total cooking time of 4-5 minutes, whether grilled, fried or poached. Use the poaching liquid to make a sauce, or coat fillets of plaice in egg and breadcrumbs and pan fry in butter and a little oil.

Treat yourself to something special this weekend!

The restaurant was booked out, (there was a substantial waiting list), and everyone present remarked upon the wonderfully vibrant atmosphere, the unbelievable value for money and the exquisite food;  added to which, Giancarlo was in sparkling form, entertaining and educating us about food in his inimitable fashion!

Many of the ingredients used were from the Quality from Small Producers brand which Vince carries in his stores; the smoked salmon came from Watford Valley Foods, and the cheese sauce on his tortelloni was created using Bookham’s award-winning Sussex Charmer cheese, to name just two. Keep an eye out for these and more in store – wonderful food products created by small but passionate, often family-run businesses.

We will be starting to plan our next seasonal lunch with Giancarlo shortly – keep an eye on the website and book your tables early!  As one delighted guest remarked: “We’re already looking forward to the next one and will be bringing friends.”

This first recipe will appear as part of the ‘Antipasti’ menu at our Seasonal Lunch held at Giancarlo’s restaurant in Bray on February 8th. (It’s still not late to book your table!  Find details in our post under the ‘News’ section on our website.)

Bagna Cauda (Piedmontese Hot Anchovy Dip) - Serves 4

 Assorted vegetables for dipping or roasting, e.g. carrots, celery, cardoons and peppers (served raw or roasted), radicchio, endive and cucumber (serve raw)

For the dip:

50g anchovies, filleted

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

15g butter

100g extra-virgin olive oil

 Cut the vegetables into sticks for dipping into the hot sauce. If you want to keep them raw, store them under a dampened piece of kitchen paper, or roast them..

 To make the dip, mince the anchovies and garlic together, either using a pestle and mortar or a food processor. Add the butter and olive oil little by little until a liquid paste is formed.

Serve in a bagna cauda or fondue dish with a candle lit beneath it. Do not allow the mixture to become too hot or it will separate; blow the candle out, allow the dip to cool and stir together. Re-light the candle if necessary.

To serve as a dressing, arrange your roasted vegetables on a serving plate and drizzle over the sauce, serving any extra at the table.  And enjoy…!

The girls came to help customers pack their shopping whilst others held collection boxes in order to try to raise funds for some much-needed camping equipment.  Maloney’s helped boost their morale and start the ball rolling by donating  £200 towards their project.

We are pleased to say that the girls raised over £900 and were delighted with the positive and enthusiastic response their presence elicited from the Ascot customers and by the generous support they were shown; many thanks to you all!

The store was abuzz with customers stopping to chat with our fabulous producers, all of whom were able to offer their products at a special discounted price; if you were unable to get to the store to benefit from these promotions, have a quick look at our website www.maloneysbudgens.com where you will be able to download vouchers for use in store.

A big thank you to all our customers for popping down to make the event such a success;  and added congratulations to those producers – namely Dave from Bangers Galore and Rob from Bookhams – who went to the trouble of growing their moustaches for Movember celebrations and raising money for Cancer Research; congratulations on your marvellous facial hair!

Funghi trifolati alla Giancarlo 

Giancarlo’s mushrooms

Trifolati or al funghetto means “sliced like mushrooms” and when it is written on a menu it will means your vegetables, not necessarily mushrooms have been sliced and fried, usually with some garlic and herbs.

Mushrooms are often in need of a little flavour and as Giancarlo puts it “you need to put the woods back into them”.  He means that scent of the dark, dank woods where mushrooms grow; by adding some thyme and rosemary you infuse the woody herby flavour back into typical supermarket mushrooms. All I know is that his tip of adding herbs ad cooking them over a high heat works.

Makes 300g cooked weight, serves 4 as a vegetable side dish

50ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

3 large sprigs of thyme

3 to 4 sprigs rosemary

Half to one red chilli, depending on strength, finely sliced

Generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g mixed mushrooms, (eg white cup, oyster, portobello, crimini, porcini) washed or brushed as necessary, thickly sliced

100ml tap water or stock

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and when hot add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, chilli and salt and pepper.  Fry for just a minute and then add the mushrooms and cook them on a high heat, tossing or stirring frequently.  When the water from the mushrooms has evaporated, and they have become browned and slightly crisp they are ready.

As a further example of our sustainability plan in action, last Friday Vince presented Jim and Sharon from the Sanctuary with a cheque for £250 which has been raised from our in-store Pennies for Plastic campaign, whereby each time a customer declines a bag at the till, the store donates 1p to a charity fund.  To help with the presentation in store, along with their parents, were Dominic Leigh (9 yrs), Rupert Leigh (7 yrs) and Miranda Leigh (5 yrs) – who have sponsored 2 resident monkeys, Minky and Wingnut, through their local Beaver group.

Vince said: “As an independent local company, it is so important that we help support our local charities, which are struggling for survival in these difficult economic times.  We are delighted to be offering ongoing support to help The Monkey Sanctuary continue such worthwhile work made possible by our effective sustainability plan. ”

The winning ticket went to Peter Tomkinson who was delighted with his win – “I have never won anything before, so I was really pleased…it must have been my lucky day!” he said, when Anne informed him of his success.  He is pictured here receiving his prize with Steve Mews, manager of our Ascot store.

The raffle raised  £199 which will go directly to the Cancer charity – a huge thank you to all those who bought tickets.

Should you wish to book a place at our seasonal lunch, there are still places left. Simply call the restaurant on  01628 788500 or email us on campagna@caldesi.com.  Bring your friends or come alone – we are sure you will have a great time!

At Ascot, 15 producers of quality products came together over the two days to offer sampling of their fabulous products to customers throughout the day.  From Styles ice cream to Newitts pies, Mouthfull soup and James White fruit juices amongst others, customers were able to taste these quality products and had the opportunity to chat to the producers to learn about the passion with which they drive their small businesses.

At Maloneys we are enthuisastic supporters of quality foods from small producers, and have run several of these fairs across the stores in Ascot and Shepperton over the past years.  Besides being good fun, customers love to meet the makers of these great products which we stock and appreciate having the opportunity to sample them too – you’ll soon realise why we love them so much!

As Vince says:  “We are really proud to be supporting small producers who create these delicious products. Made with such passion, these are all unique and are now easily available in store for customers to try.”

Next Food Fairs at Shepperton and Ascot will be advertised here on our website.