Tummyrumble

Flying Jacob (Flygande Jakob), classic Swedish dish

Some weeks ago I cooked Flying Jacob (Swedish: Flygande Jacob or Flygande Jakob) at my friends Anders' & Amy's place for some lovely dinner guests (pictures at flickr). We had a great time, and at the end of the night I got that greatest of compliments from Marc, he asked for the recipe (he wasn't just being nice, I have since heard that he has actually even used it cooking for his friends, who also loved it).

I think this dish was "invented" in the 70s by a Swedish chef (if anyone knows the story, please contact me). Have since I wrote this found the answer, read full post and scroll down to have the secret revealed!

Photo borrowed from WikiPedia since I forgot to take picture of my completed masterpiece... Hope they don't mind.

Usually it is served as a kids' dish, the savoury taste and the mix of sweet, salty and creamy makes it an easy sell I guess (and the pink color is a bit different, which I think also goes down well with our younger co-inhabitants of Earth). Every household in Sweden seems to have their own version of this dish, but this is mine.

Some great food blogs

Now that winter is coming around I hope to get more time for inddor activities. Like spending time with food. Reading about it and doing lots of stuff in the kitchen.

Over the summer I have picked up a few really good and readworthy blogs on the topic of food:

Appon's Thai Food Recipes
Chez Pim
Chocolate & Zucchini
Movable Feast (I like that name...)
My Adventures in the Breadbox
Slashfood

That will hopefully keep me busy during the dark months... On a side note: feels good finding a topic where there actually is a mix of men and women blogging.

Went to see the original Godzilla (Gojira)...

I found it very interesting, and I think the friend I went with agrees on that. But it was more of a study of an interesting artefact than enjoying a great movie.

Actually, the movie is quite bad in my opinion (but not as bad as what I have seen of the American remake...). Not very well directed, no interesting twists in the story, a poorly devised sub plot of youthful love and to be frank appalling acting (even though some of the actors were very well known at the time, and had worked with giants like Kurosawa). Plus, even for that time and age I think the special effects would be rated second grade.

That said, considering the story and background of the movie (which I read up on before leaving work), it was an interesting watch.

Yet another diamond in the rough...

...the rough this time actually being our very own Elephant & Castle.

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EDIT: As of December 2006 Pizzeria Castello seems to be no more. Gone, vanished without explanation, boarded shut. Very mysterious. If anybody who reads this knows what happened, please leave a comment. I miss them a lot. So I guess this is more of an obituary now than a review... By all means, carry on reading, just don't try to go there.

FOLLOWUP: Good news. Yes, Castello changed hands, went down hill and subsequently was shut. That's the bad news. Here are the good:

The bad news is that this restaurant has gone downhill since it changed hands, and having eaten there quite frequently over the last 18 years, I would no longer do so.

The good news is that the Castello restaurant on Jamaica Road close to Bermondsey station is owned by one of the partners who used to own Pizzaria Castello, and has the same chef. Go there instead, for a good atmosphere, and the traditional "Castello" menu, plus some great additions.

Found over at London Eating, in the comments section.

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We now have another great place to add to our shortlist of not very well known but fabulous restaurants along with Hare & Tortoise and Ciao Bella in Holborn: Pizzeria Castello on Walworth Road just by the roundabout.

Last night we decided to go there since a workmate of Amy's been raving about how good it always was and that they have been going at the same place under the same name for over twenty years. Could it really be that good? Wouldn't it be just another case of over prized, under baked, too thin, not very interesting pizzas? There was only one way to find out. Put the pizza in the mouth.