No air fryer? No problem.
Thanks to this genius CrispLid hack, you can turn your instant pot into an air fryer in an instant. How brilliant is that.
I’ve been hearing great things about air fryers - how easy, quick and safe it is to rustle up your fave fried food (not to mention it’s much more healthy too). However, my kitchen counter is getting a bit cluttered, what with my electric kettle, toaster, crockpot and instant pot too. And those air fryers are a bit on the big and bulky side. So, you can imagine how excited I was when Mealthy sent me my very own CrispLid to test out. This ingenious device means my instant pot can double-up as an air fryer, saving space and money too.
A real game-changer!
The Mealthy CrispLid simply sits on top of any six or eight quart instant pot or pressure cooker, snapping into place. Controls on the top of the lid allow you to programme it to air fry, boil or crisp food with up to 500 degrees of cooking power. And, my favourite thing of all - the transparent tempered glass lid lets you take a peek at your food as it cooks. It even lights up with a WOW-factor orange glow! Clever stuff.
I’ve found the CrispLid extremely easy to use, and it comes complete with tongs, heat-resistant silicone mat, deep basket, raised trivet and a recipe book. Clean-up is a breeze, as all accessories are dishwasher safe, and you can simply wipe down your CrispLid with a damp cloth.
So far, I've already used my CrispLid to air fry sausage rolls and scotch eggs, with wonderful results. There are tons more recipes on the Mealthy website, but as I’m living in the deep south, my next CrispLid tryout really must be fried chicken.
I think it’s probably the law. Special offer: Get $10 off $59.95 or more with my Mealthy discount code BRITISHBANTER
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Since we can’t travel to get our annual Brit fix this summer, here are three of my favourite
“home from home” recipes, which are all easy-peasy (and incidentally, all begin with the letter S).
The name of this classic dish causes so many arguments amongst Brits. Apparently, it’s only called Shepherd’s Pie when it’s made with lamb (hence the "Shepherd" bit), so if you use beef (like me) then it’s technically Cottage Pie. And to make things even more contentious, I just recently learned that when you add cheese (again, like me), it officially becomes Cumberland Pie. What a palava!
Well, whatever it's called, this recipe has become a firm favourite with both my Brit and non-Brit friends. My version has a few little twists on the original (adding baked beans and mustard, as well as a bubbling cheese top, gives a unique flavor). Let’s just call it “Shepherd’s-Cottage-Cumberland Pie” to keep everyone happy! What you’ll need: Minced (ground) beef - about ½ lb per person Chopped onion Worcester Sauce 1 can of Heinz Baked Beans Mustard 1 cup red wine Potatoes Grated cheese What to do: Fry beef until brown with chopped onion. Add a dash of Worcester sauce to enhance flavor. Add red wine and simmer (not too much liquid). Add baked beans. Add mustard (to taste). Mix well. Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes with lots of butter. Pour beef mixture into a large oven-proof dish and spread mashed potato over the top. Sprinkle some grated cheese to finish it off. Bake at 380°F for about 40 minutes, until browned on top.
Special offer:
Get $10 off $59.95 or more with my Mealthy discount code BRITISHBANTER
For the benefit of our American friends, sausage rolls are a bit like “pigs in blankets” or Trader Joe’s “puff dogs”, just a million times nicer.
Thanks to UK bakery chain Greggs, back home in Britain sausage rolls have become a recent national obsession. In the trendiest London streets, it's a familiar sight to see celebs and yummy mummies scoffing these straight out of paper bags. And now, by following my easy-peasy recipe, you can create your own version of Greggs signature savory treat Stateside too. Ok, confession time - there's a bit of cheating going on here; I do use the frozen pastry sheets. But seriously - who has time to make their own puff pastry when you can just buy this stuff ready-made?
What you'll need:
One pack of frozen puff pastry (Pepperidge Farms) 1 lb sausage meat (Jimmy Deans is great) 1 egg, beaten & mixed with a splash of milk and water What to do: Thaw frozen pastry, about 20 minutes. Cut along the lines to make 3 long strips. Grab a lump of sausage meat, roll into a long, thin “sausage” & place down the middle of each pastry strip. Brush one long side of the pastry with beaten egg mixture. Lift other side of the pastry over the meat & press gently along the brushed edge. Use a fork to press & seal the edges together. Cut into bite-size pieces, if preferred. Brush tops with beaten egg mixture. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes Or pop your CrispLid on your instant pot to air fry at 400°F for 10 mins, turning several times. Served hot or cold, sausage rolls are the perfect party food. Special offer: Get $10 off $59.95 or more with my Mealthy discount code BRITISHBANTER
Scotch Eggs recipe
One of my personal favourites, I love these served cold with a ploughman's lunch, smothered in salad cream. The original scotch egg is said to have been invented by the London department store Fortnum & Mason in 1738. The name “scotch” isn’t actually a reference to Scotland at all. Rather, it comes from the term “scotched” which is the method of coating stuff with breadcrumbs then frying it. Who knew!
You will need:
¼ lb sausage meat per egg Hard boiled eggs plus another egg beaten (for coating) Breadcrumbs Mustard
What to do:
Boil the eggs until almost hard (or medium, depending on how you like your eggs). They will cook some more later, so bear this in mind. Allow eggs to cool completely and remove shells. Mix a spoonful of mustard (to taste) with the sausage meat. Wrap each egg in sausage meat - make a nice thick ball with plenty of meat, packed tight (so it doesn’t come apart when cooking). Brush the ball all over with beaten egg (to make it sticky), then roll it in breadcrumbs until well coated.
Bake at 400°F for 20 - 40 minutes, turning frequently to get an even colour.
Or pop your CrispLid on your instant pot to air fry at 400°F for about 20 minutes, turning often. Serve warm or cold. Scotch eggs are great with a salad and perfect picnic food too.
P.S. If you fancy a more
decadent variation, cousin Pippa and her lovely son Finn spotted chocolate scotch eggs at Waitrose last Easter. "Delicious, but very rich so we’ll be making this last a couple of days," they reported.
Special offer:
Get $10 off $59.95 or more with my Mealthy discount code BRITISHBANTER Proper fish & chips in Atlanta - finallyThe authentic taste of Blighty without flying 4000 miles Ever since we moved Stateside 15 years ago, hubby and I have been dying for proper fish and chips. Proper as in flaky, moist cod in crispy, golden batter with a generous portion of fluffy, deep fried chips, smothered in salt and malt vinegar, piping hot, wrapped in paper and traditionally eaten with greasy fingers on a day trip to the seaside or on the way home from the pub. Of course, there’s nothing more British than fish and chips. Cheap, easily accessible, tasty, filling and comforting, this dish is a national institution beloved by Brits since the 1860s when fried fish was first introduced to England by Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain. Charles Dickens wrote about "husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil" in A Tale of Two Cities and "fried fish warehouses" in Oliver Twist. By the 1930s there were over 35,000 chip shops across the country. Italian immigrants spotted the queues outside and, sensing a business opportunity, soon set up chippies in Scotland, Wales and Ireland too. Fish suppers sustained morale through two world wars and helped fuel Britain’s industrial growth. The government bent over backwards to safeguard the supply of fish and chips, which Winston Churchill referred to as “the good companions” and were one of the few foods not subject to wartime rationing. When working-class diets were bleak and unvaried, fish and chips provided a tasty break from the norm. George Orwell in The Road to Wigan Pier declared fish and chips first among the home comforts that helped keep the masses happy and "averted revolution". Even today, fish and chips are the quintessential British dish. “Proper” ones, that is. Not skinny frozen fries with an equally skinny lump of catfish, oven-baked (or even, heaven forbid, microwaved) and touted as “British-style” in too many eateries on this side of the pond. Having had our hopes dashed so many times by this fake news, hubby and I had pretty much given up on ever finding the real deal Stateside. That was until Chantelle Wright came to Georgia. Originally from Wales and a lover of chips, mushy peas and gravy since her childhood days (she’s now vegetarian, so doesn't eat fish) Chantelle moved overseas with her family in 2015, finally settling just north of Atlanta. When her husband gave her a deep fat fryer for Christmas, amazingly she didn’t kill him. Instead her mission to bring authentic fish and chips to America was born. “There are so many UK expats living here, we soon became aware of a niche for British food,” she explains. “I bought the restaurant in early January this year, expecting to open by mid February. It seemed everything was against us. One of my sons fell ill and needed emergency surgery. Once he recovered, we were ready to move along with the business; then boom - Covid-19 hit the world! This dramatically delayed our shipments from the UK, and also trebled our shipping costs. It certainly hasn’t been an easy ride”. Despite the stress and setbacks of a global pandemic, Wright’s family chippy finally opened its doors in July, and their timing could be surprisingly spot on. The UK’s fish frier’s federation reports that the ’Rona has boosted business as people seek comfort food in tough times. It seems a chip supper is just the thing to cheer us up right now. “Our opening day was crazy!” Chantelle reports. “We had queues around the building, across the road and in the next car park. The support from fellow Brits and Americans has been incredible. And so many people thanking us for bringing a taste of the UK to America”. Rave reviews soon reached hubby and I, and with our summer trip home to the UK already cancelled, we were craving a Brit fish and chips fix more than ever. We ventured to the north Atlanta suburb of Cumming to try it out for ourselves and discover if Wright’s chippy really does do it "proper". Just off the busy Highway 9 from Atlanta, a huge Union Jack flies proudly alongside the huge Stars and Stripes flag outside the restaurant, which is housed in a former bakery building. There is a covered patio area with tables and chairs for those willing to brave the Georgia summer heat and humidity. Inside, the dining room is modern, clean and well organized for social distancing. In front of the counter, there’s a selection of Brit sweets and treats (Cadbury chocolate bars, crisps and biscuits etc.) for sale. But the main attraction, and the motivation for our 25 minute drive is the hot food menu, which includes steak & kidney pies, battered bangers and of course, classic cod & chips. Side items such as mushy peas, prawn crackers, pickled onions, curry sauce and gravy are also available. I would have loved a cuppa, but unfortunately they had run out of milk and sugar, so we opted for cold drinks instead as we waited for our food to be freshly fried. And so to the million dollar question - are they “proper” fish and chips? Well finally, after too many false promises and disappointments over the years, both hubby and I were absolutely thrilled. Everything about our “cod & chips twice” was perfect, and it all tasted just like home. Portion size was not huge, but it was good enough for me. It would have been lovely to see it served on nice china plates, with silver cutlery and even accompanied by a little pot of tea like I enjoyed in Luton last year, but due to Covid restrictions and much to Chantelle’s frustration, she can only offer disposable boxes and little plastic forks for now. The Wright family certainly has a passion for “getting everything Wright”, as they like to say. Chantelle and son Kelzey trained with The National Federation of Fish Fryers in the UK, they use genuine British equipment and cook from scratch with only top grade ingredients. “Our selected varieties of potatoes and fish are the best of the best! I am a registered importer so all our chippy products are produced in the UK,” Chantelle tells me. She also has big plans for the future: “My vision is to open a new restaurant for each of my sons in the next 12-18 months. After this, we will roll out the business model across America for franchising opportunities”. As we cleared our plates (erm, I mean polystyrene containers), hubby announced his official verdict - the best fish and chips he’s had in America. He even went back and queued up for a second helping! Praise indeed. Thanks to Wright’s chippy ticking all the right boxes, our quest for proper Brit fish and chips in the USA is finally over. The Wright Chippy
101 Colony Park Drive Cumming GA 30040-2726 United States http://www.thewrightchippy.com Atlanta’s |
AuthorLiving and loving life Archives
November 2020
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