The Hungry Cyclist - Cycle Touring & Eating The World

American Roast Pumpkin Soup

• 1 kilogram pumpkin, and cut in pieces
  
• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  
• 1 large onion chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
  
• 4 cups chicken stock
  
• sour cream and fresh parsley to serve
  

1. Preheat oven 180C.

2. Place the garlic cloves and pumpkin segments on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

3. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet on a separate baking tray and dust with a little garlic salt and place in the oven with the pumpkin.

4. Roast the pumpkin and garlic and seeds for about 30 minutes, so the pumpkin is cooked through, the garlic is soft and the seeds are golden brown. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sweat the onion, cumin, carrot and celery until the onion is soft.

5. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

6. Scoop the pumpkin flesh away from the skin and add to the pot, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

7. Puree this mixture in your blender till smooth, adding the peeled roasted garlic as you wiz.

8. Serve with an artistic swirl of sour cream some fresh parsley and roasted pumpkin seeds.

The Hungry Cyclist In The Land of Milk and Honey - The Off

The panniers are packed, the bike is boxed and after what has been far too long the Hungry Cyclist is back on the road. Over a year has passed since I arrived in Rio at the end of my culinary quest through the Americas, and I can't tell you how exciting it is to be returning to the life I love - Cycling and Eating.

This afternoon, I will load my bicycle into the hulk of an airplane and fly to Jerusalem, continuing my pedal-powered search for the perfect meal and here on the NEW Hungry Cyclist blog you can follow every turn of the pedals and every mouthful of my journey from the comfort of your computer.

 

It might be fare to say that, other than being billed  as a land dripping with milk and honey, Israel does not have a unique or long-standing culinary heritage. So why head there in search of gastronomic excellence I hear you ask? As a land populated largely by immigrants, Israeli cuisine is a wonderful mish-mash of the culinary cultures. A hot pot of generation of immigrant cuisine and if you have ever dinned in the home of an Israeli you will understand why I have decided to come to this historic, often volatile but fascinating corner of our world.

Ubiquitous falafel stands in Eastern Jerusalem, bagels dipped in zaatarspice in the old city. Tabbouleh and babaganoush under the pyramids. I have no doubt will these trade-mark dishes of the Levant will be fueling my pedal powered quest to Cairo, accompanied by kilos of beloved humus and plenty of pita, but otherwise the food I will be eating and the people I will be sharing it with remain a mystery. But here on The Hungry Cyclist Blog you can follow every mouthful and turn of the pedals.

 

View Larger Map

Whereas my ride from new York to Rio took over two years, this trip plans top be a little shorter, but no less interesting as I pedal through this historic and facsicntaing corner of planet. I have little idea what to expect and what lies ahead but Im sure there will be plenty of humus and plenty of fun.

 

Sababa!

 

"And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey: unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites."

-- Exodus 3: 8 (KJV)

 

 

Falmouth Oyster Festival

16th -19th October

Cold nights, short days,  the X Factor, Christmas No 1's already in the charts. There are few things to look forward to as winter sets in and with rising fuel costs and worldwide financial turmoil upon us, this winter looks like it could be a cold one. If like me this change in the season leave you feeling a little blue, try and look on the bright side. Its oyster season! 

And the good people of Falmouth know just how to see in a season of munching on these bivalved briny beauties. Falmouth Oyster Festival celebrates the start of the oyster season and the diversity and quality of Cornish Seafood and is one of the last remaining traditional oyster fisheries.  

The festival opens with a cookery master-class with celebrity chef Sophie Grigson followed by a packed program of cookery demonstrations by leading local chefs, oysters, seafood, wine and ale, children’s shell painting, sea shanties, town parade, live music and marquees packed with Cornish produce and crafts. So dust off your shucker, pack your Tabasco and get down to Falmouth for some real some seafood feasting. 

“A loaf of bread, the Walrus said,

Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed-- 

Now if you're ready, Oysters, dear,

We can begin to feed!”

For more information and booking.

• Tel: +44 1326 312300
• Email: info@waveproduction.co.uk
• www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk

Ceviche de Plátano, Costa Rica

Leaving the lush highlands of Costa Rica's central valley I pedaled east in search of Caribbean flavor. The dark cloud covered forms of the volcanoes soon faded behind me and acres of banana, pineapple and plantain fincas opened out before me, in the vast fertile plains that led to the coast.

Some of the hardest and worst paid work there is, and with shellfish at a premium for locals, thanks to the tourist demand and inflated prices, the Ticas turn to the unripe plantains and bananas to substitute their ceviche.

• 3 green plátanos
• 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 chile dulce finely chopped
• 6 limes
• A pinch of salt

1. Put the platono in boiling water for 5 - 7 minutes to remove the stain.

2. Leave the platanos to cool and then dice in small chunks. 2. Place all the ingredients in mixing bowl and soak in the juice of the limes for 2 – 3 hours.

3. Refrigerate and you’re ready serve with some crispy tostadas and cold beer.

Patecones, (Plantain Fritters)

Pushing through the isthmus of Central America I made a somewhat vain attempt to out run the rainy but in southern Costa Rica and Panama the race was lost. During the day I battled against energy sapping humidity and from the late afternoons it rained biblically. Under the porches of local Churches, behind a fire station, or in the cab of a stranded truck I would bed down wherever I could find a dry, safe spot.

Finding myself in a run down concrete stable on my second night in Panama my lack of forward planning left me with no food and my unsatisfied hunger would have to be patient until morning. Ignoring the noisy complaints from the engine room and the deafening noise of the rain on the tin roof above, I was interrupted by a local coming out of the rain. Clad in nothing more than a very fetching pair of wellies and red jogging shorts, in his hands was a plate if fried fish and a stack of warm, salty patecones.

Trucha de Salento, Colombia (Trout from Solento, Colombia)

• Cooking oil 
• 4 fresh trout cleaned, gutted and boned and butterflied
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 lemon, freshly grated zest only
  
• 1 dried chilli
  
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  
• 200 ml dry white wine
  
• 500ml of fresh milk
  
• 4 tbsp of soft creamy cheese (mascarpone would be very good)
  
• Chopped basil

1. Choose a saucepan large enough for your trout. Cooking one trout at a time is fine.

2. Season the trout with salt and pepper and place in the pan with a good glug of cooking oil. Heat quickly on both sides to seal the fish on both sides.

3. Now add the lemon zest, chilli and garlic, and fry gently to allow the flavours to develop (about 1-2 minutes).

4. Add the wine and milk, and increase the heat to bring to the boil. Immediately reduce to a very gentle simmer and cover with the lid slightly off.

5. Poach the fillets until just cooked through 4 or 5 minutes should be good depending on their thickness.

6. When done, the flesh will start to flake gently and the sauce will appear slightly curdled.

7. Transfer the fish to some warm serving plates.

8. Now spoon in your cheese into the pan and stir into the sauce.

9. Serve the trout with plenty of the sauce over and a some patacones on the side.

Next Generation Bicycle Parking

Lamp posts, bus stops, trees, railings... 

Cyclist are often left wondering where to chain their trusty steeds, and with an ever increasing number of pedal powered crusaders on London's streets it can sometimes be hard to find a piece of secure bicycle real estate to park after riding. 

Over crowding and crime make it hard to decide where to park up and obeying some kind of bike parking etiquette is essential if we are all going to get along, but we also need our councils to get it on and start providing suitable and safe places to lock up. 

State side, on the green side of the Big Apple, The New York Department of Transport have selected the finalists for their bike park design competition. The ten plucky designers who have made it to the final stages  no have to wait while a prestigious jury decide who the winner is.

But while they are deliberating why not take a stand yourself. Take a peak at their dedicated blog and decided which next generation bike rack gets your vote. 

Cycling in Mexico. Photo Gallery

A picture paints a thousand words and thanks to the clever folk at Flickr.com you can now view a selection of photographs from my last trip pedalling the americas in search of the perfect meal.

Using the screen below you can navigate through the images, or simple sit back and watch the show. To see more photo from my gastronomic trails visit my page at Flickr.com or have a peep at my old website. 

Cycling Baja California. Photo Gallery

A picture paints a thousand words and thanks to the clever folk at Flickr.com you can now view a selection of photographs from my last trip pedalling the americas in search of the perfect meal.

Using the screen below you can navigate through the images, or simple sit back and watch the show. To see more photo from my gastronomic trails visit my page at Flickr.com or have a peep at my old website.

Taking a Bicycle into the Amazon. Photo Gallery

A picture paints a thousand words and thanks to the clever folk at Flickr.com you can now view a selection of photographs from my last trip pedalling the americas in search of the perfect meal.  

Using the screen below you can navigate through the images, or simple sit back and watch the show. To see more photo from my gastronomic trails visit my page at Flickr.com or have a peep at my old website.

A Bicycle is Born - Cycle & Recycle

One man's junk is another man treasure - or should that be pleasure... 

This great little short from the creative folk at Cinecycle is a testament to the power of the bicycle that takes it beyond a mode of transport. I gotta get me one of those pink saddles... 

Cycle & Recycle 

Beetroot and Kabanos Soup

Seen in the earthy clutches of craggy-faced Russian peasants, and often blamed for kidney failure when your pee turns red the morning after eating, the humble beetroot gets bad press.

They don't look great and after our 'peepers' have been spoiled by the supermodels of the vegetable patch, slender asparagus and shiny green peas over the summer, come Autumn it is time for the ugly sisters of produce  to be unearthed. The turnips, swede and Beta vulgaris or beetroot of this world. Normally found covered in mud, stunning purple leaves ruthlessly hacked off in the market, or vacuum packed in cellophane like a pair of tight bulls testicles in the supermarket these images do not do this humble root justice. There sweet earthy flavors are a treat on a winters evening and cooked beetroot is a great source of folate that can protect you against high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

Where was  I saying?

Ah yes - admittedly boiling and preparing your beetroot at home will leave your kitchen looking like someone has butchered a baby in your sink but if you're not squeamish why not try this hearty cheap soup flavored with another eastern block favorite smoked kabanos sausage.

• 4 beetroot
• 50g butter
• one chopped onions
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• one potato 
• 2 liter chicken or vegetable stock (or 850ml stock and 150ml creamy milk)
• One packet of Kabanos Sausage 
• Sour cram and chives to garnish. 

Wash the beetroot carefully under the cold tap. Don't scrub, simply rub off any earth with your fingers. Don't damage the skin or cut the ends or it will bleed its color during cooking. 

Put the beetroot into a pan, cover with water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 depending on their size and age. The beetroot are cooked when the skins rub off easily. 

When cool enough to handle, rub off the skins and chop the beetroot. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-low heat. When it foams, add the onion. Season well, stir, then cover with a lid  turn the heat low and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil.

Add the beetroot to the onions with the stock and drop in the Kabanos and season. Cook on a low heat for one hour.

Remove the cabanas and enjoy as a snack and then purée your soup. Reheat, adding more stock or milk if you like, and adjust the seasoning. Serve garnished with swirls of sour cream and chopped chives.