COMPETITION: WIN A PLACE AT THE NEXT DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS @ H.FORMAN & SON

The next DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS will take place at H.Forman & Sons on Monday 31st May 2010.

The event also marks the publication date of my new book EATING FOR BRITAIN. So, we have decided to make this a 'Best of British" meal and from what we have planned so far, it promises to be one of the best events yet.

Thanks to the good people of Forman's (especially the delightful Nicola Swift) we have an amazing menu planned and the goody bags are already looking as if they will be rather splendid.

Unsurprisingly, the demand for tickets was higher than ever with over 500 requests and all the tickets were snaffled up very quickly.

However, Forman's would like to offer two lucky readers of Dos Hermanos the chance to come along as their guest for the evening and, to sweeten the deal, I will also add a signed copy of the book to the goody bags of the winners.

All you have to do to win this great prize is answer the following question.

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CURE USED BY H.FORMAN & SON FOR THEIR SMOKED SALMON?

Please answer by e-mailing

info@formanandfield.com AND copying in doshermanos@doshermanos.co.uk

The competition closes on MONDAY MAY 3rd. We cannot enter into any correspondence about this competition, but the winners, whose names will be selected at random from the correct entries, will be contacted shortly afterwards by H.Forman.

Good luck and see you on the 31st May

EATING FOR BRITAIN: RIVER FARM, SMOKIN'

Ah, the joys of being on Twitter.

Well for me, not for poor old Dan Woodford whose unwise decision to follow me on said social networking site and to give a link to the website of the smokery where he was working led to an interchange of mails and an invitation for me to come up and spend a morning at The River Farm Smokery a short distance from Cambridge.

Dan was in his last few weeks of work at the smokery before moving to Italy, lucky bugger, but still seemed terribly enthusiastic as he showed me around the buildings that had been converted from old RAF sheds. The company has been going for nearly twenty-five years and for the last five, co-owner Chris Swailes has been building up an enviable business for their smoked fish and meat with clients including The Ivy and The Harwood Arms.

Dan has been there for three years and watching him at work, it is little wonder that the product is developing such a great reputation. He was working on smoked mackerel when I arrived and soon had me helping him with the gutting and cleaning of the beautifully fresh fish before he brined them for six hours before taking them to the kiln.

In the smoke room itself, things were already well under way for the day with trout, eel, duck breasts, plump cod’s roe and salmon sitting in the smoke of the smoldering ashes from German oak and dripping glistening oils down to the floor.

Because of other commitments, my stay was a short one. But, before I left, I watched Dan prepare the raw ingredients for their biggest seller, smoked salmon as he layered large fillets of superb looking farmed salmon from Scotland in a tray between layers of salt to draw the moisture out and add to the final flavour. He was extraordinarily passionate about his work and I suspect he will be a hard man to replace.

Before I left, of course, I had to taste the end result and nicked a few tastes as a fillet was being sliced and packed in the processing room. Unlike many smoked salmon I have tasted, that at The River Farm has a definite tinge of salt. Dan explained that some people found that a little too pronounced, but I have to say, I am a fan and the slight taste complimented the fattiness of the fish perfectly.

From their small on-site shop, I bought a selection of other smoked goodies to try including bacon, chicken and of course more of that salmon. It is well worth ordering some from their website, er so here it is www.riverfarmsmokery.co.uk

DOS HERMANOS: HAVING US TEA

Our late Mum was a great baker and the smell of a loaf of bread, a big pie (mmm…pie) in the oven or of Welsh Teacakes cooking on the griddle remains with us to this day.

It’s a long time since I made any bread – a bit of pizza dough about a decade ago probably doesn’t count – but I had some of Sally Barnes wonderful Smoked Salmon which I needed to eat so some homemade Soda Bread to accompany it seemed like a good idea.

I really love the Soda Bread at Richard Corrigan’s joints: Bentley’s and Corrigan’s. It’s deep, it’s dark, it’s moreish. A quick Google found the recipe which consists of equal quantities of plain and wholemeal flour, bicarb, honey, black treacle, salt, buttermilk and oat flakes (for an interesting texture). Even for a klutz like me it’s easy peasy: mix it all together and bung it in a hot oven.

Forty-five minutes later and with a beautiful smell wafting around the DH crib the loaf was ready. It went onto a rack to cool but of course I couldn’t resist breaking a hunk off straight away and slathering it in unsalted butter. For a first attempt it was rather good (and I’m my own worst critic). The base was a bit too crisp but made for a good texture contrast. It didn’t come out as dark as the restaurant version which leads me to think they might use a secret recipe there.

With the bread I carved some thickish slices of the Smoked Salmon. This fish comes from the Woodcock Smokery in Cork. Founded and owned by Sally Barnes this is a truly artisanal product which unfortunately has limited availability – they only use wild fish – and is expensive. Although, given the superlatve quality it’s well worth it.

The flavour is fantastic with just the right amount of smoke and a lovely un-fatty texture and a taste that just goes on and on. All that was needed to complete us tea was some Cream Cheese and a bottle of Meantime’s London Stout.

And don’t worry HS, there’s plenty left over for you.