Advice Archives - frugalfeeding

In recent weeks my Grandfather has developed a penchant for divulging a number of his favourite Clement Freud anecdotes. His favourite story concerns a trip Freud made to Mexico. Whilst in Mexico, Freud thought he would sample the delights of a true Central American Chilli, something he soon regretted. After ordering ‘six bottled of beer in quick succession’, Freud advised the chef that it may be best to warn visitors about the deadly speciality. The chef replied that ‘the ratio [of chilli to meat] was about one to one.’ Had Freud wanted his chilli with only a little spice the chef said that ‘there was an American place just down the road.’ I think it’s rather a humorous little tale, though perhaps you’ll disagree if you are an American. Anyway, a deep interest on the writings of Freud developed within, and I asked to borrow my Grandfather’s copy of ‘Freud of Food’. To my delight I discovered that my taste in humour shared an even closer affinity to that of Freud’s, when I discovered a section entitled, ‘Give The Wife A Break’.

My dad recently purchased a couple of second-hand copies of Jamie Oliver’s first two books. Although I haven’t followed any recipes to their exact specifications I will have to note, in a few of my future posts, that he has provided me with a little inspiration and culinary guidance. As you have probably guessed this is one such recipe. I get the feeling that there are a couple of fairly common mistakes people tend to make when cooking their own tomato sauce, mistakes I shall attempt to rectify. Firstly, one must remember that chopped tomatoes are entirely useless and that peeled plum tomatoes are simply the only way to go. Secondly, one must cook a tomato sauce for at least an hour in order to remove any bitterness from the seeds. In fact, some Italian chefs cook theirs for up to three hours!