‘Chin Chin’ to a burger bonanza

Posted on July 27, 2012 by lardersaga

Every summer Mr.P and I have a hilarious tussle over the bbq. It goes something like this, ‘why can’t we have a gas bbq?, it is so much easier to cook on’, my rather arrogant, spoilt brat  response is – ‘ooohhh nnnoo – surely the only reason for a bbq to exist is to have that unique bbq flavour – call it what you will, burn, sizzle, flambee – you  can’t replicate that on a gas thingymajig’. True or not, as you can see I am a loyal charcoal lover and stoically refuse to contemplate the easier life offered by the gas alternative. To be fair, this is not my domain, totally off my patch so pretty rude to be so dictatorial over the cooking appliances when I don’t even use them myself.  That said, Mr.P has long since overcome the challenges presented by charcoal but curiously, hoping to catch me in a moment of weakness, he still tries the gas bbq option every year.

Rain or shine we tend to use the bbq most weekends, we cook fish, squid, scallops, prawns, chicken, Poussin, shoulders of lamb, legs of lamb, racks of lamb, even a rib of beef and most importantly burgers! I am a burger lover and ever since childhood have made my own. My mother used to have one of those nifty stamping out burger gadgets – thrilling for any child,  now  I just hand shape my own patties having mixed the beef mince with a few other key ingredients. This list of ingredients is a bit of a moveable feast and slighty depends what is in the store cupboard, it includes some or all of the following – onion, fresh thyme, parsley, chives ketchup, Lea and Perrins, mustard, chilli flakes and the wild card for this year, ‘capers’. I admit, a little random but actually the magic ingredient!

This is how I like my burger – medium rare, served on toasted sourdough bread or a homemade bap, a good dollop of sweet chilli jam, ideally with a slab of cheese melting provocatively over the top,  accompanied by a garden salad and a good slug of olive oil.  Yummy. Occasionally I attempt to make the ‘burger bbq bonanza’ more of a legitimate feast as opposed to carnivore meat fest, enter a tray of ‘rosemary, garlic and sea salt roasted new potatoes’, abracadabra –  quite a classy affair! Needless to say the ‘little people’ are keen, so hoorah hoorah, a family dining experience for everyone.

Now back to the ‘Chin-Chin’ bit of this post. One of my innovative colleagues from university set up his own distilling company in 2009 (the first in London for 189 years), along with a highly successful gin and vodka, they distil an extremely fine and delicious ‘Summer Cup’ which is a very honest rival to the longstanding Pimms. Perfect in this balmy summer weather it is the ideal tipple while those burgers are on the bbq. Thirst quenching and not too sweet it really is quite a find, at least I think so. To explain it more coherently and in their own words : Sipsmith’s interpretation of the quintessentially English ‘cups’ from the 1800’s, is based on Sipsmith’s award winning London Dry Gin, blended with a host of carefully selected summery ingredients including infusions of Earl Grey tea, Lemon Verbena and Cucumber. Available to buy at Majestic, Waitrose and online, so no excuses about living in the North of Scotland and not being able to source it!

My Burger Recipe Today

Apologies for the fluid title, I have always been happy to go freestyle on some recipes and this is one of them, but today, I have measured,  quite precisely, the ingredients out for all and sundry! – that said please don’t be tied to the list, add more, or less but try not to eradicate completely!

1kg of burger mince (ideally from a butcher not the pre-packed stuff) makes between 10 – 12 burgers depending on your choice of burger size

2-3 tablespoons of Tomato Ketchup

1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

A good shake of Lea and Perrins

2 tablespoons of salted capers chopped finely

1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon of chopped chives

2 very finely chopped medium onions

Mix all the ingredients together really thoroughly, almost like kneading bread, and shape into the required burger size. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour and then cook on the bbq. Orders as to ‘how you like it’ to the lucky bbq chef!

Posted in Cuts for carnivores, Little black foodie book, Toddlers and tinies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Books for cooks!

Posted on July 23, 2012 by lardersaga

Unsurprisingly I have a unsatiable love of cookbooks – ‘Food Porn’ as my husband calls it. The spare minutes that are dotted around my day are spent delving through cookbooks or surfing the net hunting for ideas, pictures, reviews and just knowledge in general. The first cook book I owned was given to me as a child, I don’t recall it being a huge success, no pictures, and frankly aged 10 that was pretty uninspiring. Fast forward a few years and I was introduced to Delia, ‘The Summer Collection’ , and swiftly after that ‘The River Cafe’ Cookbook, since then I now have shelves of books spilling over, piles of magazines I can’t bring myself to get rid off, lots of newspaper cuttings, menus pinched from restaurants, and worryingly an endless appetite for more of all of the above!

I think the interesting thing about cookbooks is that some of the books I refer to most are ones that have not had as much publicity as those that frequent the bestseller lists with celebrity chef authors. I was rattling on last week about how good ‘mackerel tartare’ is, the only reason I know this is that I found an interesting recipe by ‘Anthony Demetre’, my chum swiftly pointed out she had never heard of him or his restaurants, and realistically I think the same can be said for many of the books I use on a regular basis. So here is a bit of a plug for some books that you may not have heard of. If you like some of the recipes that I have scribbled down over the last few months, I think there is a good chance you will enjoy these suggestions too. As a snapshot of what I am using now here are my  ‘Top 10’ from the well thumbed pile:

‘Today’s Special – A new take on Bistro Food – Anthony Demetre

‘A Season in My Kitchen’ – Skye Gyngell

‘Pasta and Ravioli’ – The River Cafe Pocket Books – Rose Grey and Ruth Rogers

‘Ottolenghi’ – The Cookbook – Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi

‘Plenty’ – Yotam Ottolenghi

‘Bocca’ – Jacob Kennedy

The Sugar Club Cookbook – Peter Gordon

Salads – Peter Gordon

Food from Plenty – Diana Henry

Exploring Taste and Flavor – Tom Kime

There are some ‘must haves’ in the kitchen, for me it is a cooking bible. I have a war torn ‘Leiths’, the spine has long since disappeared and I am embarrassed to say it really is in a very shabby state, I have not included this on my list as I feel it is a staple as important as flour, butter and eggs! Beyond the bible, I also have countless books on bread, preserves, baking, fruit, vegetables, noodles, the list is endless, but all essential in their own specific way. I never want to stop buying cookbooks, I adore them, I love the pictures, I love the ideas, I love the excitement of opening one and thinking ‘ooh what I am going to cook today, tonight, this weekend!’ I am also fascinated in old books and often look back to Mrs.Beeton and a few other oldies to see what and how food was cooked in times gone by. Clarissa Dickson-Wright has just written a fascinating book on the history of English food which is quite revealing and certainly worth a read if you are a glutton like me. So before I get carried away with more reading lists let me leave you with a delicious recipe from the vibrant and innovative Yotam Ottolengli – if you have not already come across his first book ‘Ottolenghi’, I highly recommend you invest in a copy. The food is truly inspirational and quite unique. As for his second book, ‘Plenty’, it is a vegetarians heaven a must have for any herbivore.

This recipe works perfectly for a mid-week dinner, quick, easy to prepare, a ‘taste sensation’!

Mackerel with Green Olive, Celery and Raisin Salsa (with a little variation from myself)

Serves 4

4 fillets of mackerel

The Salsa

2 very finely chopped celery stalks

60g of finely chopped green olives

3 tbsp of chopped capers

70g of chopped golden raisins

1 1/2 tbsp of sherry vinegar

4 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of honey

1 handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Mix all the ingredients for the salsa together and season with a little salt and pepper. It should taste sweet and salty, this will balance with the fish and remove that occasionally very fishy taste of mackerel. Leave the salsa to stand for 30 minutes.

2. Pan-fry the mackerel for a few minutes on each side until just cooked. It can also be popped on the bbq or under the grill. Like all fish it is really important to use really fresh mackerel.

3. Serve the fish on top of the salsa with a few crushed new potatoes and a little samphire if you can find it!

Footnotes:

‘Books for Cooks’ – is unquestionably the best cookbook shop in this country, possibly the world. If you like cooking and enjoy food it is a MUST to visit. It is located in trendy Notting Hill, it has a wonderful ‘Test’ kitchen that serves probably the best priced lunch in town. http://www.booksforcooks.com/

Posted in Fish fantastic, Little black foodie book | Tagged | 2 Comments

Precipitation, procrastination, inspiration

Posted on July 19, 2012 by lardersaga

Uh oh our joke summer is having the last laugh, but as I tap away I smugly know that spoilingly we are escaping the rain dappled windows to the sun-baked earth of Southern Italy in a few weeks time. My heart literally leaps at the prospect of blue sky and heat. Pathetically I feel that the rain has washed away some of my inspiration, so with the prospect of friends coming for dinner I resorted to an old tried and tested favorite for a starter, followed by a new creation that has already been test driven on the home team. The starter is food marriage, beetroot, goats cheese and toasted walnuts, the beets are from the garden and thankfully a more respectable size this week. Once again it was pretty bright with golden, red and striped, but who cares we certainly need color in our lives.

Poussin marinated in a honey, Dijon and yoghurt marinade with a jewelled couscous salad and tahini mint tzatziki for a main course, played all the right summer tunes swiftly followed by my 2 new cheese discoveries this year, The Little Black Bomber and Bath Soft. If you can’t get hold of poussin, chicken supremes would work equally well and possibly even quail. We take the breasts off the poussin and serve 2 breasts and a leg, which removes all that nasty surgical action at the table. The jewelled couscous is a flight of fancy for me, studded with freshly podded peas, sliced spring onions, pistachios, pomegranate, shelled broad beans, lemon zest and plenty of salt and pepper, it is practically a meal in itself! That teamed with the poussin is then brought together with the mint, tahini yoghurt combo works foodie magic.

As for cheese, I am a complete cheese lover. I will happily forfeit pudding any day for cheese. I am not country specific, I adore French, Italian and British cheese, though I am rather fickle about mixing and matching. If I am going to serve cheese it will either all be French, or all Italian, do you get my drift? The Little Black Bomber is a small mature cheddar made in Wales neatly sealed in black wax. Made by the The Snowdonia Cheese Company along with a number of other cheeses, it is their best-selling cheese and as soon as you taste it you know why. Properly intense, creamy, rich, lasting flavour – like a vintage wine it is a gutsy cheddar and is extremely good. Bath Soft is completely different, presented in a square, wrapped in parchment paper with a charming label that almost looks handwritten, as soon as you cut through the rind the cheese oozes out like a super ripe brie. It is a proper contender for a soft cheese challenge against the French as it really is quite spectacular. Unlike the ‘Bomber’, Bath Soft has been in existence since 1801, Admiral Lord Nelson’s sweetheart was even recorded saying how ‘gratified’ she was by its’ taste!

So there you have it. An easy, summery, light dinner for friends mid-week. It probably took 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare, was dead pretty, properly ‘showy offy’ as to the home-grown produce (apologies for being so smug), tasty, light and seasonal. I did also serve a pudding a ‘Rhubarb and Sour Cream Tart’ but that was completely surplus to requirements, as actually all anyone wanted were the Jelly Bellies that one of our darling guests, (curiously he is nicknamed Sweetie) came laden with!

Marinated Poussin with Jewelled Couscous Salad and Yogurt Dressing

Serves 4

4 Poussin spatch cocked

Marinade

4 table spoons of natural yoghurt

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh coriander

Pinch of Maldon sea salt and a good twist of black pepper

Jewelled Couscous

200gms of couscous (cook as instructed on the back of packet)

1 pomegranate deseeded

2 handfuls of green pistachio nuts cut finely

4 handfuls of freshly podded peas

2 handfuls of double podded broad beans

1 small bunch of spring onions cut very finely

Zest of 1 lemon

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

100gms (or about that) of fresh goats cheese crumbled

Yoghurt Dressing

4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt

2 handfulls of chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon of tahini sauce

1 teaspoon of honey

A squeeze of lemon juice

1. Make the couscous first, mix all the ingredients together, add some olive oil, more pepper and salt in necessary and possibly a little lemon juice. Leave at room temperature for up to an hour – or pop in the fridge.

2.Mix the marinade ingredients together and spread over the poussin, inside and out.

3. Now heat the grill to the highest setting and pop under the spread out poussin, skin side down under the grill. It does slightly depend on the strength and intensity of your grill but I gave our poussin about 7-8 minutes on each side. Finish with them being grilled skin side up, so you get a gorgous golden color on the skin. I pulled them out when they were just cooked and then let them sit for about 10 minutes to relax. The beauty of poussin is that they are more delicate than chicken and somewhat sweeter BUT the risk is if they get overcooked they will dry out. They also work very well on the bbq in a more clement summer!

4. To make the yoghurt sauce, add the chopped mint, 1 good teaspoon of tahini paste, 1 teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon juice, mix well together.

5. Carve the breasts out of the poussin and chop the legs off, leaving the carcass for stock, and serve on top of a pile of couscous, serve with the yoghurt sauce. Summer on a plate!

Footnotes:

Poussin : is the butchers name for a young chicken, it is less than 28 days old at slaughter, and usually weighs around 400-450gms.

A quick Google search informs me that you can buy poussin in Asda and Tesco, and possibly other supermarkets. I buy mine from a butchers called Jagos who spatchcock them for me. If you happen to be in London town, Jagos is well worth a visit, the butchers are charming, the shop is nestled on a street just off Chelsea Green in a real foodie haven, knocking doors with The Chelsea Fishmonger, Haynes Hanson and Clarke, and Andreas.

www.jagobutchersofchelsea.co.uk

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Smoked trout revelation and underage contenders from the kitchen garden

Posted on July 11, 2012 by lardersaga

Firstly I promise there is nothing in this for me – well that is apart from a couple of ‘free’ packets of the said ‘trout’ to taste. I’ll be honest, I was a little dubious, I quite like smoked trout but really, the stuff from the packets is ok but hardly anything special. Yes, I do think the trout ‘Daddy’ catches and smokes is very good but I have never found a shop bought equivalent and though we used to buy in a little back in ‘Sugar & Spice’ days it was pretty average.  The trout I was sent last week to taste was exceptional. Two packets were delivered with incredible efficiency after a brief correspondence from the lovely Shara, who with her husband runs Moffat Water Foods. The ‘Portrait Painter’ had already bent my ear, waxing lyrical about how sublime her sister is and more so her newish career in fish farming and smoking. Why am I surprised to say the ‘Portrait Painter’ was right, but way more than just right, this trout, hot and cold smoked is quite simply, DELICIOUS. It is so different from anything I have ever tasted before it just completely exceeded all my expectations or possibly lack of!

Delicate, smokey, moist, and importantly boneless, the ‘hot smoked’ trout had me smitten. It was savvy, subtle, intense, yet not overpowering, it was divine and so versatile that the endless possibilities at what I could marry with it led to quite a sleepless night. First time out it was the obvious, cucumber, radishes, granny smith apple, shaved horseradish and lemon dressing. Clean, crisp, shockingly healthy but equally punchy on taste, this is the perfect ‘palate pleaser’ for a summer dinner party. Always a fan of food looking pretty, this also wins hands down.

Second time out I had something totally different in mind, a dish more akin to being added to a smart picnic or buffet – I raided the garden and pulled out a few underage beetroot and teenage potatoes but the cradle snatching was worth it. Only problem was it did end up looking slightly psychedelic, so possibly it would be more fitting at a rave! Again, it was lipsmackingly good, obviously helped by my homegrown loved and nurtured vegetables but the crowd pleaser was without question the trout – it’s well worth shelving those inexplicable reasons why you think you don’t like trout and try this one, because, well just because it is worth it!

The cold smoked packet lay sitting in our kitchen looking slightly forlorn at the lack of attention.  Cold smoking is what most people are familiar with typically in the form of classic smoked salmon. The trout looks like, same color, and slices like, smoked salmon, but at the risk of sounding boring and repetitive, I think you have probably guessed what I am going to say next – yes – once again – it hit the jack pot. Controversially I happened to like it more than the revered and expensive salmon. It had more depth, is not slimy and is just more interesting, served with some freshly grated horseradish mixed with creme fraiche,  a squeeze of lemon and grind of pepper sunday night supper has never been so good.

So, yes I am a fan – smoked trout from Moffat Water Foods will be used again and again in our kitchen. Sadly it won’t be a standard sunday night kitchen supper, it is a treat, and like all well sourced good fish, is not cheap, but it so worth it.

Smoked Trout Salad with apple, radish and cucumber  -Serves 6

Smoked trout from Moffat Water Foods (200gms should be ample)

1 Granny Smith Apple

1/2 a cucumber

6 red radishes

Fresh horseradish

1 lemon, olive oil, black pepper

Cut the cucumber and apple into very fine batons and slice the radish on the round, ideally through a mandolin or carefully with a knife. Mix all 3 ingredients together with a splash of olive oil, lemon juice and grind of black pepper.

Layer up the salad flaking the fish in between the vegetables. Finish with a good grating of horseradish and a splash more oil and lemon juice. I’m quite partial to a teaspoon of creme fraiche on the side and an edible flower or 2 !

Hot Smoked Trout Salad with new potatoes and ‘allsorts’ beetroot

This ended up being a pot luck recipe. I pulled it together largely based on what was in the garden and ready to eat.  Hence I have not got any real measurements to hand. As you can see the beetroot are small but were curiously sweet, the potatoes have now reached a more legitimate size, a few random spring onions gave it some extra bite and a scattering of chives finished it off. I cooked most of the beetroot and then shaved uncooked ones over the top of the salad – don’t be mistaken they are not radishes I promise ! A good splash of olive oil, pinch of Maldon sea salt and grind of pepper – that was it – simple, quick and reassuringly good.

Footnotes :

As to where to buy this yummy smoked fish please look at their website: http://www.moffatwaterfoods.com/index.htm

Posted in Fish fantastic, Little black foodie book, Picnic party | Leave a comment

‘Give Peas a Chance’

Posted on July 5, 2012 by lardersaga

Ooh – I wish the ‘Pink’ one would heed these wise words (the ‘peace’ bit’), endless sleepless nights seem to have enveloped the ‘little people’. The ‘Pink’ one probably has the best excuse of all, poor little egg has got a rather cumbersome pair of white plaster of Paris wellington boots on – horribly heavy and a real burden in bed, but for now lets talk about those peas! It is only Thursday and somehow we have had ‘peas’ for the last 3 evenings on the trot! I love peas, frozen and fresh, actually I can’t really understand what there is not to like about them; which is why when I saw a small child wearing a bright green t-shirt saying ‘give peas a chance’ I chuckled and smiled to myself loving the double meaning behind those clever letters. Frozen peas absurdly are probably more family friendly than freshly podded peas, probably because they are so speedily frozen, meaning their intense, initial sweetness is preserved forever. Podded peas taste and look completely different, I think they have a certain wonton sexiness, splitting open their rigid pods revealing  a uniform line of peas is one of Summers great treats. As for taste, unless you are lucky enough to pick and eat your own (the slugs did this favour for us), podded peas just are not as sweet as their frozen cousins, their trump card is texture. Left uncooked such perfect peas are just delicious served with their crunch intact.

The broad bean bonanza! Hand in hand with podded peas come broad beans on my list of most eaten summer vegetables. I do grow these, usually with some success, but again no sign of them being ready for a while. As a child I loathed them, no one had introduced me, or had the time, inclination or desire to ‘double-pod’ them. Now of course I would not serve them any other way – but take my word – it is time-consuming! There is however something quite therapeutic about slipping them out of their tough leathery jackets revealing their lush bright green glossy skins, which are unrivaled in color.

So after my little rant about peas, beans and pods, my new summer starter this week is the shockingly simple, ‘Fresh Pea, Broad Bean and Burrata salad with garden mint and chives’. I served a variation of this to a long-lost chum from Africa the week before using feta and baby new potatoes which was equally delicious and as she said ‘reminded her of everything she missed about English Summer vegetables’  – no broad beans in Malawi! It can be bulked out or toned down, this week we had it as a rather spoiling starter swiftly followed by homemade beef burgers with ‘Tomato and Chilli Jam’ and garden salad, talk about the sublime to the ridiculous! The real joy about it is that it takes minutes to make and can only really be eaten now.

Fresh Pea, Broad Bean and Burrata Salad

Serves 2 people

1 Burrata  (or fresh mozarella or half a packet of feta)

2 handfuls or freshly podded peas

2 handfuls of double podded broad beans

1 tablespoon of freshly cut garden mint and chives

Zest of 1 lemon

Really good olive oil – a good splash

Maldon seat salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the peas, broad beans, olive oil, mint, chives, pepper and salt  in a bowl.

Now tear up the burrata and layer up between the peas and broad beans.

Add a little extra olive oil  if it needs it and serve as a starter or a light lunch with toasted sourdough bread.

Posted in Seasonal salads, Vivacious vegetables | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Jump in the Mouth’

Posted on July 2, 2012 by lardersaga

Did you know this is what ‘Saltimbocca’ translates as? Only those canny, savvy Italians could have come up with such a fan-dabby-dozy name for a dish that  does just that. Saltimbocca is quite simply a veal escalope with sage and ham. We eat quite a lot of veal – fillet, chops and escalopes, but to be fair only recently has our consumption escalated  at home. I didn’t really cook with it until maybe 2 years ago,  and given that I am head shopper that rather dictated what was on the table. Mr.P has always been a devoted fan, I took a little longer to win over, partly because I grew up in an era when eating veal was deemed inappropriate but now our British veal market needs all the support it can get, so with all good intention, we are doing just that!

Back to the ‘Saltimbocca’, the sage, prosciutto combo – tightly wrapped up around the veal escalope, and rolled into a perfect ‘involtini’  is heaven. I know this because I have been the lucky recipient of Mr.P’s cooking for some time. Mr.P is the ‘saltimbocca’ chef and he has spent several years perfecting his recipe. He has scoured endless books, Locatelli, River Cafe, The Silver Spoon to name a mere few in search of perfection. As perfection is hard to come by in the kitchen I dare say he has not found his croc of gold – but his recent twiddling with the recipe is as close as we have ever been!!

Controversially we serve Parmesan polenta with our saltimbocca. Now I say ‘controversially’ as this has been a bit like converting the infidels. Along with lentils, couscous and bulghar wheat, polenta was deigned to be (by the carnivores), food of the devil. No one (apart from me) really understood it and it has been rather an education, along with some bribery and corruption to encourage the carnivores to even try it, even ‘just one mouthful’! However, like all good children, we have all seen the light and are dedicated converts – Parmesan Polenta – is now very much in our kitchen repertoire and if cooked well is like liquid gold!!

The first time I ate exceptional polenta was quite recently at one of my favorite London restaurants – ‘Wild Honey’ – it must have been back in the Autumn as I distinctly remember it being served with slow cooked venison. The combination was magic – earthy, warming and bursting with flavour. Since then I have been biding my time to introduce it to the home team. Luckily one of the ‘big beautiful boys’ happened to be around, he is always game on for new creations so the deal was made. And guess what, the said polenta was a hit. It was creamy, rich, intense, overloaded with parmesan and basically ‘liquid gold’. SO if you are feeling brave and want to create an authentic Italian dinner please try this ‘delizia’ saltimbocca and Parmesan polenta, served with a few vine roasted tomatoes it has to be my top kitchen supper this year!

‘Saltimbocca’ – Mr.P’s way……

2 Veal escalopes bashed out by the butcher so they are extremely thin

A good handful of sage leaves

4- 6 very thin slices of Proscuitto

Knob of butter

1 table spoon of flour, pinch of salt and grind of pepper

100ml white wine or vernacia

1.Flatten out the escalopes, lie a few sage leaves onto the meat and then cover with Proscuitto. Roll up from the longest side as tightly as possible and secure with a few cocktail sticks, with the sage and ham inside.

2. Place a dessert spoon of flour in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper and roll the involtini in the flour so they are fully covered.

3. Heat up a knob of butter on a high heat, and seal the escalopes – roll them over so they get a lovely golden, brown color and then pop them on a plate and put then in the warming oven of an Aga – or on a very low heat in a normal oven. Keep the pan and juices.

4. Now add the sage leaves back to the pan , let the sage sizzle and scrape around the pan to get up all the yummy meat juices, now add a good 100ml of white wine or Vernacia, give everything a good stir and let it bubble and reduce.

5. When you are ready to eat pop the pan back on the heat and now add in the Saltimbocca,    stir to coat well in the juices and serve on top of Parmesan polenta.

Parmesan Polenta

I make my polenta with milk and stir it vigorously on and off  the heat, for about 20minutes until it is completely smooth and no longer granular. I then add several tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and season generously.

Vine Roasted Tomatoes

Pop the vine tomatoes in the oven with a generous splash of olive oil and balsamic and roast for 10 minutes on a high heat.

Footnotes:

For more information on British Rose Veal have a peek at this article : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/27/rose-veal-jimmy-

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A salad from the garden

Posted on June 27, 2012 by lardersaga

This is optimistically named because though all these vegetables have been planted in my  garden it assumes they are growing and ready to eat – neither of which is entirely true. Slugs are the real evil at the moment and they seem to be fat as butter as they chomp their way through endless lettuce leaves, but victory is in sight and after a few tense weeks I think the vegetables will conquer and win. That said thanks to the rain, wind and overall chill about this summer the garden is about a month behind. So much as I would love to be reaping the rewards of my hard work that was planted earlier in the spring, I will have to just wait another month! Cheating is now the only option and Hungerford Farmers Market my saviour. Operating on the fourth sunday of every month it is a small but charming collection of local producers, vegetables and salads being the highlight for me, especially with the abundance of stunning seasonal produce now available. I came back laden with fresh peas, broad beans, radishes, tomatoes, beetroot and asparagus. With virtually nothing else in our fridge this array of color, flavour and crunch formed the foundation for a virtuous, pretty and healthy end of weekend salad.

Building the salad…… I started with some radishes, swiftly followed by freshly podded peas, a few heritage tomatoes for color and diversity, a small bunch of quickly char-grilled asparagus, a handful of just cooked naughty new potatoes (again still broad bean size), some double podded broad beans, a few slug resistant salad leaves, about 3 balsamic roasted beetroot, a good handful of mint leaves and lashings of Parmesan dressing.

Without getting all romantic – it sang of warmer climes, Italy, France, summer holidays and sea air, but in essence everything came from an English garden (not all mine – but give me a month!) It was shockingly pretty with clashing colors (tomatoes, beetroot, radishes), crazily crunchy with the peas and radishes, at the same time buttery with those fabulous new potatoes and double podded broad beans. The choice of Parmesan dressing came in a flash of inspiration while admiring the lingering, evening sun over the ‘Long Acre’ – how could I unite all of these flavours, tastes and textures together – so I mutilated a ‘Caesar Salad Dressing’ – ditched the garlic and egg and added in natural yogurt. Verdict – pretty revolutionary but it worked.

Garden Produce Salad

Excuse the measuring system but on this occasion scales seemed rather unnecessary!

2x handfuls of freshly podded peas

2x handfuls of double podded broad beans

1 large handful of the tiniest new potatoes you can find

1 handful of radishes cut in quarters

1 small bunch of asparagus – ideally chargrilled or lightly steamed

2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves

1 large handful of mixed tomatoes

4 beetroot – cut into quarters and roasted in the oven with a splash of olive oil and balsamic

1 handful of fresh mint – torn up

1 quantity of Parmesan Dressing: 2 large tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 table-spoon of lemon juice, 1 table-spoon of natural yogurt, 1 salted anchovy fillet and a drop of Lea and Perrins!

To make the salad add all the ingredients into a large bowl – mix well – drizzle a little olive oil over the top with a good pinch of Maldon seat salt and grind of black pepper and serve with the Parmesan dressing along side.

To make the dressing put all the ingredients together and hand blend till you have a creamy dressing. If it is too thick add a little water, or more lemon juice.

We had this salad served as a main course with some quickly fried off salami (to keep the carnivores happy), chorizo would have worked equally well or some Parma ham crisped up in the oven. Honestly, it did not need the meat content but it kept the menfolk happy.

Evening sun over the ‘Long Acre’.

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The ultimate chocolate brownie?

Posted on June 23, 2012 by lardersaga

I could make these blindfolded, 10 years in the catering world and a regular, relentless demand for these chocolate slabs of sin, has left the recipe engraved in my memory, possibly forever. Cupcakes may come and go but I don’t think a brownie is ever going to really disappear out of my life. Unsurprisingly there is always a little controversy as to what is the perfect chocolate brownie? Does it have nuts, is it  a soft buttery crumb or an intense fudge, should it have white chocolate drops, dark chocolate drops or raspberries? There is no  right or wrong – you make, and then ideally consume your ‘dream-case’ scenario – hence my brownies do not have nuts – they verge on the ‘gooey’ inside, yet have a rather extraordinary almost meringue like texture as a crust. I am regularly told they are ‘shop worthy’ (not sure if this is a compliment or crime) either way, I still love them. Back in the days of ‘Sugar & Spice’ I used to make them virtually everyday in vast quantities, now it is a one off  – Granny visiting, a pink or blue birthday, a picnic or just one of the ‘beautiful big boys’ coming for dinner.

On that basis, I believe a little bit of ‘chocolate-love’ should be shared, so here is the magic formula. Last word, they do come with a health warning : Very addictive, rather naughty – totally sinful! Try them – you’ll never look back, and as a last justification – given how expensive they are to buy, baking them, can almost be deemed as a ‘austerity measure’ in household management! Mrs.Beeton would be proud.

Chocolate Brownies

200 gms of good quality dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)

200gms of butter

3 organic eggs

250 gms of golden caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Maldon sea salt

75gms of plain flour

1. Set the oven to 170 and line a tin (measuring approx 20cm x 30cm) with bakewell paper.

2. Put the 3 eggs, sugar, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence in a Kenwood or other beating appliance and beat very fast for a good 5-8 minutes. You should have a wonderful thick, creamy, frothy mix!

3. Meanwhile melt the butter and chocolate together – I cheat and pop it in the microwave which is probably a dreadful crime, most serious chefs would advise melting it in a bowl above a saucepan of boiling water, either way – melt both together and mix so they are incorporated well.

4. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, add to the egg and sugar mixture folding in with a large metal spoon, now fold in the flour. Pour into the rectangular tin and bake for 20 minutes – check it – it should be slightly risen and have a glossy sheen across the crust and just beginning to crack, if not leave for another 5 minutes. It will carry on cooking once removed from the oven.

Just remember – gooey brownies are good – dry brownies are not! Consume, or as in our family ‘inhale’ (they really do go that fast), with love!

Footnotes:

As a reminder ‘the pink and the blue’ are the ‘little people’ – my 1-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

The ‘beautiful big boys’ are my absurdly handsome and delightful stepsons.

Have a happy weekend and pray the sun that was shining at 5.30am (yes sadly that is when our day started with the little people’ continues to beam down.

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Ice cream days

Posted on June 20, 2012 by lardersaga

Honestly, when I said we don’t eat puddings I was almost telling the truth. I do have a weakness for ice cream and strangely creme brulee! Funnily enough the ‘little people’ seem to have inherited the same weakness for the cold stuff and hence we have been on a bit of an ice cream mission on days when it has been warm enough to eat it. London is littered with good, and some exceptional ice cream parlours – I think the Italians do it best and Gelupo, http://www.gelupo.com/gelateria.php, is well worth a trip to as is DriDri,  www.dridrigelato.com/. Both sell fabulously good Italian Ice Cream with innovative and      different flavours, though frankly the ‘Coronation Chicken’ flavour devised for the Diamond Jubilee at ‘Gelupo’ did not have me rushing to try it! So, if in town basically there is plenty to choose from – but where we are in the country we have no such luxury and I thought it was high time to try out one of my childhood favourites ‘Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream’, and see if the ‘little people’ would take to it as much as my siblings and I did growing up!

This has to be the easiest ice cream recipe ever invented. Firstly, there is no ice cream maker involved – so none of that having to remember to freeze the dreaded bowl, secondly, because it really is cheats ice cream – it is not custard based or egg based in any way – just simple double cream ! and thirdly, it does not need beating half way through freezing. All in all a very straight forward process and the end result tastes properly of strawberry, summer and homemade. If however you did have one of those fancy ice cream machines that you plug into the wall, I do think the end result would be more superior if it was churned.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

500gms of fresh strawberries (hulled) – try and use British they are so, so, so good now

30gms of icing sugar

1/2 pint of double cream

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Puree the strawberries with the lemon juice and icing sugar.

2. Whip the cream till it just holds its shape.

3. Now fold in the puree with the cream and freeze.

Hoorah – ice cream made.

This ice cream really benefits from being pulled out of the freezer and left to rest 20 minutes before serving.

Footnotes:

Yesterday when I made it, I crumbled in a few old meringues, which basically makes ‘Eton Mess Ice Cream’! Really rather tasty.

Verdict from the ‘little people’ – the pink one loved it and the blue was undecided – but he later rejected a simple vanilla, he must be ill!

My verdict, I think it is pretty authentic and for ease of making and taste, extremely good.  I have to admit to being spoilt and in a previous life having the luxury of a plug-in ‘Gellateria’ all singing, dancing machine which unquestionably makes super-duper ice cream – through the very nature of churning while freezing – hence minimising ice crystals forming,  but I don’t have one now – maybe I should have one on my birthday wish list! (subtle hint to Mr.P, hope he reads this)

If you are a serious ice cream fan I would recommend a machine and the one I used a lot was the ‘Gaggia-RI9101-08-Gelatiera-Cream’. I am sure there are many more on the market but I have first hand experience of this one  – the only issue is storage – they do take up space.

Finally, a very good book on the subject and to get your mouth watering is: ‘Lola’s Ice Creams and Sundaes: Iced Delights for All Seasons – Morfudd Richards’ – a complete treasure and must have for fans.

Happy ice cream making and thank you Mummy for the recipe!

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Angels navels ?

Posted on June 18, 2012 by lardersaga

‘Angels navels’ – have I just made this up ? or is it actually what these divine, flat, little, white peaches are called? After some hunting on the internet I am none the wiser, but it’s a  good name for these ‘heaven sent’ fruit. Typically found in French and Italian markets they have now decided to travel and  I have recently spotted them in,  Andreas, http://www.andreasveg.co.uk/, Cobbs, www.cobbsfarmshop.co.uk/ and importantly Lambourns’ ‘fruit and veg’ market, held every friday in the square in front of the church. Lucky me – and lucky for the ‘pink little person’ who thinks they are nectar – mind you she also eats gravel, so may not be a worthy judge – that’s a 1-year-old for you!

Introduced from China in 1869, they are smaller, flatter, sweeter than the normal white peach. They are a more manageable size – somewhat easier to eat and actually a much more interesting shape – hence why the name works so well, ‘angels navels’ (where did I find it – or have I really made it up?). Obviously they are magic consumed in their own solitary splendour but teemed with a few other Italian delicacies  they make one of our families favourite starters.

As a food obsessed home we rather greedily have a starter and main course every night – it is pretty rude – but small consolation, we don’t ‘do’ pudding. This is probably out of guilt but honestly I think it is more to do with balance. Typically I concoct a salad, or fish based starter – sometimes it requires skill more often it is about sourcing really good foundation ingredients and not playing around too much. This is my cooking creed, simplicity, good ingredients and marrying flavours. Such as this heavenly little starter – not to be eaten every night (the cheese would give you a heart attack) but once in a while it is utterly forgivable. It has ‘agrodolce’ written all over it, the rich indulgence of the burrata sat next to the sweetness of the peaches and earthy base flavours of the Sardinian ham – try it – it is very special – everyone will love you! Importantly it also shouts ‘SUMMER’ and frankly we need all the reminders we can get.

White peach, Sardinian Ham and Burrata Salad

Serves 2

6 slices of Sardinian Ham (you can also use Parma ham)

1 Burrata

2 Flat white peaches

Sprigs of fresh mint

Olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation time – 5 minutes – it really is that quick.

Lay the ham around 2 plates, break the burrata in half and place half on each plate, cut the white peaches into 8 and dot on top of the ham – drizzle with olive oil, grind of pepper and pinch of salt and finish with a few sprigs of fresh mint.

Notes:

Burrata – literally means ‘buttered’ in Italian – and that is what this naughty ball is all about – it is basically a much richer cousin of mozzarella. The outer shell is mozzarella but inside it is a combination of mozzarella and cream and it is sheer indulgence! I really don’t think it was available 10 years ago but my trusty friends at Olivo, www.olivo.co.uk/, have had it on their menu for certainly the last 8 years and conveniently  now sell it in Olivino, their delicatessen on Lower Belgrave St, London.

‘No Burrata’ – if you can’t source the ‘rich cousin’, really good mozzarella will also work .

If you have it as a starter do go easy on a main course – we followed it with bbq poussin with a wild rice salad – clean and light, and a complete contrast to the intensity of the cheese.

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