Darling Buds of May

Posted on May 16, 2013 by lardersaga

Podding 014Check out the irony here. I am heading off to South West France to cook for a client over the next Bank Holiday weekend. It’s an amazing adventure and one I have been part off for the last 10 years only missing one year due to the ‘pink’ one arriving on the scene. The event itself is a 3 day music festival set in the magical surroundings of the Queille Chateau. The Chateau perches proudly on a huge rock clad in the sweetest smelling ice pink roses, a moat runs around the outside, the snow-clad Pyrenees jut out proudly on the horizon. This is wild, rural France, steeped in history, breathtakingly beautiful, extremely lush and in May, a vivid brilliant green. Myself and a team of 3 other cooks arrive on the Wednesday and cook frantically for 5 days culminating in 4 major eating events catering for 230 people at each one. Meantime back at home Mr.P has been left with the ‘little people’, and here the irony lies. In an attempt to gather some support for his weekend with the wee darlings he now seems to be hosting a house party for 12, and that is quite a few mouths to feed. So no guesses what I am doing in a small attempt to make life a little easier, a smattering of preparation and freezer filling, to keep the wolves at bay.

Spring produceCrab lasagne, veal casserole, sausage ragu are a just a few numbers that have been created to date, so the menu is shaping up and as is the kitchen garden, maybe in time for filling in the gaps. I am not sure there will be enough asparagus to feed the gang but certainly Mr.P and I have been relishing each homegrown spear. The broad beans are looking good but still some distance off, various different lettuces are powering ahead yet what with all this rain the slugs will be in hot pursuit. Rhubarb is in pole position, though I fear this will not be that popular to the ‘bright young things’ coming to stay. What ever your likes or dislikes there is no denying summer vegetables and fruit are finally edging onto the menu, and nothing gets a cook more excited than fresh broad beans, English asparagus, home grown herbs and heritage tomatoes.

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I adore the way that the most delicate, simple salads can be created in a moment, or two! Not only tasting fresh, healthy and clean but glistening with color and life,  invigorating to look at and to eat, they boldly announce ‘summer is on the way’. A handful of tomatoes, finely sliced, dressed with olive oil, chopped chives and a splash of white balsamic is classic food porn to my greedy eye. Steamed asparagus with a little butter, a gulls egg and celery salt, Friday night heaven. It is a totally different type of  eating, and indeed cooking for that matter. My ‘Le Creuset’, now happily redundant for a few months, has been pushed to the back of the cupboard, while the ‘Puglian’ salad bowls have been dusted down and are now in daily use. All of which is preparing me rather well for my trip to ‘Queille’.

I finished my vegetable order for Toulouse market yesterday, consolidated the baguette order, and have just about completed my ‘to do’ lists, which are scarily long. Yet before I board my flight and amongst all of the gorgeous summer produce that I am getting thoroughly over excited about here, there is a rather important fairy party taking place for the ‘pink one’. At the enviable age of ‘2’, I doubt her tea will include, rhubarb, broad beans, asparagus or gulls eggs; no, no, no; macaroons, meringues, fairy dust, edible wands and lots of sweets is on this weekends menu! I must get to grips with the matter in hand but all I can think of is ‘Mavis the Fairy’ from ‘Willow the Wisp’!

A May Salad ; Asparagus, broad beans and fresh goat’s cheese

Serves 2

1 bunch of  English asparagus, woody ends broken off

250 gms of broad beans, podded

1 packet of Rosary Ash Goats cheese or similar fresh goats cheese ( you will only need to use half, about 50gms)

1 -2 handfuls of watercress and rocket

1/2 lemon – juiced

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Pinch of sugar, Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

If you want a little change from lashings of butter (debatable) with your asparagus, this is a delicious, timely alternative. Fresh goat’s cheese is allegedly at its best now, so why not team it with those divine, tender spears and double podded broad beans to make a zesty super duper ‘seasonal’ salad. A little lemon and olive oil dressing and ‘job done’, quite yummy and so easy, it’s embarrassing.

That said, I know double podding beans is a labour of love. Actually I find it quite therapeutic, and curiously the ‘pink’ one loves it too, as soon as she sees them, she dives in, clutching the pods in her chubby little puds. Once podded, a quick blanch for a few minutes, then a plunge into cold water, finally the brilliant green of these little gems is revealed as the inner jacket is unpeeled. Is it worth it? Of course. Would I do it for a dinner for 50, not a chance!

The key with this salad is that it is all rather last minute, so be prepared.

1. Pod the broad beans, blanch them and then take off their inner jackets.

2. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper together to make the dressing.

3. Fill the a saucepan steamer with boiling water, put the steamer in with the lid on, when steam starts to billow out the sides, add your asparagus spears, and steam until just tender. The asparagus will carry on cooking once you have taken them off the heat, so try to catch them before they lose their unique bite.

4. Crumble the goats cheese over the asparagus tossing in a little olive oil, and the broad beans, serve on a handful of watercress or rocket with a drizzle of lemon dressing. The goats cheese will begin to melt slightly, which is rather good. Serve immediately.

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Posted in Seasonal salads | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crumbs

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lardersaga

Crumbs1Hoorah hoorah a bank holiday weekend filled with sunshine, laughter and lots of time outside. A few toddler battles with the ‘blue’ one, mainly about leaving the farm, ‘London’s boring’ he roars. Really, I mean how can London can possibly be boring, today alone we have nursery, swimming followed by a whizz round the Physic Garden, then ballet. Hardly boring, but I guess compared to the farm his freedom in town is curtailed and that for a little boy is a big challenge. Added to which the farm is just one big playground. This sounds almost Biblical, but finally the flood water has receded, the ground has dried up, spring has arrived in all of its glory and every weekend is just one long adventure. Each morning the kitchen doors are thrown open and the little people escape into the great outdoors. Freedom for them,  and a few moments of peace for us!

Crumbs 3Fridays have now become my baking day. I try to get organised, baking bread, cakes, making pasta, brining meat, curing fish, all in an attempt to be vaguely ready for the constant trickle of people who come to stay. I can’t resist home-baked bread and recently I have been experimenting with a number of new recipes. Largely inspired by a charming blog called ‘thelittleloaf’, I have deviated from my usual repertoire, expanded my flour collection and just been a tad more adventurous. ‘Most yummy to date’ has been the ‘seeded spelt loaf’, unanimous applause all around from the rather critical home team, http://thelittleloaf.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/seeded-spelt-two-little-loaves/.  However, with the Bank Holiday weekend looming I defaulted and returned to my old favourite, ‘Walnut and Raisin’ . You don’t need a bread maker to make this but a Kenwood with a dough hook makes life a lot easier. The bread is simple to make, and once baked is quite  irresistible, eaten fresh or toasted, it is really moreish, devoured in no time. And there lies the problem, it just is never around long enough. All my good intentions of bringing the rest back to London fade as by Monday all I’m left with is a pile of crumbs!

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I totally understand that making bread is probably relatively low on most people’s cooking agenda, but if you have a ‘Kenwood’ or ‘Kitchen aid’, or if you just want a good arm work out (gets rid of those bingo wings), do have a whirl. It really is easy and the end result is just so very satisfying, not to mention the instant elevation in your domestic goddess status; mine sadly got blown to bits by the ‘blue’ one, ‘Mummy, I don’t like the yukky bits’, that’ll be walnuts to you and me! Typical, you can’t please everyone.

Walnut and Raisin Bread

200gms of organic white bread flour

200gms of organic whole meal flour

100gms of organic spelt flour

7gms of Quick Yeast- 1 level measured teaspoon

2/3handfuls of raisins

2/3 handfuls of walnut pieces

Pinch of salt

300ml (give or take) of hand warm water

1. Weigh out the flours and put in a the mixing bowl along with the yeast, salt, raisins and walnuts pieces. Put the dough hook on and start on the lowest setting, slowly add the warm water, the flour will be pulled in to form a dough, go easy on the water as you don’t want a really wet dough but you also don’t want it too dry either! Knead for 10 minutes and then turn out. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for at least 60 – 90 minutes to double in size.

2. When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out and hand knead for a few minutes before shaping your bread. I made 1 loaf tin and one small loaf with the quantity above, though you could make 1 large round or 2 small rounds. Dust with plain flour and make a few slashes across the bread. Leave your bread to prove again for another 20 minutes. Now turn your oven on to 200c.

3. Pop your bread in the oven and bake for 25 – 45 minutes depending on the size of your loaf. The bread should sound hollow when tapped. Turn out and leave to cool.

For lots more lovely bread recipes have a peep at ‘thelittleloaf’: http://thelittleloaf.wordpress.com/

Posted in One for the larder, Picnic party | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Nettles

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lardersaga

nettles 008It will come of no surprise to anyone who lives in our green and pleasant land, that the only thing growing with any vigour, after our dubious Spring, are Nettles! I don’t know why they don’t get better press, obviously they are the nasty ‘ouchy’ blighters that we have all had a fight with in the undergrowth, yet that aside they are astonishingly good to eat. So after years of being stung, what better way to get your own back, seek revenge, and gobble them up. ‘EAT THEM’, I hear you gasp, tut tut tut, well you only have to google ‘nettles’ and ‘eating’ and you will see there has been a rich history of this ‘weed’ in our diet for hundreds of years. In food and also in medicine, nettles hold some pretty magical properties. Nutritionally, nettles are up there, the ‘prima donna’ of goodness and all things lovely and cleansing, (strangely rich in iron), and taste wise they are a cross between sorrel, spinach, chard and just very green. Their flavour is extremely delicate, verging on subtle. To date the white witch forager in me has worked them into risotto, pasta, ravioli and soup to suitable aclaim from Mr.P, but I bet you could also make a  pesto and replace the likes of spinach in a tart, or as my brother and I happily did for many years in our famous ditch camp, concoct nettle cordial and tonics, though they were never knowingly consumed!

nettles 047We have plenty of nettles at the farm so finding a small value in their existence has been a revelation. Having done a little research they are best to eat now. Young and fresh before they develop their flowers. The key is to don your very sexy yellow marigolds, armed with the salad spinner and go out on the forage. You only need the top sprig, ideally the first 4-6 leaves, once picked, don’t be idle the sting is still there, so handle carefully until they have been blanched in boiling water, which removes their sting and prepares them for human consumption. You need quite a lot, as just like spinach they cook down to nothing, so don’t be shy out picking, also worth noting, they will last well in the fridge for a couple of days. Once picked, you need to give the nettles, a really good wash before plunging into boiling water. Blanch for about 30 seconds and then drain and wring out any excess water, the stingers, now zapped,  are fit for use.

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Trial and Error Nettle Risotto, serves 2

100gm of freshly picked nettles, washed, blanched, drained and very finely chopped

1 leek finely diced

3 spring onions finely diced

1 garlic clove crushed

100gms of risotto rice

1 litre of hot chicken stock

2 tblsp of white wine

Knob of butter

1 good handful of parmesan or aged pecorino

Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze of lemon

1. Put a splash of olive oil and a small knob of butter in a large heavy bottom saucepan, add the leek, spring onion and garlic and cook on a medium heat, stirring often, until translucent but not caramelised.

2. Now add the risotto rice, give it a good stir around for about 20- 30 seconds and  now add the white wine, let it bubble briefly and then start adding the hot stock, a ladle at a time.

3. I like my risotto quite al dente, so after about 12-15 minutes of stirring and adding stock,   add the blanched finely chopped nettles. Stir again, and add a little more stock, if you run out of stock just use hot water instead. Taste the risotto at this stage, the rice should have a ‘nice bite’ to it if you like it al dente, but if you prefer it softer carry on adding stock and stirring.

4. The finely chopped nettles will disintegrate with further cooking making the risotto go an amazing color of bright green.  When you are happy with the rice texture, turn the heat off, add a small knob of butter, a handful of grated pecorino or parmesan, a good pinch of Maldon sea salt, some ground black pepper and squeeze of lemon. Stir really well, check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Notes:

The reason I have called this ‘Trial and Error’ nettle risotto, is that I have only made it twice, it has been devoured on both outings, but I am not famous for keeping track of accurate measurements. I promise the green content is accurate but I can’t 100% vouch for the stock, so do use your noodle as to whether it needs more or less when cooking, likewise I am sure you can tweek it to your own palate. My own belief is that you don’t want to shroud the delicate flavor of the nettles, so go easy on the parmesan, that said you can make more of a meal of it by serving it with some chargrilled chicken or pan fried salmon, particularly if you have menfolk around who want a little more substance!

Finally if nettles really don’t appeal, have a look at the wonderful website called ‘Tulip and Nettle’, that specialises in divine, traditional clothing for children! http://www.tulipandnettle.com

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Posted in One Pot Wonders, Vivacious vegetables | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fat Witch Bakery and a scone!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lardersaga

tea and jam 059What a great name for a bakery. I had never heard of it before last week when Mr.P returned from NY baring gifts of brownies – which had been charmingly left on his pillow in some Soho hotel. Intrigued by their quaint size, and slightly baffled that Mr.P had bought me brownies of all things, I flipped them over to see who made them, an almost handwritten label revealed, ‘Fat Witch Bakery’.  I’m embarrassed to say I did not eat them, the  ‘little people’ spied them lurking in the dark depths of my handbag and caught me at a weak moment, they were the lucky recipients. So annoyingly, I can’t vouch for them, all I can say is they have a magical website, great sound effects, and if you live in the ‘Big Apple’ please let me know how they taste, I don’t imagine I’ll be seeing another again for a while!

tea and jam 074An industrial quantity of chocolate has been knocking around the farm since Easter. I mean I’m not complaining, I love chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, and am very partial to the sinfully genius eggs from ‘Artisan du Chocolat’. The ‘Creme Brulee’ milk chocolate egg won hands down, though the ‘Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel’ was a highly contested second. But of late, even I am getting close to saturation level, overindulgence, greed and lack of restraint to blame. Hence last friday I was presented with a dilemma. I wanted to bake something for the ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ for tea, but did not want it to contain chocolate, or indeed be of the cake variety for that matter. Hot cross buns have had their day and I needed something much more instant. Actually 20 minutes to be precise, Mr.P had just called to say he would be home in time for tea, a very rare treat, so a little gesture was necessary. I chose ‘Scones’. Quick and easy to knock up, literally “5 minutes darling”, is what my mother professed and 12-15 minutes to bake, and my word, she was right, mothers always are. The resulting scones were practically inhaled, let’s just say they were very popular. Crumbs speak volumes!

tea and jam 085To give her her due, Mummy makes the most glorious of scones. I don’t know why I had not stolen her recipe earlier. They are lighter than you would expect and have this almost crumble like top to them. Really quite divine and far better than any other recipe I have ever come across. She swears that sour milk is what makes them, typically I did not have any so improvised with a yogurt and milk mix, that, and also not overworking the dough. Keep it quite sticky and don’t use a rolling-pin, just literally flatten out the dough by hand and then stamp out the scones, is her mantra, and believe me it works. Naturally they are made for clotted cream and lashings of homemade jam, but with the recent excesses of Easter, we were pretty austere (very strange for us) and stuck with butter and jam. They are reminiscent of another time and oh so good for it. Do try them, just to remind yourself how yummy they can be. Trust the ‘blue’ one who quipped rather flippantly, ‘Mummy, this is the best cafe ever’……… post eating several scones!

Scones (makes 6)

40gms sugar

40gms butter

225gms self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tblsp of natural yogurt

6 – 7 tblsp of milk

Pre- heat an oven to 180 – 200c, I use the hot, top oven in my Aga so I can’t guarantee the temperature but it is pretty hot. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

1. Measure out all of the dry ingredients and pop in a mixing bowl with the cubed butter. Rub the butter in so it resembles breadcrumbs, or place in a Kenwood mixer, it does not have to be completely uniform.

2. Place the yogurt in a bowl and whisk with the milk until combined. Now add to the dry ingredients, and using your hands bring the dough together. If the dough is too dry, add a little more milk. The dough does not need to be super smooth, so don’t overwork it.

3. When the dough has come together place on a surface, flatten it off with your hand so the dough is about 3 cm thick and then stamp out your scones. Place on a baking tray and bake until golden and risen – 12- 15 minutes depending on the temperature in your aga. Remove and eat with melting butter or have toasted the day after.

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Posted in Delectable delights, Toddlers and tinies | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A year on and back to Bembridge

Posted on April 5, 2013 by lardersaga

BembridgeUnbelievably ‘lardersaga’ is a year old. Sometime in March 2012 I scrambled around some alien software, floundered, cursed, and finally set up this blog with wordpress. I then failed to write anything for a month, not really sure where to start or indeed what to say.  Time slipped by,  and a little like having an ‘elephant in the room’, I simply could not ignore it any longer, I just had to get going. Curiously, once you start it all just seems so effortless. I have a wealth of material to tap into, daily life provides that, the challenge is finding the incy wincy windows in my day to do it. Pathetic really, I mean after all I don’t work, but somehow writing this feels like a luxury and hence rarely gets air time in day light hours, confined instead to early mornings or late evenings when the ‘little people’ are slumbering deeply. (Wait a second -that does not apply to the mornings, no one slumbers a minute past 6am in this mad house). Regardless of when it is written, the ‘blog’ has become my new therapy. Hugely indulgent and incredibly selfish, I really do enjoy wibbling on about food, the ‘little people’, adventures and daily life. Frankly it is the closest I have ever come to keeping any kind of journal and for that reason alone I am  somewhat smug and indeed amazed that I have kept it up. The bottom line is, I just love food, I am very greedy and if I can’t cook for you, I just rather love sharing my culinary exploits through lardersaga with anyone who is prepared to read them.

Bembridge 2So much has happened since March 2012. The ‘little people’ are still little but have a lot more attitude. The female of the species is walking, talking and just trying to be bigger, better and bossier that the ‘blue one’. The ‘blue one’ is angelic to look at, but honestly should come with a ‘Health Warning’. Mr.P is as kind and generous as ever, to prove the point he has recently relented to 5 years of pestering and allowed me to bring home 6 fine hens and a rather handsome cockerel. 5 lambs have been added to our flock, Mr.P has transformed a barn into a playroom, built a fireplace and we have both sworn at the weather (alot). Having sold my business 2 years ago I have now decided it is time to get my fingers dirty again and am just beginning to put out tentative feelers as to where to get started. In the meantime I am currently on ‘holiday’, absurd I know but the blue one does go to nursery and hence the term does allegedly apply, in, don’t hold your breath, the Isle of Wight!

Aahh the glamour! ‘Bembridge’ to be precise, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I mean, who needs Mustique when you have days like today? Don’t kid yourself, but I do wonder, would my ‘little people’ actually notice the difference? Sand, sea, and sun (don’t mention the major temperature difference) the British seaside is pretty gripping and frankly it’s hard to beat Bembridge. That said the wind has been perishing and the welcome sanctuary offered at ‘The Beach Hut’ on Forelands bay, to escape the gusts that have been unleashed straight from Siberia, has not been lost of me. So please excuse me, this post is all about this little corner of the island, where to eat, where to buy and what’s on offer.

Bembridge 3The Beach Hut opened last March, if you recall that would be the March that was one of the sunniest and hottest on record. It now stands shivering at the end of a rather ugly concrete sea defence, but don’t let this put you off. It is utterly delightful, bedecked in Cath Kidson spots and vintage bunting, it is ‘dolls house’ in size and serves a fabulous array of naughty treats, cakes, scones, ice creams, and of course the quintessential Bembridge crab. Actually it seems to do a bit of everything, breakfast, lunch and tea, all wrapped up in bucket and spade charm. Having visited it twice in the last 2 days I can only sing its praises. The food is delicious, even innovative; breaded mackerel fillets being a complete hit with the ‘little people’ and more conventionally, hot crab ramekins, all served by caring, attentive staff, it is a very welcome addition to the Bembridge beach scene, do go!

Easter 2013 114The island has had a well established ‘foodie’ reputation for some time. It just happens that there are 3 noteworthy beach side establishments all within about 4 miles of each other and on days like today this knowledge is pretty useful. The LifeBoat View Cafe at Lanes End is great, don’t be put off by the plastic chairs and shabby chic look, the food is spot on. Perched next to the razzle, dazzle new lifeboat station, the menu is classic, ‘British Seaside’, fish and chips, with the added bonus of fresh lobster and crab also on offer, all super fresh, served in a speedy, unfussy way. The Baywatch Cafe, at St.Helens is also worth a trip, particularly as it is situated above a rather sort after sandy bay, actually it is probably worth booking, on both occassions I have been it has been heaving. However, if the cafe scene is not your bag, Bembridge is also a haven for foodies who want to cook. The high street, and there is only one, has some gorgeous shops from which to stock up your larder, take note.

Top of my list is the ‘Captain Stan’, a really impressive fish shop selling local crab and lobster along with plenty of fish and other delicacies. Next up is the ‘The Farm Shop’, run by the heavenly ‘Jane’, intelligently it also doubles up as the health food shop, so if you’re after weird and wonderful ingredients there is a pretty good chance they’ll have it. Check out the shelving, stunning oak boards apparently from an art room in an old school! ‘Lotties Cafe and Bakery’ stocks bread from the fabulously famous Island Bakers, try their doughnuts they are the best, along with their own ‘naughty but nice’ tray bakes, cakes, scones and other sweet delights, and ‘Woodford and Son’ is the much-loved local butchers. All in all there is an abundance of choice, the difficulty is choosing what to cook. Beachside bliss it really is whether eating in or out, and if you are hunting down a piece of old England, look no further. My ‘little people’ couldn’t be happier, I would be, if only someone could please turn the thermostat up, snowing here on the 3rd April is a bad and late April fools!

My Bembridge directory; where to eat and where to shop;

The Beach Hut, Forelands Beach, Bembridge; http://www.isleofwightbeachcafe.co.uk ; 07832 127737

The Lifeboat View Cafe, Lane End Rd, 01983 875 568

Baywatch on the Beach, St.Helens 01983 873 259

Captain Stans/ Bembridge Fish Store, 5 High St, Bembridge, 01983 875 572

The Farm Shop, 8 High St, Bembridge, 01983 874236

Lotties Cafe & Bakery, 33 High St, Bembridge 01983 872644

Woodford & Son, 26 High St, Bembridge, 01983 872717

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Hot cross Mummy

Posted on March 26, 2013 by lardersaga

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Poor little lambs. They all arrived (that is all 6 of them) earlier than usual under the illusion that spring was around the corner. How wrong could they be. It has been snowing on and off here for 2 weeks, the wind is ‘Baltic’ and there is barely a sign of life in the garden. Sadly Mr.Fox got his cunning way and stole away with one, and annoyingly the ‘teenage pregnancy’, as she is fondly known, rejected her second, so ‘Daisy’ has been hand reared. The remaining 4 bounced around the field full of enthusiasm on the only sunny day in March, allegedly, Monday 4th, they have now taken to shivering in their shelter, deeply unimpressed by the relentless rain, snow, sleet and hail. I seem to break ice on the water troughs more often than not and can’t help feeling sorry for the charming wee dears, given their rather grey and cold reception in our world to date.

Hot cross mummy

Hey ho, that should all change soon. I mean after all we have to be on the cusp of Spring, don’t we? Even if you can’t feel it, you can indeed see it, it is now light at 6am and stays light for well over 12 hours. Yes it is unusually chilly but that can change in a nano second and I am optimistically hoping it will in time for Easter, as are the lambs, the little people and probably everyone in England! So with feeding ‘Daisy’ sadly a thing of the past, she has graduated to the lamb orphanage, to socialise (in her own interests I am told), I have been flexing my fingers baking hot cross buns, and quite a lot of them!

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I love hot cross buns. Last year I made my inaugural batch and was massively disappointed. What subsequently transpired was the yeast used was out of date by a country mile and unsurprisingly failed to reactivate,  ‘hot cross rocks’ materialised, they were inedilble~! Take 2, determined to crack it in time for Easter, I decided to get ahead of the game and try out a few recipes prior to Good Friday. Attempt no 1, was another disaster, namely as I forgot to add the butter, total human error but I was beginning to feel fated at making these blessed buns. Attempt no 2, a vast improvement (all ingredients made it in this time) and attempt no 3 a real success; particularly the ‘hot cross loaf’. This being the pre-run for a much talked about starter that has been lined up for the Easter weekend, to be served toasted, rather indulgently with ‘fois gras’. Well why not? after all brioche is hardly a million miles away!

Hot cross buns

I could talk a lot about these delightfully spicy, fruity, bready buns. I mean doesn’t everybody love them? Certainly the ‘little people’ agree. Toasted, served with lashings of butter they more than hit the spot, particularly at the end of the perishing cold days experienced recently.   They are relatively straight forward to make and I have simplified an already simple Delia recipe to ideally make it more fool-proof. The cross is intriguingly just a flour and water paste but I have yet to perfect my piping. The origins of the cross are somewhat more fascinating than the ingredients that go into it. Allegedly, and I am plagiarizing hugely from ‘A History of English Food’ by Clarissa Dickson Wright, a cross was placed on buns a plenty prior to baking to encourage the rising of  the yeast and to ward of evil spirits. This was prior to the Reformation, but after our rather critical break with Rome (1532) crosses were banned, deemed to be Papist and were only allowed on buns on Good Friday, hence ‘Hot Cross Buns’. Possibly a dubious story, I don’t know, but it seems plausible. As you can see our austerity measures are a little slack as we have been indulging in these ‘Good Friday’ delights for several weeks. They are, in spite of my initial setbacks and being a very ‘hot, cross Mummy’, remarkably easy to make and a world apart from anything bought in a shop.

Hot cross loaf

Hot Cross Buns

Makes between 12 – 16

50gms golden caster sugar, plus 1 level teaspoon

1 level tablespoon of dried yeast (15gms)

450g strong white bread flour

1 level teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

125gms of mixed vine fruits including candied peel ( Waitrose sell a very good already mixed bag)

50ml of warm milk

50gms of melted butter

1 beaten organic egg

Glaze – 2 tablespoons of apricot jam

The Cross – 1 tablespoon of plain white flour and 1 tablespoon of water – mixed to a smooth paste

1. Pour 150ml of hot water into a pyrex bowl, whisk in the 1 teaspoon of sugar and now whisk in the dried yeast, stir several times and leave in a warm place, untouched to reactivate. A spongy, frothy head will develop.

2. Put the flour, sugar, salt, spices, dried fruit into a mixing bowl (ideally on a Kenwood) and add the dough hook. When the yeast has been reactivated, about 10 – 15 minutes pour slowly into the bowl with the Kenwood mixer on the slowest setting. Add the warm milk, melted butter and whisked egg, and let the dough hook do the work bringing all the ingredients together. When a sticky dough has formed you can either knead it by hand, or keep it in the mixer (doing the hard work for you) for a good 6 minutes.

3. After 6 minutes, stop the mixer, cover the bowl and leave in a warm place to grow in size. Ideally the mix should almost double, and from my experience in our rather chilly kitchen this takes a healthy 2 hours. It may take less or more time, just keep an eye on it. Once risen remove from the bowl and hand knead again for a few minutes. Now you are ready to shape your buns or your loaf.

4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set the oven at an unbelievable 210. Shape your buns depending on your preference on size and place on the parchment paper, on the tray. Make a cross on each one and pipe the flour and water paste on top of the cross. Leave to rise again in a warm place for another 20 -30 minutes.

5. Now pop the buns in the oven but don’t go away. They bake surprisingly fast, 12 – 15 minutes. When cooked, they should be light brown to golden on top and sound hollow when knocked underneath. Leave on a wire rack to cool.

6. Make the glaze by boiling the apricot jam with the water, to a syrup consistency, paint on top of the buns with a pastry brush.

7. These buns are best eaten on the day of baking, but if you can’t consume them all, they are fantastic toasted for several days afterwards, and I believe freeze extremely well.

 

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Lottery in the Larder – chocolate brownies version 2!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by lardersaga

Brownies v2 022How many versions of brownies are there? Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds is my guess. Nuts, no nuts, flour, gluten free, dark, milk, fruit, you name it, somewhere there will be a recipe. I am pretty dull and stick rather boringly to what I know works, and so strangely I rarely deviate from my time old favorite recipe. But, every now and again I lack the correct ingredients and choose to ‘wing it’ on what is in the larder and just occasionally it works. And a bit like those genius’ at Apple who keep telling me there is a new version  of itunes for my underused ipad, which hence needs updating, my old favorite brownie recipe now needs to be updated too. The outcome of this particular lottery in the larder created something quite sublime, certainly worth sharing with chocolate lovers the world over. Put it like this, if you have given up chocolate for lent, this should be your reward. You won’t be disappointed.

The latest version, is seriously good, and I would argue better than version 1, my original Chocolate Brownies I talked about last June. Intense and unforgiving, the new edition are dead naughty, they should be for grown ups only. Dotted with white chocolate and laced with a little Maldon sea salt they are pretty irresistible. There should be a health warning on them. Of course the ‘little people’ are spitting, but you know me – I could never deprive them completely and hence they have lucked out too, as with some left over mix they got ‘mini me’ cup cake size mouthfuls. I will have a box waiting my most devout friends for the chocolate festival that will start in just under 2 weeks time, but for those who have not been tied to Lent, do give these a whirl.

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The technical bit. And I can’t believe there really has to be one as I am not a hugely technical cook but this recipe works for me if you follow these points. Please use a tin measuring 20cm x 30cm. I used Menier Swiss Dark Chocolate with 70% cocoa and Menier Swiss White Chocolate, but as long as you match the cocoa %, I am sure any brand will work. I use free range, organic, large eggs, and when they are beaten with the sugar I literally leave the kenwood beating on full speed for about 10 minutes. Being brave with the oven and cooking time is an art and cooking times will of course vary. Brownies will carry on cooking once removed from the oven, so trust your instinct and pull them out as soon as you think they are there, overcooked brownies make me cry! And lastly if you want to hype up the Easter aspect to all this chocolate, check out this charming cupcake set by ‘Meri Meri’, they have the most enchanting selection of Easter paraphernalia I have ever seen. I bought this set in Waitrose but you can buy online as well; http://www.shopmerimeri.co.uk

Version 2 – Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate and sea salt

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

100gms of good quality white chocolate broken roughly into button size bits

200gms of butter

3 organic, free range eggs

125gms of golden demerara sugar

125gms of caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Maldon sea salt

75gms of plain flour

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

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 10 minutes. You should have a wonderful thick, creamy, frothy mix!

3. Meanwhile melt the butter and dark 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. Stir frequently.

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 broken up white chocolate, and then the flour.  Pour into the rectangular tin and bake for 15 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. It should be slightly risen and just set.

5. Remove and leave to cool completely before peeling off the baking parchment and devouring fast!

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Eating in the Dolomites

Posted on March 8, 2013 by lardersaga

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I agree, slightly random choice, quite a good little secret and maybe I should keep it that way, but my better nature couldn’t resist sharing this little discovery. I am not sure what possessed Mr.P to divorce Courchevel, maybe he reached saturation level, anyhow, his loyalty wavered, we changed tack and decided to explore other skiing possibilities. This is the second year we have skied in the Dolomites and I can’t help feeling rather smug that we have uncovered a gem.

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Stating the obvious, it is in Italy. That gets our family off to a riotous start as guaranteed good food, and superb wine. No shame I’m afraid, we are complete glutons! The skiing is extraordinary, and I say this in a ‘tongue in cheek’ way, as rather naively I had rather passed the skiing off as a little parochial prior to our first trip. Oops, I couldn’t be more wrong! What transpires to be the largest ski area in Europe, covered by the Dolomiti Superski pass, is hardly for the faint hearted.  2100 km of piste to be precise, so that should keep most people busy. However, for me, this is not the major selling point. The most alluring feature of the Dolomites is they are breathtakingly beautiful, and I mean really, really stunning. I have been completely seduced and for once not only by the food.

These mountains are warm, they shine pink in the afternoon sun, they are softer than their neighbouring alpine cousins, in color, angle and aspect. There are trees everywhere, barely a piste exists without scots pine, larch and Christmas trees, and nestled in amongst them are whole families of Alpine huts. Some old, some new, rustic and modern, every shape and size. It is utterly charming, one can only imagine how pretty it must be come summer when the pistes turn over to lush pasture, wild flowers and cows. This is real Heidi country. Which actually is not so far from the truth, after all the valleys of San Cassiano and Corvara were part of Austria till the closing days of World War 1, where an extremely bitter and scarring theatre of war was battled out over a few strategic alpine passes.

Dolomites 015Now lets talk about that food and wine, the sole purpose for this rant, as opposed to the super skiing. The white wine is lovely, no need to drink delicious Cervaro when the local Alto Adige region produces fabulous buttery, oaky chardonnay at 20 – 40 euros a bottle. I can’t comment on the local red as I don’t drink it (that’s the red, not the local) but Mr.P maintains it is not memorable, don’t fret though as there is no lack of good simple Tuscans, by Selvapiana, Isole e Olena and Fontodi. Most of the Italians seem to drink Aperol, and you could go native and do the same but it does nothing for me, unlike the hot chocolate, molten, liquid soup, oh so naughty! As for the food, now we’re talking. Vast plates of pasta at 10 euros a shot; lots of venison in every way, carpaccio, ragu, filet, cured meats from countless animals, wild boar featured as did the most succulent and tender veal I have ever been privileged enough to eat. Also on the menu, spatzl, dumplings and goulash soups (there’s the Austrian coming through), wonderful ravioli stuffed with porcini, spinachi, and controversially, beetroot, and obviously lots of pizza. It is much as one would expect, and more, it is well sourced, fine, local, seasonal fare, with smatterings of porcini, truffle and raddichio everywhere, quite divine, I had no complaints.

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The mountain huts did not disappoint, plenty of variety  for all tastes and a huge range  for all budgets, a few smarter restaurants and plenty of everything else in between to the very basic hut. To be fair, there were some real notable exceptions which deserve a mention; the ‘Comici Hut’, unbelievably serves star quality fish and seafood which is trucked up the mountain from the Mercato in Venice each morning. The ‘Averau Hut’, next to the Cinque Torre and famous Lagazuoi Pass, has a tantalising array of homemade pastas, and classic Ladin  fare, and ‘Pre De Costa’, in the valley of San Cassiano, makes the most delectable ravioli known to man and I can barely bring myself to mention the Zuppa di Zucca, which was utterly sensational, something I would travel many miles to eat again.

Refreshed, revived, stimulated and inspired. It’s astonishing what  4 days of skiing in the ravishingly beautiful Dolomites, and 4 days of eating and drinking Italian delicacies, can do. Obviously the sun shone, the sky was azure blue and there was buckets of snow. Now it’s back to face the music and the ‘little people’, who will have been spoilt rotten by Granny, and rightfully so. We’ll be in for the high jump, but they’ll be coming next year! Here is a little sunday night supper conceived originally by Diana Henry in a French context, (see ‘House & Garden’, April 2013) and translated by myself into Italian. It is dreamy comfort food.

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Mountain Baked Eggs – Italian style

8 leaves of radicchio or red chicory (you can use white chicory if red is not available) finely sliced

4 slices of Parma ham

1 small banana shallot finely diced

2 organic eggs

100 ml double cream

A handful of grated Parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 180.

1. Finely dice the onion and gently fry off with a knob of butter on a gentle heat.

2. Slice the radicchio finely and add to the softened onion with a glug of olive oil, and cook gently for further 5 minutes.

3. Rub some olive oil around the ovenproof dishes, large ramekins would be perfect, or these rustic Italian soup bowls as seen in the photo. Swirl the Parma ham around the outside of the dishes and place the radicchio and onion mix in between, leaving a good size area clear in the middle to crack the egg. Carefully crack the egg into the middle and lightly drizzle the cream around the outside. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and give a good grind of black pepper.

5. Pop in the oven for 10 -15 minutes depending on how cooked you want your egg. Serve with some fresh bread.

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Food Envy

Posted on March 1, 2013 by lardersaga

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Food envy is a funny old thing. Being a greedy person I suffer badly. Eating out poses a real dilemma. I constantly look around surveying what everyone else is eating, torn between choosing the familiar or going for the wild card. Living our half life between London and the country I am constantly reminded of how very spoilt I am in town as to the abundance, choice and sheer availability of produce. Naively I assume that everything I pick up in London is available elsewhere, when actually seemingly, it is not. At least you think it is not, but scratch the surface a little and surprisingly it can be found. Take blood oranges, those delicious specimens from Sicily and Spain, stained that wicked crimson red, are now on sale by the box load at our local farm shop, Cobbs. The Lambourn Co-op no less, has some of the best croissants in the country, opposite, the butcher, the cheeky N.J.Richards, sells smoked fish from the Severn & Wye Smokery – it’s pretty impressive, so really no excuse. But, I digress, the point of this post is actually about giving people food envy, not food shopping envy, and its origins are with my wine expert sister who put a request in for interesting ‘packed lunch’ ideas, blow me down, the glamour!!

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‘Packed lunches’ I hear you baulk. I know the mere word turns most people cold, but the point of this post is that there can be, and should be much more portable food, that can be put together at home, taken to work, eaten, enjoyed and possibly even have created a little food envy on the way! What’s more packed lunches in many ways are not that indifferent to the lunches I consume each day. In my case there is a need for speed, particularly when the ‘little people’ demand food. The nursery variety rarely appeals to me, hence a whistle stop creation has to be on the table fast so I can join the feeding frenzy. So, lets’ face it, no one is going to spend hours laboring over this, it is all about combinations that work and availability, old mothers cupboard and all!  The end result has to ‘pack punches’, otherwise frankly why bother? Requirement number 1 is therefore preparation time, or possibly lack of it, so be practical, what can be cooked in advance, what can be used again, reincarnated, transformed.  The lunch needs to be some, or possibly all, of the following; colorful, zesty, crunchy, interesting, healthy, nutritious and most importantly fresh! Soups are a winner at this time of year, and left over stews, tagines, hotpots speedily blasted in a microwave can transform the plainest of couscous. Lastly it needs to be portable; delicate, wilting salads are just not practical.

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Lunch is often an opportunity to eat the things you would not otherwise eat with your dearly beloved, flat mates, parents, or children later in the day. That for me takes in orzo, lentils, quinoa, couscous, wild rice and a host of others. Woo hoo – carte blanche to create what I really want to eat as opposed to someone else. So with that in mind I started penning down some ideas for the ‘packed lunch’ brigade, as to some different and interesting new takes on what could work. I think rules need to be adhered to, a well stocked store cupboard is essential, and a fridge with a few important treats very helpful. Most of the ideas I have noted need to be put together the morning of, but certain ingredients can be prepared in advance, such as cooking lentils, orzo, rice, couscous the day before. I think confidence is key, play around and you may develop your own ‘packed lunch’ phenomenon, my favorites are listed below and can be translated either into a bowl for lunch at home or neatly tucked into a box to take to work. Always make use of left over vegetables from the night before, surprisingly the right combination can be transformed into a hearty soup or salad with a little ingenuity. Lastly a good ‘lunch box’ is key, reams of cling film around a nasty old tupperware is never going to do the trick, I use all sorts of vessels particularly kilner jars – after all, presentation speaks volumes! Play around, enjoy, become a food alchemist, sometimes the oddest combinations work!

Portable food 040Wizard Winter Salads for Packed Lunches

Puy lentil, blood orange, fresh goats cheese and watercress

Orzo with chilli brocolli, anchovies and a herb salsa

Roasted root vegetables with  Harissa and feta on fat couscous

Orzo with pea and mint puree with toasted pinenuts and shaved parmesan

Maple roasted butternut with bulghar wheat, pomegranate, spring onions, rocket, tahini and yoghurt

Quinoa with diced pear, toasted hazelnuts, blue cheese and spring onions and shaved fennel

A list of essentials to tart up the lunch box: 

Hubbards Cupboard; Chickpeas, fregola (Sardinian couscous), orzo (baby pasta), bulghar wheat, quinoa, wild rice, giant couscous, red lentil, puy lentils, butter beans

Movers and shakers; Good olive oil, Maldon salt, black pepper, tahini, tomato and chilli jam, sweet chilli sauce, Harissa, walnuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, red and white wine vinegar

Fridge fillers; natural yogurt, capers, feta, goats cheese, blue cheese, fresh parmesan,  fresh anchovies, salted anchovies, pitted olives, fresh herbs, slow roasted tomatoes in oil, fresh herbs and salad leaves

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Purple Sprouting Brocolli

Posted on February 21, 2013 by lardersaga

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‘February’, it’s a pretty bleak month out there in the vegetable patch and particularly mine where the sole survivors of our rather random, extremely wet and at times, cold winter, is some dog-eared rainbow chard. Thankfully the local farm shop is my saviour, the outside shelves stacked high with purple sprouting brocolli, savoy cabbages and stunning forced pink rhubarb. The curious aspect about february is that you are just beginning to get a whiff of Spring in the air, blink and it’s gone, and that north wind is back bringing with it chilly tales from the Baltic. Take last weekend – utterly delicious – the sun shone, the birds sang and there was real warmth on your back. Hand in hand with such tepid promises of warmer days ahead comes purple sprouting brocolli, and unbelievably, 2 lambs. Hoorah hoorah, some light relief from the root vegetables that have taken pole position through the darker days of winter, and a vote from the sheep that Spring is marching forth.

Brocolli2Obviously I don’t grow it. Yes, I’ve tried, but defeated I remain. Unbelievably it needs 40 weeks in the ground – that’s the same as a baby(not the ground bit though)! What I absolutely know for sure about said brocolli, is that it benefits from the hardships of winter and hence this may explain why it is just so tender and sweet, justifying its’ other name, ‘poor mans asparagus’. We eat alot. Young and old alike, it really is gobbled up, and rightfully so. It is quite, quite delicious and cooked sensitively, as delicate and delectable as asparagus. My creed is to keep it simple, hence steaming is our cooking method of choice. Drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper it’s hard to go wrong, served with meat or fish, or incorporated in a salad, it  is dead pretty and a welcome change from the standard brocoli that we consume by the ‘tree’ in our kitchen!

I was prompted to wax lyrical about this moreish vegetable thanks to an extremely good starter I ate last week. Naturally I have tried to reincarnate it and I have to admit it is remarkably good, and importantly, easy for the ‘time poor’. I think its success rather depends on 2 factors, you have to use duck eggs and the purple sprouting, needs to be as fresh as can be! But talk about simple, it literally is a soft-boiled duck egg, steamed purple sprouting brocolli, drizzled with olive oil, and a zesty salsa verde with some really good anchovies and capers crushed into it. Not exactly technical or complicated, but I promise you the simplicity is genius.

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Salsa Verde for Duck Egg and Purple Sprouting Brocolli Salad

1 small garlic clove

2 salted anchovy fillets

1 tbsp of capers, rinsed and drained

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

1 bunch of basil

1. Using a pestle and mortar crush the garlic, followed by the anchovy fillets and capers.

2. Chop the basil and parsley roughly – this is a rustic salsa verde, so be careful not to bruise the leaves.  Add the basil and parsley to the pestle and mortar followed by the olive oil (about 5 tablespoons) and stir well.

Salsa verde

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