Where I am now

My life did not come to an end on Friday 23rd March 2012 (as one one-time reader of one of my blogs surmised).  Nor did my photography stop.  Nor did my cooking.  It is simply that I couldn't cope with having so many blogs and decided to concentrate on my main one - Rambles from My Chair. If you wish to see what I've been up to of late just click on the link and join me there.  You'll be most welcome.

I msy be back to post the occasional recipe but please don't hold your breath...

Breakfast Kedgeree

Kedgeree is also sometimes known as kitcherie, kitchari, kidgeree, kedgaree, or kitchiri.

Ingredients
Smoked haddock – one large or two small fillets
(Preferably not dyed if you can get it. The dye adds nothing to the flavour!|)
Basmati Rice – 200gm
Eggs – 4
Onion – 1
Fresh Parsley – 3 tablespoons, chopped
Peas (frozen) – small handful
Curry powder – medium strong - ½ tablespoon
Juice of half a lemon
Double cream – 3 tablespoons
Bay leaves - 3
Sunflower oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Butter

Method

Poach the haddock in 500ml of water with the bay leaves for eight minutes. Remove the haddock and drain but keep the water as it has now acquired the flavour of the fish.

Add the rice to the water and boil vigorously, with a lid on, for 8 minutes then leave to stand for two minutes by which time it should be cooked but you may wish to check and if necessary give it another burst of heat.

Medium hard boil the four eggs and peel and quarter.

Boil the peas until cooked.

Finely chop the onion and cook in 40 grams of butter and a tablespoon of sunflower oil until soft.

Flake the fish and add it to the onion with the curry powder and peas.

Stir gently and add the rice and chopped parsley and fold in the quartered eggs. Add the juice of half a lemon and plenty of black pepper.

Finally, stir in three tablespoons of double cream and dot the top with butter. (That's the really healthy bit!)

This can be served straight away or left over a very low heat and stirred (gently) occasionally for the late risers!

Some new saucepans

I've treated myself - with the help of my brithday present from GB.

Baked Apple and Custard

Ingredients:-
Apples
Sultanas
Soft brown sugar
Butter
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Mixed Spice

(Ready made custard)

Method:-

I haven't mentioned quantities in the ingredients because I have this annoying habit of not measuring things! Also - it depends how many apples you want to do! I used about a pound and a half of apples for this.

Peel the apples and slice fairly thinly.

In a frying pan gently heat 4oz butter, a couple of tablespoons of soft brown sugar, and add a generous pinch of cionnamon, the same of mixed spice and grate in about a third of a teaspoon of nutmeg.

Add the apples and a handful of sultanas and cook over a gentle heat for about seven or eight minutes, stirring to ensure all the apples are covered with the liquid.

Pour into an oven dish and bake in a moderate oven for 35 minutes.

Serve straight away and add swirls of cold custard.

If preferred you can heat the custard but I like the mixture of hot and cold in this dish.)

Any left-over can be kept in the fridge and had another day.

Nutty Flapjacks

Ingredients:-

4oz Margarine;
4 fl.oz Clear Honey;
3oz Muscavado Sugar;
8oz Rolled Oats;
2oz Walnuts (chopped).

Method:-

Melt the margarine, honey and sugar in a pan. Stir in the oats and walnuts and mix thoroughly. Put in a greased 7" x 11 " shallow tin and smooth the top with a pallette knife.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in the tin for two minutes and then cut into fingers. Cool completely before removing from the tin. Makes about 20.

Kitchen Hints

Stuck paper - Paper that is stuck to wood can be removed by moistening it with baby oil After a few minutes it will peel away easily. The sticky residue left by those awful labels on new items can be removed by a patent ‘sticky stuff remover’ like this one available from Lakeland.

Burnt stew - If food burns in the pan never stir it up -tip it into a new saucepan leaving thc burnt bits at the bottom. Add more liquid if necessary and if it still tastes burnt add some more seasoning - pepper, chilli powder or Worcester sauce.

Burnt Saucepans - Put a tablespoon of washing powder into the pan, fill up to the burn mark with warm water and leave to stand for an hour. Wash in warm soapy water - pan will be as good as new.

Frying - Heat the pan gently before adding butter or oil - this reduces the chances of the food sticking. Sprinkle a little salt in the pan to slop spitting. Add a spoonful of oil if cooking in butter to stop the butter burning.

Beans and Pulses - When cooking dried beans and pulses do not add salt until the last minute as it toughens them.

Cabbage - A piece of bread or a dash of lemon juice added to the cooking water will cut down the smell of boiling cabbage. If you boil the water before adding the cabbage and cook for only ten minutes it won't go soggy.

Carrots - To improve tinned carrots - sauté them for a minute or two in l oz butter with a pinch of sugar, a squeeze of lemon, a dash of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Celery - To crisp celery stand the stalks in iced water for half an hour before serving

Lettuce - When making a salad always tear the lettuce - cutting with a knife will make it go brown.

Salad Servers - Wooden salad servers are better than metal because they don't bruise the leaves.

Cheese Sauce - Make a cheese sauce more interesting by adding a sprinkling of dry mustard, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a dash of lemon juice.

Cider - When cooking with cider (and it makes an excellent base for a stew) use an enameled or porcelain-lined pan because an iron or tin one will turn the cider black.

Mustard - If you ever mix your own mustard do so with cold water and leave it at least ten minutes before serving to allow the flavour to develop.

Onion Stems - If you grow your own onions or spring onions, you can use the stems like chives for flavouring soups and stews.

Parsley Butter - Chop three tablespoons of fresh parsley very finely. Rinse a mixing bowl with hot water and. using a fork, work the parsley into 4 oz (l25 gms) of butter and a few drops of lemon juice. Chill until firm and serve with hot vegetables or fish.

Parsley - As an alternative to chopping it you can keep it in the freezer and then when you want it you can just crumble it into bits,

Sugar - One ounce (loz) of white sugar is a level tablespoon full.

Flour - One ounce (loz) of flour is a heaped tablespoon full.

Steaming – If you steam anything (like puddings or vegetables) put a marble in the pan - it will rattle and warn you if the pan boils dry.

Smelly Hands - If you get something on your hands that makes them smell and won't just wash off - such as fish - rub some dry mustard powder on them and then rinse off under warm water.

More fishy stuff - Wash utensils in cold water after using them for fish, especially smoked fish - it gets rid of the smell.


Egg Whites - Rub the cut side of a lemon half around the inside of the mixing bowl before cracking in egg whites and when you whisk them you'll get a much better volume - the acid stabilizes the foam. Ideal for meringue mixtures.

Satsuma Beef

Preparation Time – about 15 minutes plus 30 minutes marinading; cooking time 15 minutes. Serves 2 to 3.

Ingredients:-
1 piece of rump steak - about 12 oz (375g)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, cut lengthways into chunks
7 fl oz (200ml) water
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons red wine, sake, or dry sherry
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1-2 tablespoons sugar
3 satsumas, peeled and segmented (or mineolas if satsuams not available)
1 bunch coriander, chopped, to garnish

for the marinade –
grated rind of 1 orange
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon sugar

Method

Slice the beef into thin strips against the grain. Put the strips in a ceramic dish. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour over the beef, stirring to coat thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat a wok or heavy frying pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirl ir around the wok, add half the beef and stir-fry over a high heat for 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add another tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the remaining beef ion the same way. Transfer to the plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the wok, then add the shallots, water, soy sauce, wine / sake / sherry. Sprinkle in the chilli and sugar and season to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced.

Return the beef to the pan and toss vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until all the ingredients are combined and coated with sauce. add about two-thirds of the satsuma segments and toss quickly to mix.

Serve hot, garnished with the remaining satsuma segments and the coriander.

Cauliflower Cheese and Bean Bake

A vegetarian dish from TV chef Brian Turner.
Serves: 6
Preperation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS
• 1 x 500g/ 1 lb 1½ oz cauliflower
• 40g/ 1½ oz butter
• 40g/ 1½ oz flour
• 250ml/ 9 fl oz double cream
• 125ml/ 4 ½ fl oz Milk
• 175g/ 6 fl oz Lancashire cheese
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 dash of tabasco sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 40g/ 1 ½ oz Parmesan cheese, grated *see my footnote
• 1 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 x tin of tomatoes
• 1 x tin of cannellini beans
• 1 x tin of chickpeas
• Sprigs of parsley to garnish

METHOD
• Sweat the onion and garlic until softened.
• Pour in the tinned tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the cannellini beans and the chickpeas and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
• Pour into a greased pie dish.
• Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets and plunge in the boiling water. Cook until just tender before draining in a colander and reserving about 125ml of cooking liquid.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over a low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring all the time, for about 2 minutes. The flour should take on a slightly toasted aroma. Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas 4.
• Pour in the cream and bring the sauce to the boil, whisking out any lumps as it heats. Add the milk, whisk once more to combine, and remove from the heat.
• Add the Tabasco sauce, mustard and seasoning, followed by the cheese. If sauce is too thick add 2 tbsp of the cooking liquid from the cauliflower.
• Arrange the cooked florets in a dish, heaping them up into a dome. Gently pour the sauce over, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower has heated through and the cheese topping has melted and browned.
• Garnish with a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley.

* Parmesan - I dislike Parmesand and consequently use some other hard cheese to top it or perhaps a bit of Red Leicester or Cheddar. If using Parmesan always use fresh Parmesan and grate it yourself - it is less obnoxious than the pre-grated stuff you can buy in a tub. That smells and tastes like baby-sick!

Resurrection

 

I'm making an attempt to resurrect my blogs.  I don't have a recipe to hand but I do have some advice - courtesy of Norton Priory:-

Stewed Damsons

Ingredients

1lb Damsons
4 dessertspoons sugar
(I like my damsons reasonably tart but if you like them sweeter you can add more sugar)

I hadn't had stewed damsons in years and was delighted to see them in the greengrocers the other day.   This serves three.

Method
Put 350 fl oz water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the damsons and the sugar. Simmer for about ten minutes until they are starting to burst out of their skins. It's that simple.

Serve warm with warm custard or cold with cold custard. As a child I used to mix the damson juice with the custard to make great swirls of colour. When Mum used to make them for us we all used to save all the damson stones and then go through the counting rhyme (in theory to see who you were going to marry or what you were going to become) - “Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief'.  This was followed by when one would marry - This year, next year, sometime, never.

It was silly but we always did it. Some people then counted them again to find out other things:-

 

What will I be (if you were a girl)?

Lady, baby, gypsy, queen.

What shall I wear?

Silk, satin, cotton, rags (or silk, satin, velvet, lace)

How shall I get it?

Given, borrowed, bought, stolen.

How shall I get to church?

Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, cart.

Where shall I live?

Big house, little house, pig-sty, barn.

Cooking Cabbage the Delia way

Fresh cabbage lightly cooked is full of goodness, packed with vitamins, minerals and flavour and it’s not expensive.

Cabbage should always be eaten as fresh as possible – it loses nutrients if stored for too long. An unwrapped fresh cabbage should look bright and crisp, with its outer leaves intact (often if it’s had its outer leaves removed, it was because they were limp, which is not a good sign). The heart should feel firm and the leaves should squeak as you pull them apart.

To prepare cabbage: with a leafy variety such as spring greens, it’s best to discard any tired, floppy outside leaves, then separate the other leaves down to the central bud and place them one by one on a flat board. Then, using a sharp paring knife cut out the stalks, running the point of the knife down each side. When the stalks have been removed, pile the leaves on top of each other and, using a larger knife, shred the cabbage into strips, then do the same with the centre bud to shred that, too.

For a more compact variety, such as Savoy, once the outer leaves have been discarded, halve and then quarter the cabbage lengthways, then cut out the hard core from each quarter and discard. Finally, slice thinly across each quarter to shred it.

I have tried every method under the sun for cooking cabbage and I am now convinced that boiled cabbage needs plenty of water. The secret is to shred it quite finely and cook it briefly in rapidly boiling water. What I do is pack it down quite tightly into a saucepan, sprinkle with salt, then place the pan over a high heat, pour in boiling water from the kettle, which re-boils instantly, and time it for 3-5 minutes.

The one way to tell if it’s cooked is to bite a piece, as you would pasta. Then tip it into a colander and squeeze out as much excess water as you can, using a saucer to press the cabbage down. Then turn the saucer on its side and use chopping movements to push any excess water out.

Serve it straightaway in a hot bowl, tossing it with a minute amount of butter, and season it with salt and pepper. One medium-sized cabbage will serve 4 people.

From Delia On-line

Cooking cucumber

Most people think of cucumber as a salad ingredient but it can also be cooked as a vegetable.

Peel cucumber and slice in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds and chop into C-shapes about one third of an inch wide. Put butter in frying pan. Add the cucumber and season with salt and pepper. Fry gently for about three to five minutes.

If cooking in a stew or curry you can leave the skin on so that it doesn’t disintegrate.

Cooking scallops

"Assuming your scallops are sparklingly fresh (and if they're not, you shouldn't buy them in the first place) they don't actually need cooking at all - they can be eaten raw as sashimi. Now you may not want to do this, but the point is, short cooking time is fine and in fact better.

Of course it depends on the size of the scallop as to how long it needs to cook - and whether you are cooking just the meat or the meat plus the orange-pink coral - the coral takes less time to cook. This is why many top chefs remove the coral before cooking. The coral doesn't have to be wasted - it can be pounded with butter to make scallop butter - very nice on grilled fish - or left to dry overnight in a very slow oven and crumbled over finely sliced and stir-fried cabbage or seaweed.

However, my advice on cooking the scallop meat is to get a heavy based pan very very hot - leave it on the heat with no oil or butter for several minutes. Rub the base of the hot pan with a block of butter and add your dried scallops (dry them beforehand on kitchen paper).

Take a look at the pan-side after 30 seconds - is it crusting nicely? If so, turn it over and give it another 30 seconds. If not, give it another 10 secs then turn it.

The key to this is really to get that pan hot hot hot before you cook - otherwise the scallops will stew rather than fry and caremelise nicely.

(SS’s notes – if you want you can add lemon juice to the frying pan and many people will halve the scallops).

And another thing - please please please use hand-dived scallops. They're much more expensive but the alternative involves dredging the bottom of the sea bed and removing everything from it - meaning there's no breeding ground for scallops or fish for years to come."

Richard Leader

(The above scallops were cooked with samphire, cabbage and salmon.)

Cooking Marsh Samphire

Marsh samphire has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively crisp and salty taste. It can be used raw in salad, though it tends to be very salty so it is more often boiled or steamed for a few minutes. Samphire is at is best in July and August. Buy bright, fresh looking plants with no signs of wilting. Wash thoroughly under cold running water before eating. Trim off any root. Buy samphire as you need it - it doesn't keep for long. If you must, tightly wrap and refrigerate for not longer than a few days.

Pop into a pan of boiling water for one minute, drain and toss in butter. Or steam over a pan of boiling water for a couple of minutes and serve with melted butter.

(Though there are two types of samphire - marsh and rock - only marsh samphire is widely available. Rock samphire has a rather unpleasant smell and flavour. Occasionally you may also find jars of pickled samphire in gourmet shops.)

P.S. I  quite like snacking on it raw! Lovely.

Crumpets

CRUMPETS

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, 1 tablespoon butter and egg; mix well.

Add flour and salt; beat until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Brush griddle and 3-in. metal rings or open-topped metal cookie cutters with remaining butter. Place rings on griddle; heat over low heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter into each ring. Cook for 7 minutes or until bubbles begin to pop and the top appears dry. Remove rings. Turn crumpets; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until the second side is golden brown. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack and toast before serving.

(Thanks to Cynthia for pointing me in the direction of this recipe.)

Wine-poached Chicken

Serves four

Ingredients
3½ fl oz white wine
9 fl oz chicken stock
1 fl oz white wine vinegar
2 ¼ fl oz extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 lemon
tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove – peeled and sliced
4 chicken breasts – with skin removed
Yellow pepper – sliced into small strips
6 Cherry tomatoes
3½ oz watercress
1¾ oz sultanas or raisins
1¾ oz toasted pine nuts
salt and ground black pepper

Method
For the Chicken Breast
1. Bring the wine, chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan with half the lemon zest, the bay leaf and garlic.

2. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Add the chicken and poach for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the poaching liquor.

For the dressing
1. Remove half of the poaching liquor and place in a saucepan. Heat until the volume has reduced a bit and whisk in the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, the rest of the zest, and sugar until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve
1. Place a handful of watercress (or other salad such as Rocket), yellow pepper and tomatoes on each plate and top with the poached chicken.
2. Sprinkle on the pine nuts and sultanas and drizzle over the dressing.

Tuna Burgers and Niçoise-style Salad

Serves four.

Ingredients
For the Burgers
2 tins Tuna in sunflower oil with the oil drained off
5oz Breadcrumbs
1 Egg white
1 Shallott – peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp Chopped fresh Mint
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper

For the Salad
8 fl oz Extra virgin Olive Oil
4 fl oz Sherry Vinegar
(or White Wine Vinegar with a teaspoon of caster sugar)
4 Eggs – hard-boiled and quartered
4 oz cooked fine Beans
8 Cherry Tomatoes – halved
Handful Watercress – roughly chopped
2 oz Green Olives – pitted
2 oz Seedless Green Grapes
1 tbsp chopped fresh Chives
Salt and Black Pepper

Garnish
Handful Watercress

Method

Blend the tuna, shallot, egg white, breadcrumbs, mint and cumin until well combined and then season.
Shape the mixture into four large or eight small burger shapes.
Put in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.

For the salad – whisk the oil and vinegar in a large bowl, add the remaining salad ingredients – except the eggs - and mix until well combined. Season to taste and then add the eggs but do not stir again.

Fry the tuna burgers for a few minutes each side until golden brown.

To serve, put some of the Niçoise salad in a circle around the plate. Put a little bit of Watercress in the middle and place the burger on top of the Watercress.

Hash Brown

There are many ways of cooking hash browns. This is not only one of the simplest but, of those I have tried, the one which yields the best results.

Ingredients:-
1 pound potatoes (about 2 large potatoes)
2 tablespoons oil, such as sunflower
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:-
Scrub the potatoes. They do not need to be peeled. Grate with a shred-size grater. Heat a 12-inch frying pan, preferably non-stick, over a medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter. When hot, add the potatoes and push down with a spatula to spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper - be generous with the pepper. Fry until the bottom is browned and crispy (about 5 minutes). Do not try to flip until it is browned, or the potatoes might stick. Flip the potatoes, in sections if necessary, and fry another 5 minutes, or until browned and crispy on the other side. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200° F oven.

Do you have a favourite hash brown recipe you'd like to share?

Pancakes

It’s Shrove Tuesday so I thought you might like a pancake recipe. This quantity of ingredients make about 8 pancakes.

Ingredients
4 oz plain flour
2 large eggs
7 fl oz milk
3 fl oz water
2 tbsps melted butter
Pinch of salt
A spot of butter for the pan.

Method
Add the water to the milk.
Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and break in the eggs.
Begin to whisk the eggs –lightly with a whisk or fork, gradually incorporating the flour from the edges.
Gradually pour in the milk and water while continuing to stir and whisk the flour. When all the liquid has been added run a fork around the edges to ensure all the flour has been absorbed.
Whisk thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Add the two tablespoons of melted butter and stir it in.

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and pour out the excess onto a saucer. Make sure the pan is quite hot and pour in a small cupful of the pancake mixture. It should be enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not to flood it. Cook for thirty seconds or so and then lift the edges. I rarely bother tossing the first pancake since it often seems to stick. I just turn it over.

Slide the pancakes onto a warm plate, cover with foil and keep in an open oven (or put on a pan of boiling water) until you’ve done all you need.

Once the second pancake is in the pan the amount of melted butter has been reduced to just the right amount for cooking the pancakes without them sticking so these can be tossed.

Serve with sugar and lemon juice or ice cream and maple syrup.

Apple Scone

Main Ingredients:
One medium cooking apple - shredded or finely chopped
8 oz (250g or two cups) self raising flour (all-purpose flour with baking powder)
½ teaspoon salt
Level teaspoon baking powder
2 oz (60g or ½ stick) butter
2 oz (60g or ¼ cup) castor sugar
Up to ¼ pint (150ml or half cup) milk

Ingredients for glaze:
A little milk
1oz demerara (light brown) sugar
Cinnamon



Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F or Gas Mark 6).

Peel and core the apple and then finely chop. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Then rub in the butter followed by the sugar and finely chopped apple and mix. Add milk until you have a soft but not sticky dough.

Roll out on a floured surface to about ¼" thick and 8" round and mark into 8 wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet, brush the top with milk and sprinkle with the demerara (light brown) sugar and cinnamon.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 200C (400F or Gas Mark 6) for around 20 minutes. Serve the apple scone warm with butter.