For the love of Food - A collection of recipes

Mumo’s chopped liver

2012-01-31T10:23:00.002Z

This recipe is less dense than usual recipes because the livers are chopped by hand after they are cooked not processed.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons schmaltz *
1 pound of chicken livers (fresh not frozen)
2 large onions, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

* Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat. Whenever I roast a chicken (preferably with plenty of garlic and herbs) I save the fat until I have enough to make chopped liver. Clearly this isn’t the greatest recipe for anyone with a cholesterol problem.

Directions

Fry the onions in the fat. The trick here is to cook them on a very low heat for a long time, stirring occasionally, until they are meltingly soft and caramelised. This can take 40 minutes or more - but it’s worth it.

Then add livers and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. When they are cooked take them off the heat and chop them finely by hand (don't process) Add the chopped eggs and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mumo's Carrot Cake

2010-01-24T12:55:00.003Z

When I finished college and got my first job, it was also the first time I was going to be leaving home. In the few weeks before I was due to move out, I followed my mother round with a little black book writing down the recipes for all the things she cooked and I loved.

This weekend I tried out one of the recipes. It’s a carrot cake – but not as we know it. It’s elegant; delicately and beautifully flavoured. It’s also another cake that has no butter and flour so very light.

Ingredients

6 eggs

200g caster sugar

200 gm raw finely grated carrots

250 gm ground hazelnuts (or almonds)

1 tablespoon kirsch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Zest of a lemon.

Method

Line a cake tin with parchment and preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks

Whisk the sugar and egg yolks under pale and creamy

Add all the other ingredients except the egg whites and mix well.

Carefully fold in the egg white and put into tin

Bake for approximately 1 hour (test with skewer in middle of cake)

Yair's yummy breakfast 2 - Halloumi on toast with capers

2009-09-22T16:56:00.003Z

Of course neither of these breakfasts have to be breakfast. But they do make a perfect late breakfast or brunch on the weekend.

Ingredients - per person (I've given quantities for 1 slice - but one slice is never enough)
1 slice of good bread (sour dough for preference)
4 slices of halloumi
Enough slices of a good tomato to cover the bread
1/s tsp chopped fresh chilli (red or green)
2 tsps of chopped capers
1 tsp chopped coriander
Olive oil

Pre heat the grill

Lightly toast the bread and sprinkle with olive oil. Then sprinkle on the chilli and coriander and lay on the sliced tomato. Season.

Next lay on the slices of halloumi and grill until golden

Finally sprinkle with the chopped capers and a bit of coriander if you have any left

enjoy

Yair's yummy breakfast 1 - shakshuka

2009-09-21T18:59:00.003Z

Shakshuka is a North African dish brought to Israel by Sephardi Jews. It’s a fantastic weekend brunch dish.

Ingredients – for 2

1 small onion finely chopped

1/2 small red pepper finely chopped

1 large clove garlic finely chopped

1 small red chilli finely chopped

handful parsley finely chopped

1 large chopped beef tomato (skinned and finely chopped)

2 eggs

Add olive oil to a frying pan and heat gently. Then add the onion and fry gently until soft and a bit translucent. Add the garlic, pepper, chilli, half of parsley and tomato - cook on a low heat until soft but not dry for about 15 to 20 minutes – add a bit of extra olive oil if necessary. After this time add a tablespoon of tom puree and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Then break two eggs into the mix in let them cook until white is firm. Sprinkle over the rest of the parsley and serve with pitta bread or turkish bread.

For my daughters

2009-08-03T08:38:00.000Z

This is for the both of you.

At last, I promise I'll write down those recipes that both of you have been asking me to.

Can't work out how to do an index - so this'll have to do
January - soups
February - Starters
March - Salads
April - Meat
May - Fish
June - Puddings
July - Cakes
August - Preserving
September - Apero

Recipe for creme de cassis - Blackcurrant liquer

2009-08-01T20:08:00.000Z

Creme de Cassis is a delicious blackcurrant liquer. Most often it's used in Kir. Creme de Cassis topped up with white wine, or for KirRoyale with champagne.

It's relatively easy to make and this year we had a chance to make our own in Marcillac.

We picked the blackcurrants in Josette's garden and followed her recipe.

How to make creme de cassis

Mash the blackcurrants in a vegetable mill and put in a large container. For every 1 kl of blackcurrants add 1 litre red wine.

Leave the mixture for up to 5 days in a cool place.

Then strain the mixture through muslin laid in a colander into a cooking pot. Make sure you get every bit of juice out of the muslin by giving it a good squeeze. Add 1 kl of sugar per litre of juice you've extracted and bring the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat as soon as it reaches a boil. The smell in the kitchen at this point was wonderful.

At this stage you can bottle the liquid and what you'll have is blackcurrant syrup, which can be drunk diluted with water. If you want to make Creme de Cassis add a glass of tequila for every litre of blackcurrant syrup you've made. Tequila has very little flavour which is why it can be used. If you can get to a French supermarket you can buy 'Alcohol for Fruit' which is specially made for this kind of thing, and much cheaper.

We picked 3 and half kilos of blackcurrants and ended up with 2 bottles of syrup and 7 of blackcurrant liquer - Creme de Cassis. Apparently, it will be at its best in 3 years time!! Small chance of the bottles lasting that long.

Yemenite Charoset

2009-08-01T17:10:00.000Z

Y and I celebrated Passover with his family in Israel this year. His brother made the charoset for the Seder plate. This is very different to the Charoset we used to have for Passover meals, more spicy and very delicious. Before eating the maror — usually horseradish or lettuce — you dip the maror into the charoset and then shake off the charoset before eating the maror. This action symbolises how hard the Israelites worked in Egypt, combining a food that brings tears to the eyes (the maror) with one that resembles the mortar used to build Egyptian cities and
storehouses (the charoset).

As well as its symbolism, the charoset is lovely spread on matzo.

Ingredients
300 gms dates
300 grms raisins
100 grms dry figs
100 grms almonds
100 grms walnuts
200 grms sesame seeds (dry roast first)
20 grms cumin
10 grms cinammon
10 grms ginger
the seeds of 3 cardomom
black pepper to taste

Grind all the ingredients finely - separate first and then together to make a paste. If it's too dry add a little sweet wine, or grape juice

Hag Semer

Recipe for Raspberry liquer - Creme de Framboise

2009-08-01T15:16:00.001Z

Follow the recipe for creme de cassis below, but use white wine or rose when you are macerating the raspberries.

Yemenite beef stew with mint

2009-04-01T20:30:00.000Z

Y cooked this for us. It's a recipe his parents cooked, both of whom were Sephardi Jews who came from the Yemen. It has very few ingredients but is fantastically flavourful. Serve with some rice or naan bread.

2 lbs (1k) stewing beef in cubes
tblspoon oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cardomom pods slightly crushed
cup of chopped mint
1 and half cups of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan and fry the onion for a few minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more. Then add the beef and the spices, stir well and cook until the meat is very lightly browned. Add the mint and parsley, stir well and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 1 and half to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the meat - Stirring every now and again during cooking.

The stew creates its own juice during the cooking.

Coarse French country pate

2009-02-01T17:42:00.000Z

Every 2 or 3 years Simone, who is 86, makes fantastic pork pate from a recipe passed down from her mother. The pate is always made in house in Marcillac and that feels right. It's definitely a country pate, robust and full of flavour. Delicious on good bread with a few cornichon and a glass of wine (or two)

The first step is to buy the onion, garlic and parsley and take it to Ritout, the village butcher, who minces them in with the meat ready for the next stage.

When we were ready to fill the jars we collected an ancient old 'sterilizateur' from Simone's niece Josette and boiled gallons of water in the 'cave' under the house.

Once the jars were sterilised Simone filled them. The only frustrating thing with this entire process is that the pate can't be eaten for a minimum of 4 months.

Ingredients
2 kg shoulder of pork (and a bit of neck) minced
200g pork liver minced
2 large onions chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 bunch of parsley chopped
2 to 3 glasses of dry white wine
45gms salt
pepper (liberal amount)
1 glass of cognac
as much black truffle as you can afford (we used 2 x 30g jars)

Mix the meat, liver, garlic, onions and parsley with the salt, pepper and white wine and leave it to marinade overnight.

The next day add the cognac and truffles and mix again.

Sterilise the jars with boiling water and fill (the amount above filled 17 small jars) and seal.

Put the jars in a steriliser (or large pan, weighted down so that they remain under the water).
Boil for 2 hours and then leave them in the steriliser to get cold.

Leave for a minimum of 3 to 4 months before eating.

Orange and Almond Cake

2008-04-24T18:14:00.003Z

A no flour cake - I have had a lot of praise for this cake. It's really worth trying and pretty simple to make. It's great on day one and improves over the next couple of days

Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
240g caster sugar
230g ground almonds
finely grated zest of 4 oranges
juice of 4 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
For the syrup
1 tablespoon of orange flower water
caster sugar to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line the bottom and sides of a 23cm spring-form tin with greaseproof paper.

Keep one tablespoon of caster sugar for later amd beat the rest of the 240g caster sugar together with the egg yolks until pale and frothy. Then mix in the almonds and zest.

Beat the egg whites with the retained tablespoon of caster sugar until stiff and then fold gently into the egg mixture trying not to knock out the air.

Carefully put the mixture into the lined tin, place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes until the cake is golden on top and firm to the touch.

While the cake is baking, make the orange syrup. Place the orange juice and, if using, the lemon juice into a saucepan together with the orange flower water and sugar to taste. Bring this gently to the boil and simmer for about five minutes. Taste – the syrup should be quite tart. Allow to cool then place in the fridge.

When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and allow to cool before opening the spring-form tin. Transfer it to a plate and pierce holes in the top (a skewer works well). Soak about up to about half of the syrup into the cake. Serve the remaining syrup in a jug. Often, though, the cake is moist enough without the extra juice.

Boiled fruit cake

2008-04-24T18:05:00.003Z

This is the easiest cake to make and always comes out right.

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees

Ingredients
500 gms mixed fruit
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
125 gms butter

Put all the above ingredients in a large pan. Bring to the boil and then let it simmer for 5 minutes

Allow to cool then add

1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 eggs

Mix all the ingredients well with a spoon then put in a buttered cake or loaf tin.

Cook for 1 hour

Marguerite Patten's Rich Christmas Cake

2007-12-26T10:33:00.001Z

A famous Christmas cake

You can make this cake several weeks before Christmas, but it is still delicious if made at the last minute.

Makes a 23cm round cake or 20cm square cake

350g plain flour (no raising agent)

1 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste

1 tsp mixed spice, or to taste

115g mixed candied peel, chopped

900g mixed dried fruit (preferably 450g currants, 225g sultanas, 225g seedless raisins)

50-115g blanched almonds, chopped

115g glace cherries, chopped

4 large eggs, whisked

4 tbsp sherry or brandy or rum or milk

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Finely grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

225g butter

225g sugar, preferably dark moist brown sugar

1 level tbsp black treacle or golden syrup

Prepare the tin carefully. Line the inside bottom with a double layer of brown paper, then cover this with a double thickness of baking parchment. Line the sides of the tin with greased greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Tie a deep double band of brown paper round the outside of the tin.

Sift together the flour and spices. Mix the peel, dried fruits, almonds and cherries (if these are slightly sticky, flour them lightly). Blend the eggs with the sherry, brandy, rum or milk. Cream together the lemon and orange zest with the butter, sugar and treacle or golden syrup until soft. Do not overbeat, as this type of cake does not need as much aerating as light cakes. Gradually blend in the egg mixture and sifted dry ingredients. Stir in all the fruit. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth flat on top, then press the top with slightly damp knuckles, as this helps to keep the cake moist and flat.

Bake in the centre of an oven preheated to 160C (140-150C in a fan oven) for 1...#8747; hours, then lower the heat to 140-150C (120-130C in a fan oven) and cook for approximately 2 hours. Baking times for rich fruit cakes like this vary considerably according to your particular oven, so test it carefully.

To test the cake: first press firmly on top - there should be no impression - then check to see if the cake has shrunk away from the sides of the tin. If it has, remove from the oven; listen carefully. A rich fruit cake that is not quite cooked gives a definite humming noise, in which case return it to the oven for a short time and test again. Cool the cake in the baking tin; when completely cold turn it out carefully; wrap in foil and store in an airtight tin.

This cake is given a very moist texture if you prick it once or twice before icing and pour several teaspoons of sherry or brandy or rum into the cake. Use a steel knitting needle or fine skewer, make a number of small holes on top of the cake and spoon the sherry, brandy or rum over this. If wished, turn the cake upside down and do the same again. Wrap the soaked cake tightly in foil and store in a cool, dry place. If you do not wish to moisten the cake during storage, do not worry, for it is still very rich and delicious.

German Christmas Biscuits

2007-12-26T10:29:00.000Z

Vanilla Crescents - Vanille Kipferl

This makes a lot of biscuits, but trust me they disappear very quickly

Heat oven to 180c.

200g plain flour, 1/4 tsp backing powder, 100gm caster sugar, 15gm vanilla sugar, 1 egg, 125g soft butter, 100g ground almonds. 80gm icing sugar 15 gms vanilla sugar.

Sieve the flour and backing powder into a large bowl. Add all the rest of the ingredients (if you have a food processor - using the pastry mixing thingy)or if like me, you like getting down and dirty mix with your hands till the pastry comes together (I added another egg as my mix was a bit dry)knead very lightly and then pop in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take lumps of the pastry and roll into a long sausage. cut into 4 - 5 cm lengths and form little crescents.

Cook for 10 minutes.

Mix the icing sugar and the vanilla powder and sprinkle over the biscuits while they are still hot. Then sprinkle again when they are cold.

Cinnamon stars - Zimtsterne

Heat oven to 140 c (120 c in fan assisted oven)
3 egg whites, 250 gms icing sugar, 7gms vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 drops of almond essence, 1 tsp cinnamon, 400 gms ground hazelnuts,

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Sieve the icing sugar and fold into the egg white. (put 3 heaped tablespoons aside for icing the biscuits after they are cooked)

then fold the vanilla sugar, almond essence, cinnamon and half the ground hazelnuts into the egg white mix. Add as much of the rest of the ground hazelnut it takes for the mixture to come away from the sides of the bowl.

Sprinkle icing sugar on a surface and roll out the biscuit mixture to 1 cm thickness. Cut out star shapes then 'paint' them with the icing sugar egg white mixture you put aside.

cook for 25 minutes.

An Ottolenghi Christmas

2007-12-10T18:52:00.000Z

Roasted pork belly with orange & star anise

Roasted pork belly with orange and star anise.

This cut of pork, slowly cooked, offers the best contrasting textures. The crackling skin and fatty meat, along with the mellow spiciness of anise and sharp sweetness of orange, are exactly what you'd expect both of pork and of Christmas. It's the ideal festive centrepiece for the inexperienced or kitchen-shy; if you follow the instructions, it's hard to get wrong, yet is highly impressive. Goes well with french beans and roasted potatoes. Serves six to eight.

7 oranges, halved
1 bunch thyme, roughly chopped
1 bunch rosemary, roughly chopped
1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
100ml olive oil
2-3kg pork belly, rind on
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
2/3 bottle white wine

For the star anise reduction

500ml orange juice
180ml balsamic vinegar
160g honey
10 star anise

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Arrange the orange halves in a large roasting tray, cut side up. Put the herbs, garlic and oil in a food processor and blitz roughly. Lay the pork on top of the orange halves, skin side down, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using your hands, spread the herb mixture evenly all over the upward-facing side of the meat, pressing so it sticks. Turn the joint over, so it's now skin side up and sitting on the orange halves. (Don't be too fastidious - not all the oranges have to be under the meat.) Wipe the skin dry with kitchen towel and sprinkle all over with sea salt.

Roast at full blast for an hour, turning the tray around halfway through. By the end of the hour, the pork should have turned a deep golden colour and the skin have firmed up. Turn down the heat to 160C/325F/gas mark 3, pour the white wine into the base of the tray, avoiding the skin, and roast for an hour more. If the belly begins to turn black, cover with foil. For the last cooking stage, turn down the heat to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼, and roast for another hour, uncovered, until the skin has crackled and thoroughly dried.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a heavy-based pan, stir and place over a medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced to a third. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

When the pork is ready, take it out of the oven. To serve, cut the joint into segments of a few ribs each, cutting in between the bones. Plate the pork pieces and orange halves on a large platter, and pour some of the cooking liquids on top, followed by a little of the star anise reduction. Dot the 10 star anises from the reduction here and there over the meat, for decoration, and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Roasted pumpkin wedges with chestnut, cinnamon & fresh bay leaves

Roasted pumpkin wedges with chestnut, cinammon and fresh bay leaves.

A simple and gratifying dish that looks great and is very easy to make. Lay out on a flat serving dish and bring to the table. It doesn't get much more Christmassy than this. Goes well with almost any main course. Serves four to six.

1 medium pumpkin, about 1.3kg
6 tbsp olive oil
4 cinnamon sticks
4 tbsp maple syrup
3 garlic cloves, crushed
20 fresh sage leaves
10 fresh bay leaves
Salt and black pepper
150g cooked chestnuts

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6. Cut the unpeeled pumpkin into wedges (1-2cm at the thick end) and discard the seeds; leave the skin on. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin pieces with four tablespoons of olive oil, the cinnamon, three tablespoons of maple syrup, the garlic, sage, half the bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Lay out in a single layer in a large roasting tray and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and golden. Add the chestnuts five minutes before the end.

Arrange the tray's contents on a serving platter and scatter the remaining bay leaves over the top. Stir together the remaining syrup and oil, and drizzle on top. Serve warm.

2007-11-23T10:44:00.001Z

Asparagus Tart

2007-11-22T17:56:00.000Z

Use good pancetta and good parmesan for this, it makes all the difference to the flavour. We served it with a tomato and basil salad, which went very well with the tart.

To make the pastry

200g plain flour

50gbutter chilled

50g parmesan cheese finely grated

3 tbsp cold water

pinch sea salt

filling

85g pancetta

300ml thick double cream

2 organic eggs

1 organic egg yolk

85g parmesan cheese

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley

175g frozen peas

6 asparagus, lightly blanched

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180

Sift the flour into a food bowl and add a pinch of sea salt. Add the butter (I like to grate it into the flour. Make sure it’s nice and cold and keep dipping the butter into the flour) and cheese, crumble till it’s like breadcrumbs. Add the water one tablespoon at a time, until the pastry forms a ball. Wrap it in cling film and chill for about an hour.

Grease loose-bottomed tart tin with butter. Roll the pastry into a circle and line the tin. Brush the pastry with a little egg wash and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Heat a frying pan and fry the pancetta until just beginning to crisp.

Remove the tart base from the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes then place on a baking tray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, Parmesan and parsley. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then stir in the peas and pancetta.

Pour the mixture into the base, then lay the asparagus on top. Cook the tart for another 20-25 minutes, until it is just firm to touch.

Roast Duck with Sour Cherry Sauce

2007-11-19T15:54:00.000Z

Sainsbury's had a special offer on Gressingham Ducks (£5.00 each - you'll read this in years to come and I guarantee it will seem extraordinarily cheap) so we had roast duck for Sunday lunch.

The recipe below comes straight from Delia Smith (on line). The only thing I changed was that I put the duck directly on a wire shelf in the oven and placed a roasting tin on the shelf underneath it. After the first time of getting rid of the duck fat I put par boiled ( for five minutes) potatoes in the roasting tin. I also made a potato and celeriac mash (boil the celeriac with the potatoes and mash together) as well as cabbage and carrots.

From St Delia

This is it – the best method of roasting duck I've found to date, and of all the lovely sauces, this one – made with dried sour cherries – is the loveliest. It's important to remember, however, that the duck should be as dry as possible, so buy it 24 hours in advance, remove and discard the wrapping and giblets, dry it in a clean tea cloth and leave it uncovered on a plate in the fridge till needed.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 4 lb (1.8 kg) Gressingham duck
fresh watercress, to garnish
coarse sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the confit of sour cherries:

3 oz (75 g) dried sour cherries
7 fl oz (200 ml) dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, for example)
1 oz (25 g) golden granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality red wine vinegar

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C).

You will also need a roasting rack or some kitchen foil, and a roasting tin measuring 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep.

You need to start this recipe the day before you want to serve it by first soaking the cherries for the confit in the red wine overnight.

The next day, prepare the duck by wiping it as dry as possible with kitchen paper. Now, using a small skewer, prick the fatty bits of the duck's skin, particularly between the legs and the breast. Now either place the duck on the roasting rack in the tin or make a rack yourself by crumpling the kitchen foil and placing it in the bottom of the roasting tin. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, using quite a lot of salt, as this encourages crunchiness. Now place the tin on the centre shelf of the pre-heated oven and roast the duck for 1 hour and 50 minutes. During the cooking time, using an oven glove to protect your hands, remove the tin from the oven and drain the fat from the corner of the tin – do this about 3 times (the fat is brilliant for roast potatoes, so don't throw it away).

Meanwhile, to make the confit, place the soaked cherries and wine in a saucepan, along with the sugar and wine vinegar. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, give it all a good stir and let it barely simmer, without a lid, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring from time to time. What will happen is that the wine will slowly reduce so there's only about 3 tablespoons of free liquid left.

When the cooking time is up, allow the duck to rest for 20 minutes or so, then carve and serve garnished with the fresh watercress, with the sour-cherry confit poured over each portion and the rest handed round separately in a jug.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Two.

Chicken, garlic and herbs (with a few extras)

2007-10-04T18:50:00.000Z

It was N's birthday yesterday . We'd all forgotten it was his birthday and we quickly organised a celebration birthday dinner. Nigel Slater, whose recipe it is, describes this as a 'simple supper'. It is very simple, but it is also very, very good. Y and I made the cream version. I might try and double on the sauce next time because it was so delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

free-range chicken – either a small bird, jointed by the butcher, or 2 chicken pieces per person, skin and bones to remain in place
olive oil
butter – a thick slice
garlic – 6 large, sweet cloves
herbs – a small bunch of parsley, plus tarragon, thyme or chervil
wine – a large glass of white wine or dry vermouth

PREPARATION:

1. Rub the chicken all over with a little oil and some black pepper. In a large pan – it can be high-sided or shallow but it must have a lid – warm enough olive oil to give a small puddle at the bottom, then add the butter. Once the butter starts to froth, put in the chicken pieces and keep the heat moderately high while they colour. A pale and relatively even gold is what you're after.

2. Meanwhile, put the whole unpeeled garlic cloves on a board and, with the flat blade of a knife, squash them so that they flatten but remain fairly intact. Throw them in with the chicken.

3. Turn down the heat so that the fat under the chicken is gently fizzing, then add a little sea salt, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook over a low to moderate heat. The time it takes to cook will depend on the thickness of your chicken joints, but you should expect them to need about 40 minutes. You'll have to turn them during cooking so that they colour on all sides.

4. While this is happening, pluck the leaves from the herbs and chop them roughly. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish or warm plates, then fish out the garlic (although the garlic has done its work, it may be sweet and tender and is worth adding to the plate, though the skin should be discarded at some point).

5. Tip most of the fat from the pan – what you're after is the golden, caramelised juice stuck to the bottom – then turn up the heat, pour in the wine and add the herbs and let it all bubble. Scrape away any stuck bits in the pan, encouraging them to dissolve into the wine with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble away for a minute or two until you have a thin liquor. It should be pale and interesting.

6. Now taste the juice for seasoning – it may need salt, pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice – and spoon it over the chicken.

And more

A buttery finish. Once the wine has bubbled down, whisk in a thick slice of butter (about 50g), cut into tiny cubes. Taste and spoon over the chicken.
Or a creamy one. Once you've removed the chicken from the pan and poured in your wine or vermouth, let it bubble away until you have only half of it left, then add about half as much cream. As it continues to bubble, stir in chopped parsely and slightly less chopped tarragon. Finish with salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Lamb with garlic and lemon. What works for a chicken thigh will also work for a lamb chop. Try the original idea but with chump chops and adding parsely and mint. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Pork chops with apple and cream. Rib chops, with their generous marbling of integral fat (rather than a loin chop with its great wodge of fat running alongside the lean meat), are delectable cooked this way. You should let them colour well before turning down the heat, adding an apple or two, peeled and cut into small cubes, and letting it colour with the pork. When it's time to take out the meat, leave the apple be, then add the wine and let it simmer down a bit before pouring in a small pot of double cream. Stir, taking the sediment from the pan with you and dissolving it into the cream with your wooden spoon. Herbs are not really needed here, though the garlic is. I once crushed a few juniper berries, adding them after the meat and fruit had browned, to great effect.

Rilletes de Canard – Duck Pate

2007-08-02T16:09:00.000Z

We had this when we went on holiday to France. Y had brought some up from the butcher in Versaille and it was delicious, so when we'd finished it we bought some more at the butchers in Marcillac. Not so good this time as it was very fatty. When I got back home I thought I'd try and find a similar recipe to the Versaille version and found the one below. It was originally published in Vogue in May 1994.

Serve with rounds of crusty bread, cornichons and a glass of chilled Sauternes.

Ingredients

6 duck legs

340g pork should cut into 2cm cubes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup of chicken stock

¾ cup of dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 large cloves garlic peeled

2 shallot onions peeled

2 tablespoons of brandy

10 cloves (or powered cloves)

1 tbls white pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Moisten the bottom of a heavy cast iron pan with a little duck fat and lay the duck legs on the bottom. Cover with the cubes of pork.

Add the stock, wine, herbs, garlic, shallots and spices.

Cook at barely a simmer for 2 hours covered – then cook uncovered until the meat falls off the bone (another 2 to 3 hours).

Most of the liquid will have evaporated.

Strain the pork and duck in a colander over a deep bowl and let it cool until you can handle it easily.

Using a fork, shred the meat by hand and add to the fat that dripped through into the bowl.

Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and spices as necessary.

Put into cups and seal with duck fat

Chill and keep refrigerated for a few days for the flavours to develop.

The Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts

2007-04-02T17:01:00.000Z

From Nigella Bites

'You might think that nuts, untampered with, are perfect picking food as they are. But try these, modestly adapted from the recipe for the spiced nuts served at the Union Square Cafe in New York, and you'll truly know what perfection is. '

500 g assorted unsalted nuts.
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark muscovado sugar
2 teaspoons Maldon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 4
Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven till they become light golden-brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, muscovado sugar, salt and melted butter.

Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm.

egg custard

2007-04-01T19:23:00.001Z

Serves 4

400ml double cream
175ml full fat milk
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp runny honey
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees / gas 3

Heat the cream and milk together until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Beat the eggs and half the honey together, then pour in the hot cream mixture.

Drizzle the remaining honey into ramekins. Grate a little nutmeg on top of the honey, then pour in the custard. Sprinkle the top with a little more grated nutmeg.

Put the ramekins in a baking tray and pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides of the moulds. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until just set. Remove ramekins from water and allow to cool. Keep in the fridge until half an hour before serving.

Hazelnut Cake for Passover

2007-04-01T18:49:00.000Z

200g ground hazelnuts
5 eggs
175g caster sugar
100g melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 180c / gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round deep cake tin.

Separate eggs into bowls. Tip sugar onto yolks. Whisk for about 3 minutes until pale and frothy.
Gradually whisk in the melted butter, then fold in the hazelnuts and vanilla.

Whisk egg whites until stiff, then gently fold into cake mixture. Pour into the prepared tin, then bake for 50-60 minutes until cake feels firm.

Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool.

wdky's thai chicken and noodle yumminess

2006-06-08T19:53:00.000Z

I had this the other night at my friend wdky's, and it was really fantastic. wdky's signature dish. In the words of NB - it was the best thing I've had in my mouth for a very long time.

Serves 4

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

2.5cm (1 inch) root ginger, peeled and grated

1 bunch spring onions (scallions) sliced

500 g / 1lb chicken breast fillet, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces

2 tbsp mild curry paste (red thai curry paste)

475 ml/16fl oz/2 cups coconut milk

300 ml/ ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups chicken stock

250g/8 oz Chinese egg noodles

2 tsp lime joice

Salt and pepper

Coriander leaves (cilantro in US I think)

Heat the oil in a wok or large, heavy-based pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir fry for 2 minutes until softened.

Add the chicken pieces and curry paste and stir fry until the vegetables and chicken are just cooked (don’t cook too long or the chicken gets tough and it still has a lot of cooking to do) about 3 to 4 minutes

Stir in the coconut milk, stock and salt and pepper to taste, mixing until well blended.

Bring to the boil, break the noodles into large pieces and add to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes until the noodles are just tender, stirring occasionally

Add the lime juice, taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, then serve at once.

Lazy Shag Pancake

2006-03-21T09:19:00.000Z

This is a just a basic pancake recipe, however it's dedicated to a group of young backpackers in Kaikoura. Lyn and I stayed at the Lazy Shag Backpackers hostel, and we got talking to some young Israeli lads. For some reason we ended up cooking pancakes at 10 pm in the communal kitchen.

So for our new Israeli friends here's how to cook pancakes -

Put 1 cup plain flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add 1 egg and stir. Slowly add milk and keep whisking until the batter is the consistency of pouring cream. Melt a tablespoon of butter and add to the batter.

Heat small amount of oil (just enough to very lightly cover the bottom of the pan) until it's hot and ladle in some of the batter. Swirl it round until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cook on both sides.

Good travelling Eyal and Ami

Tempura of Prawn

2006-03-17T03:44:00.000Z

It's a rainy afternoon in Wellington so I thought I'd add this recipe which comes from a Japanese cooking class at the Auckland Seafood Market, that Judi and I went to a couple of nights ago.

I hadn't realised how easy it was to make tempura and that we'd be able to recreate something which tasted so authentic.

Ingredients
24 large raw tiger prawns (shelled and deveined, with the tails left on)
Tempura dipping sauce (which you can buy, or make as below)
Tempura batter
2 limes

To make Tempura batter
125gm corn flour
125gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200ml soda water
approx 200 ml ice cold water

Mix together all the ingredients up to the soda water, then add the soda water and enough of the ice cold water to make a batter of 'pouring cream' consistency. The finished batter should be a bit lumpy.

Tempura dipping sauce
310 ml dashi (instant)
50 ml Mirin
80 ml kikkoman soy sauce

combine all the ingredients and bring to the boil - remove from heat

Putting it all together
Heat oil in a wok or deep fat fryer or whatever you use to heat oil.

Make 3 small cuts in the underbelly of the prawn, turn the prawn over and push lightly on a hard surface. This stops them curling too much when they're cooking.

Have a bowl of flour and the tempura batter side by side and then holding a prawn by its tail, dip it in the flour then the batter. Still holding the prawn by its tail put in the fat and hold for a second or two before dropping in. Deep fry in batches.

Serve immediately with the tempura dipping sauce

Mince and Tatties

2006-03-05T16:56:00.000Z

L has promised to cook dinner for her grandad tonight. And his request is for mince and tatties. Good, basic food and very common from his childhood in Scotland. In terms of a national dish, it's a sort of Scottish spaghetti bolognaise, without the exotic bits and spuds instead of pasta.

Ingredients

For the mince
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped

2 smallish carrots sliced into discs

170g/8oz beef mince

tablespoon flour
small cup of stock

1/2 cupful of peas

For the tatties
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tbsp butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan, over a moderate heat. Add the chopped onion and stir and cook until they are translucent. Then add the carrots and fry for a further 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the beef mince, and fry until the beef has browned. Sprinkle on the flour and stir. Add the beef stock to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes. 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time add the peas.

For the tatties

While the mince is cooking, put the potato into a saucepan with plenty of boiling water and boil until they are soft.

Drain them thoroughly, then mash them with the butter and seasoning.

…………..and serve

Black-eyed beans in a tomato and mushroom sauce

2006-02-26T18:12:00.000Z

This is delicious. It’s simple, but tastes quite complex. It’s as cheap as chips and nutritious to boot. Unlike a lot of other beans, black-eyed beans don’t have to be soaked overnight, which is a level of domestic organisation I seldom reach.

I used to make it a lot, but it fell out of favour when A was only eating beige food (pasta, rice, potatoes, cheese that kind of thing – beige and bland) and L wouldn’t have touched a bean unless it came in a tin with a Heinz label on it.

Post Script - L still doesn't like beans! It would be easy to substitute the beans for another vegetable - courgettes or carrots. Or meat - chicken or lamb maybe, cut into chunks and lightly fried first.

Ingredients

225 g/8oz dried black-eyed beans

1.2 litres/2 pints water

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic crushed

225g/8oz mushrooms

1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes and their juice

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

2 large tablespoons of greek yoghurt (optional)

3 tablespoons chopped coriander (parsley will do)

Wash and drain the beans. Put in a pan with the water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for an hour covered.

Bring back to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the beans are just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and add the whole cumin seeds and the cinnamon stick. Fry for a few seconds, then add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Halve the mushrooms if they’re big or leave them whole if they’re small enough. Add them to the casserole dish with the tomatoes and the rest of the spices and the salt.

Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then tip the beans into the casserole with their cooking water.

Simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes then spoon in the yoghurt, stir and cook for a final 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the coriander (or parsley) and serve with rice.

Apple Crumble

2006-02-20T19:50:00.000Z

Apple crumble is one of those dishes that's basic and comforting when it's cold. It also very easy and you can play about with the ingredients without it coming to any harm. Add some blueberries or blackberries to the apples. Add or take away the nuts. Whatever takes your fancy.

Ingredients

1 lb 8 oz (700 g) Bramley apples
8 oz (225 g) Cox's apples
1 oz (25 g) light brown soft sugar
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon ground cloves

For the crumble:

4 oz (110 g) finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts (or a mix of both)
3 oz (75 g) chilled butter, cut into small dice
6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour, sifted
2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 oz (110 g) demerara sugar

To serve:

custard or pouring cream

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

You will also need ovenproof baking dish measuring 7½ x 11 inches (19 x 28 cm) and 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) deep.

Peel and core the apples. Then cut them into thickish slices and toss them in a bowl with the sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves, then place them in the baking dish and put to one side.

Next make the crumble. All you do is place the butter, sifted flour, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and rub with your hands until it resembles crumbs. Next add the almonds and mix again.

Now simply sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the apples, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish, and, using the flat of your hands, press it down quite firmly all over; the more tightly it is packed together the crisper it will be. Then finish off by lightly running a fork all over the surface.

Now bake the crumble on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, by which time the apples will be soft and the topping golden brown and crisp. Leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, then serve it warm with custard or pouring cream.

Coq au Vin

2006-01-26T15:40:00.000Z

I love how food changes depending on the length of time it cooks. Especially with something stewlike, like this. What seems unpromising half way through can transform with slow cooking.

I took Delia's advice and cooked to after the first simmer*, then left if to marinate overnight. The next day I finished it off, and then left it in a cool oven for about half an hour before we ate it. That last half hour seemed to make everything gel together and it was deeply rich and dark. And just so delicious.

Ingredients

One chicken jointed, or 8 pieces
1¼ pints (725 ml) red wine (just less than a bottle)
1 oz (25g) butter
8 oz (225t) unsmoked streaky bacon cut into bits (best if it’s one pieces cut into chunks, or pancetta bits from the supermarket
16 button onions
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
8 oz (225g) small mushrooms
1 rounded tblspn softened butter and 1 level tblspn plain flour, mushed together to make a paste
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter with the oil in a frying pan, and fry the chicken joints, skin side down, until they are golden; then turn them and colour the other side. You may have to do this in three or four batches – don't overcrowd the pan. Remove the joints from the pan with a draining spoon, and place them in the cooking pot. This should be large enough for the joints to be arranged in one layer yet deep enough so that they can be completely covered with liquid later.

Now de-rind and cut the bacon into fairly small cubes, brown them also in the frying pan and add them to the chicken, then finally brown the onions a little and add them too.

Next place the crushed cloves of garlic and the sprigs of thyme among the chicken pieces, season with freshly milled pepper and just a little salt, and pop in a couple of bay leaves.

Pour in the wine, put a lid on the pot and simmer gently for 45-60 minutes * or until the chicken is tender. During the last 15 minutes of the cooking, add the mushrooms and stir them into the liquid.

Remove the chicken, bacon, onions and mushrooms and place them on a warmed serving dish and keep warm. (Discard the bay leaves and thyme at this stage.) Now bring the liquid to a fast boil and reduce it by about one third. Next, add the butter and flour paste to the liquid. Bring it to the boil, whisking all the time until the sauce has thickened, then serve the chicken with the sauce poured over. If you like, sprinkle some chopped parsley over the chicken and make it look pretty.

Delia recommends starting this the day before you want to eat it. Just cook for the first half an hour and then leave the chicken to marinade in it's juices overnight then carry on.

This recipe is taken from Saint Delia ’s Complete Cookery Course,

Chocolate Puddle Pudding

2006-01-22T14:56:00.000Z

Another recipe from k via a friend of her's. I haven't tested it out yet but I trust k's taste so I'm putting it straight on here. A I expect you to make this - maybe tonight.

8oz plain choc broken into pieces
½ pt milk
2 tablespoons brandy (optional) (yeah- right!)
2oz unsalted butter softened
5oz caster sugar
2 eggs separated
1oz self raising flour
1oz cocoa powder
Cocoa powder for dusting

Put the chocolate in a small saucepan with the milk and heat gently until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the brandy.
Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the egg yolks, flour, cocoa and melted chocolate mixture.
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they hold their shape. Using a large metal spoon, fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold into the rest of the egg whites.
Turn into a 2 ½ pt pie dish and place the dish in a roasting tin. Pour a 1” depth of boiling water into the tin Bake in a preheated oven 180 C for about 35 mins until a crust has formed.
Dust generously with cocoa powder and serve hot with whipped cream.

This Recipe came from Julia. My notes:

I made this in 9 small ramekins and reduced the cooking time to about 20 minutes. Whatever container you use do not over-fill as the mixture rises a little during cooking and you would not want to waste any of this pudding!

Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Dip

2006-01-20T16:00:00.000Z

Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Dip

I thought it might be nice to use this as a bit of a diary when the food and our mood combines well. Last night was a bit like that. I needed to use up some vegetables that were languishing in the fridge. So we ended up having warm spinach salad, piedmontese roast peppers, and sweet potato chips with an avocado dip. Somehow everything worked together well and it was delicious.

It might, of course, have been because we were quite hungry because we didn’t eat till about 10. A and C were out till then and I was helping L revise for her exam on the theories and practice in Crisis Intervention. What a fantastic mother I am!

For the Sweet Potato Chips

2 lbs Sweet Potatoes wash and cut into wedges (leave unpeeled)
Olive oil
Salt

Pre heat the oven to a high heat.

Put the sweet potato wedges in boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and toss them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Then put the sweet potato wedges in a large baking dish in a single row and pop them in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes.

And serve with

Avocado Dip
This is a sort of pretend gaucomole.

2 or 3 very ripe avocados (depending on size)
2 spring onions finely chopped
Half a tub of garlic Boursin (or if you can’t get that - any cream cheese like Philidephia and add a clove of crushed garlic will do fine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just mush it all together with a fork or stick it in a blender.

Mumo’s Potato Salad

2006-01-08T19:21:00.000Z

This differs from the potato salads we normally have that have mayonnaise in them and also this one is served warm. It’s lovely and makes a nice change.

1 kg (2 lbs) potatoes (get waxy potatoes not floury ones – cyprus potatoes are good )
1/3 litre hot chicken stock (made from a stock cube)
½ tablespoon finely chopped onion
3 to 4 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of chopped chives (or the green bits from spring onions)
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
salt, pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes until they are soft then when they’ve cooled a bit, peel the skins off and cut them into slices about the thickness of a pound coin .

Put the potatoes into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Season with the salt and pepper.

Linzertorte - Jam and Hazelnut Tart/cake

2006-01-07T16:29:00.000Z

This was one of our favourite cakes when we were growing up. It's not quite a cake and it's not quite a tart. It comes from Linz in Austria.

Mine doesn't come out looking anything as neat as the one on the right

300 g plain flour (10 oz)
300 g castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
300 g grated hazelnut or almond (or a mixture of both)
1 egg
2 tablespoons kirsch *
5 tablespoons raspberry jam
1 egg yolk

Kirsch is an Eau de Vie (water of life) made from cherries and is 45% proof.

The kirsch is optional, if you’re not using it add a tablespoon or two of water

~~~~~

Rub the flour and butter together (in the same way as making pastry) until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Then tip in the rest of the ingredients - apart from the jam and egg yolk - into a large bowl.

Bring the ingredients together, first by stirring gently with a metal spoon and then when it’s starting to come together lightly use your hands to form it into a large ball.

Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for an hour

The dough is quite crumbly because of the hazelnuts, even when it's come out of the fridge. Your supposed to roll it out but it's much easier to handle it into shape. Get a large baking tray and shape the dough into a circle with your hands . Create a rim round the edges to create a large hollow in the centre of the tart.

Mum always used to shape it on a baking tray in a rectangle. And having made it this afternoon I think that may be the best way. It's certainly easier to cut after it's cooked.

Roll out the remaining dough and cut into long strips, arranging it in lattice pattern on top of the jam, brush with the remaining egg yolk

Put in a pre heated oven – 160c. In mum’s old cook book it just says a middle heat.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is a lovely brown glaze on it.

When the cake has cooled wrap in tin foil and leave for 3 days before eating (if you can wait that long, it can be eaten as soon as it's cool but it develops a deliciously moist chewiness if you wait)

A different way to poach an egg

2006-01-06T23:45:00.000Z

I read about this way to poach eggs in the Sunday Times a few years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. It makes a great poached egg. You end up with some interesting shapes and I just enjoy the ritual of it this way.

~~~~~~~~~~

Put a small pan of water on the heat to boil.

Get a mug and lay enough cling film over it to allow for a hollow in the centre and a good overhang on all sides. Gently increase the size of the dip with your fingers – that’s where the egg is going to go.

Rub oil over the cling film with your fingers including a bit of the overhang, then break the egg into the hollow.

Carefully lift up the sides of the cling film and make a little parcel by twisting the cling film over the top of the egg. Then drop it into the boiling water.

Cook for three minutes and lift out of the water with a spoon.

Then all you have to do is unwrap your egg parcel and eat it on a nice slice of toast.

Apart from the middle boiling-water section, I think this would be nice thing to do with kids

Spinach Salad

2006-01-05T20:32:00.000Z

This tastes very good and at the same time makes you feel like you’re eating something very healthy

Large pack baby spinach leaves
6 rashers of bacon (cut up into small pieces) or the equivalent amount of pancetta cubes
200 grms mushrooms sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
olive oil
couple of squeezes of lemon juice
salt and freshly milled pepper

fry the bacon in a little oil until crispy – put to one side
clean the pan out and put some olive oil in and heat gently. Add the garlic, stir then add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are just starting to release their juices – put to one side

Put the spinach leaves in a large bowl and add the bacon and the mushroom and mix well. Then dress the leaves with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Serve with some boiled new potatoes and the piedmont roasted peppers and you can’t go wrong

Roast Chicken Italian style

2006-01-05T13:38:00.000Z

This was the first thing you ever cooked L. And I can remember how pleased you (and us) were with the results.

Again it's a simple recipe and again one of those recipes which leaves you with deeply savoury bits in the pan which are made for dipping crusty bread into.

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary or sage leaves or marjoram. Or a combination of all three
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large chicken about 3lbs jointed
salt and freshly milled pepper
water or chicken stock for basting

Put the olive oil in a roasting tin then add the herbs and garlic. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly with the oil, turning the joints over to coat them.

Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, then place in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes until cooked through, crisp and golden brown, turning the joints over and basting occasionally with a little water or chicken stock.

I think this goes best with roast potatoes or potatoes cooked Greek style and a nice green salad.

Panetone Pudding

2006-01-05T08:43:00.000Z

This is the most indulgent, yummy pudding. It's so wonderful that you have to accept that once in a while it's worth furring up your arteries for. The only thing I'd say is that it needs to follow a light meal. Or at least one that doesn't haven't any cream or butter in it.

175g unsalted butter
6 tbsp golden syrup
175g soft dark sugar
4 bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
150ml double cream
150ml Milk
1 panettone, sliced
double cream or ice cream, to serve

Put the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the butter and sugar have melted and the mix has become a sort of bubbling toffeeish mix.

Add the bananas and cook for another 10 minutes.

Then put the cream and milk in a small saucepan over a low heat for 2-3 minutes, until warm.

Put a layer of panettone slices in the base of a large ovenproof dish. Pour over half of the cream mixture, then half of the toffee and banana mixture. Then repeat until you end up with the toffee mixture on top.

Bake in the preheated (gas 5 / 190c) oven for 20 minutes.

And just for good measure serve with lightly whipped double cream or ice cream.

The Go-With-Anything Cake

2006-01-04T21:21:00.000Z

This is a seriously delicious cake from my friend Ms Gin

3 medium eggs
160g ground almonds
150g golden caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1/2 an unwaxed/orqanic lemon
(or the zest of 1/2 small unwaxed/organic orange, plus 1 1/2 tbsp juice)
'/4-'/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Separate the eggs: whites in one big mixing bowl, yolks in another.

With a wooden spoon, beat the yolks, gradually adding 130g of the sugar, until pale and creamy. Fold in the ground almonds, zest, juice and cinnamon to make a stiff paste. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Keep whisking until the mixture is glossy and the peaks are stiff when you remove the whisk.

Stir one-third of the whisked whites into the almond mixture to loosen it slightly, then, using a metal spoon, carefully fold in the remaining mixture, in two batches. Be gentle, or you'll lose all the air you've whisked in and that would be a pity.

Butter a 17.5cm round pie tin; then cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the bottom and put that in. Transfer the mixture to the tin and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Provided you switched on the oven to the right temperature and gave it time to heat up beforehand, the cake should be done; a bit of squidge one way or the other doesn't really matter. It should be lightly risen, with a chewy crust, but still quite soft inside. It will be a darker brown around the edge than in the middle — but ovens vary, so if you're worried it might burn, you could always cover it with foil for the last five minutes.

Leave it to cool a little (it might sink or crack slightly, but don't worry — just call it rustic charm), then turn it out, remove the greaseproof circle and flip it onto a plate so that the brown side faces upwards. Sieve some icing sugar over the top and serve while still slightly warm.

Piedmontese Roast Peppers

2006-01-04T17:20:00.000Z

This is so simple and so delicious. It’s dead easy and makes a great lunch with a bit of cheese, salad and good bread. Or I might serve it as a vegetable with a plain meat.
It’s a standard Italian recipe but I originally found it via Delia Smith

Ingredients
4 large red peppers (green are not suitable, you could use yellow)
4 medium tomatoes (skinned) I sometimes use baby tomatoes, in which case you need approx 2 for each pepper half – and I don’t skin them.
8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained
2 cloves garlic 8 dessertspoons
Italian extra virgin olive oil
pepper
To serve:
small bunch fresh basil leaves

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

Use a good, solid, shallow roasting tray, 16 x 12 inches (40 x 30 cm). The idea is that the edges of the peppers get a bit burnt (it gives a lovely nutty flavour).

Begin by cutting the peppers in half and removing the seeds but leaving the stalks intact (don't eat them but they do look attractive and they help the pepper halves to keep their shape).

Lay the pepper halves in the lightly oiled roasting tray. Now put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave them for 1 minute, then drain them and slip the skins off, using a cloth to protect your hands. Then cut the tomatoes into quarters and place two quarters in each pepper half.

After that, snip one anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes.

Peel the garlic cloves, crush them and add to the olive oil. Now spoon 1 dessertspoon of the olive oil mixture into each pepper half, season with freshly milled pepper (but no salt because of the anchovies) and place the tray on a high shelf in the oven for the peppers to roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Then transfer the cooked peppers to a serving dish, with all the precious juices poured over, and garnish with a few scattered basil leaves. These do need good bread to go with them as the juices are delicious – focaccia would be perfect

Real Jewish Chicken Soup aka Jewish Penicillin

2006-01-03T17:35:00.000Z

A University of Nebraska Medical Centre team concluded from their research that a traditionally prepared chicken soup inhibits the clumping of a certain type of white blood cells (called neutrophils) that cause congestion and inflammation in people suffering from the common cold.

What do they know?

Every Jewish mother knows it’s much more than a cure for colds and flu, it is also an antidote for depression, falling school marks, upset stomachs, cramps, political unrest and in-growing toenails.

How to make Jewish chicken soup is one of those things that is handed down through generations, and everyone thinks that their mother made the best chicken soup.

Probably the most important thing is the quality of the chicken you buy. Really and truly it should be a boiling chicken and I have only found these at Kosher butchers. But if you can’t get Kosher try and get an organic bird that’s had a good life.

~~~~~^^^^^~~~~~

1 1/2 kilo chicken parts: bones, wings, thighs, feet, hearts, skin in any ratio. Use all the innards expect the liver (or a whole chicken)
2 large carrots, washed, unpeeled, broken into coarse pieces
1 large onion, washed and unpeeled
2 celery stalks, cut into quarters
1 medium parsnip, washed, unpeeled, cut into three pieces
6-8 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, whole
1 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorn
Chicken stock
matzo balls (recipe below)

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and add water to cover.

Bring water to boil over medium heat but watch the pot so water never comes to a rolling boil. When the water is just about to boil, turn heat to lowest setting so only a few bubbles break the surface. At this point you may need to skim off some sediment that is on the surface of the soup.
Cover pot and let simmer for 4 hours. (Longer simmering will not hurt soup.)

Remove pot from heat and strain out most of the chicken parts and vegetables. Most of the chicken will be dried out and virtually all the flavour has passed into the liquid so feed the dogs with it. I sometimes add a fresh breast of chicken for a slow simmer in the soup before serving if you like the meat with the soup. I get rid of everything else except the carrots.

Adjust salt to your taste. (or if the chicken isn't quite tasty enough you can always resort to a bit of M&S chicken stock)

Leave the soup overnight in a cold place and take the fat off the top. Leave a bit of fat because it adds to the flavour and there’s something about seeing those shiny, golden globules of chicken fat that make everything worthwhile.

To serve the soup take about 1/4 cup dry vermicelli and cook in salted water. For garnish, coarsely chop fresh parsley. Add these with matzo balls into individual soup bowls.

Usually I buy the packets of ready prepared matzos balls. But, you never know, the Telma company might go out of business and you have to make them from scratch.

MATZO BALLS
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1/2 t ground black pepper
3/4 cup matzo meal
2 Tbsp soft butter, oil or chicken fat

Beat eggs, blend in salt, parsley, pepper. Slowly mix matzo meal and butter (or oil or fat) into egg mixture until it forms a dough. This will be a stiff dough, to lighten it add water slowly until it is workable (about 1/4 water).

Shape dough into neat, round 14 to 18 walnut-sized balls, lower them into simmering stock (using chicken bouillon), cover pot and gently for 10 minutes. Drain and add them to the soup.

It should be added that to benefit from Jewish Penicillin, one need not be Jewish.

more things to do with basic tomato sauce

2006-01-02T17:32:00.000Z

Baked Pasta Dish

400 grms of a small pasta shape (something like penne or orechette)
basic tomato sauce (a two tin job)
handful of basil
3 x 150g mozzarella - sliced
cup of grated parmesan

Cook the pasta till al dente (which means it little bit of bite to it, not too hard or too soft) then mix with the sauce and a handful of parmesan. Get a dish and rub it with olive oil and put in a thin layer of the pasta followed by a sprinkle of basil and some sliced mozzarella. Then keep layering until you've used up the pasta. End up with a good sprinkle of parmesan and bake in medium oven for about 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Let it cool a bit before eating.

Parmigiana di melanzane

2006-01-02T14:18:00.000Z

Luigi Rotundo from Sicily taught me how to make this when he lived with us back in 1989. I think it tastes best when it's not too hot. And it's lovely with a nice green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the juices.

3 firm aubergines (egg plant)
2 or 3 small packs Mozzarella (buffalo is expensive but best)
basil
cup full of grated parmesan
(half a quantity of tomato sauce recipe)

Cut the stalk end of the aubergine off and cut aubergine into half inch thick slices.
Some people say to sprinkle them with salt, place a weight on top, and let stand for about one hour, that will guarantee they're not bitter, but I'm not sure it's so necessary nowadays.

Cut the Mozzarella into very thin slices and let them dry on a cloth. Chop the basil and mix it with the grated parmesan.

Wash the salt off the aubergine slices and dry them. Then brush them on both sides with olive oil and lay in a large baking tray (you'll probably need two)

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Coat a deep baking dish with olive oil and put in a layer of aubergine. Sprinkle with Parmisan, pour on a layer of tomato sauce, and cover with slices of Mozzarella. Repeat this layering until all the ingredients have been used, and then cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano and bake for about 30 mins.

You can substitute the aubergine for courgette (Zucchine) and it's equally delicious.

Basic Tomato Sauce

2006-01-02T09:05:00.000Z

A very good sauce that is an excellent basis for a number of dishes. This is a double quantity so that you can make a couple of things from it.

[If you use fresh tomatoes, make sure that they are very tasty and ripe (good plum tomatoes). Before you use them you'll need to blanch them, by making a little slit in their skin and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Count to 30, then cool them by running under cold water and slip off the skins.]

2 tins chopped tomatoes
quarter tin of water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves (finely sliced or chopped)
salt/sugar
you can add a bit of chilli or a cinnamon stick depending on what you're going to do with the sauce (the cinnamon is particularly good for a middle eastern type dish)

In a medium sized saucepan heat the olive oil. When it's hot, but not smoking, add the onion. Cook slowly until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the garlic. Stir for a short time and add the tins of tomatoes plus the quarter of a tin of water. Add a pinch of sugar and salt.

Cook over a medium heat for at least 30 minutes or until the sauce is lovely and gloopy and doesn't have that thin, acidic taste that can happen if the tomatoes aren't cooked enough.

And if you're in a hurry or the sauce doesn't seem tasty enough throw in a dolmio sauce (or similar, but only enough for a bit of taste not to overpower)