Apple and Cranberry Bread Pudding

We had some hot cross buns lurking around the kitchen (makes them sound like under-cover hostiles!) so I used them in a bread-and-butter pud, but without the butter, so not too naughty.  (we had all that chocolate cake and caramel flapjacks lying about for those purposes).  Anyway, I peeled and chopped a couple of Bramley apples which were lightly cooked with a couple of tablespoons of sugar, and then mixed with a handful of sultanas and dried cranberries (craisins) which had been soaked in Calvados.  This mix was then placed in the bottom of a Pyrex dish, then topped with 3 chopped hot cross buns.  A custard of 3 eggs, 3/4 pint of milk and 2 tablespoons sugar, along with a teaspoon of vanilla essence, was poured over.  Scatter with a few more dried cranberries, cover with foil, and bake in a bain marie at 175C for 45 minutes.  Serve warm with cream if liked, or I had some custard that I poured over - gilding the lily, I know.  Frugal and delicious after a roast leg of pork.

Frosted Chocolate Tray Bake

Part 2 of my nerve-inspired chocolate baking fest.  This is using Mary Berry's 'Best Ever Chocolate Cake' recipe, but cooking it as a single layer in a 12" by 9" traybake tin, then icing the top with her chocolate ganache icing.  Very good.  I didn't use the layer of apricot jam before the icing that the recipe stipulates, largely because this divided opinion the last time I made it.  Do use Bourneville chocolate, though.  I know it isn't as high in cocoa content as other brands, but its sweet chocolatiness seems to make for a perfect smooth icing.  The remainder will be brought in to work on Monday afternoon - Ady Fenwick, you'd better be there!

Chocolate Peanut Caramel Flapjack

OK, so I have a bit of a baking head on.  I start a secondment next week (finally, as I've been trying to do two jobs for the last few weeks) and am nervous about 2 things: first, that I'll be rubbish in the new post - they have such high expectations about me and I feel a little fraudulent; and second, that my replacement is so good, they might not want me back in my old post when the 12 months is up!  Gulp!  So, I am seeking solace in baked goods with lots of chocolate.  First up, this obscene lump of solid sugar and fat.  I take some comfort that the oats will help reduce some of the cholesterol being ingested.  This is a layer of squidgy flapjack (100g butter, 30g granulated sugar, 70g soft muscovado sugar, 2 tablespoons golden syrup and 175g oat flakes, all melted together, flattened in a parchment-lined 20cm sq brownie pan and baked for 10 mins at 160C - no longer, or else it is too hard).  Allow this to cool, then mix half a tin of Carnation Caramel condensed milk - make sure it is the ready-caramelised one - with 100g of roasted peanuts - your choice whether salted or unsalted, but the salt goes really well with the caramel!  Also, it is up to you to decide what to do with the remining half tin.  It is calling to me from the kitchen.  "Hello? Psst!  Maggie, EAT me!" it is saying.  Spread this over the cooled flapjack, and set in the fridge for a few hours.  Then gently melt 75g each of dark and white chocolate together with a tablespoon of flavourless oil, stirring very gently.  Pour this over the cold caramel layer and return to the fridge.  Leave to set, and then cut with a big sharp knife dipped in boiling water, wiping the knife between each cut.  This is best done on a board, out of the tin.  Use the parchment paper to help lift out of the pan.  Try to keep chilled, so the caramel doesn't seep out too much.  The bulk (I use the word advisedly) of this is going into work on Monday, otherwise we'd scarf the lot. These taste good.  Very good.  Like a Marathon bar with oats in.  (I refuse to call them Snickers - stupid name)

North African Chickpea and Squash Stew

This tasty wonder comes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's marvellous book, 'Veg'.  If you haven't got it, buy it, is my advice.  Dare I say (whisper it very softly), it is even better than Nigel Slater's 'Tender: Volume 1' for veggie recipes.  Anyway, this simple yet scrummy dish will feed four people well with couscous (I flavour mine with lemon zest and juice, chopped coriander and ground sumac).  As this recipe is from a book, I shall preserve the copyright, and urge you to consult the book itself, but to give you a gist.........You saute an onion, some chopped garlic and ginger in olive oil.  You add North African spices: chili flakes, ground cinnamon, ground coriander and cumin, saffron and turmeric and I also added some ras al hanout.  You add a tin each of tomatoes and chickpeas and a little water and simmer until all is soft and delicious.  You steam some chunks of butternut squash and add to the stew for the final 5 minutes.  You lift the flavours at the end with chopped coriander and a good squeeze of lemon.  You serve with couscous or rice and, in our case, some fresh chorizo sausages (merguez would be better)  You enjoy with relish and then go and order the book on Amazon for a bargain ten quid.  You do this 'cos Maggie says it is a good idea, and she is always right.

Celeriac and Celery Soup

A friend who had looked at my blog for the first time today said "thanks for telling me what I can do with celeriac".  It is a shame it is a veg that appears to strike fear into people - I love its aniseedy celery flavour and smooth texture.  I decided to use up half of one that has been lurking in the fridge, along with a head of celery and a big leek, to make a soothing, creamy soup on a chilly late Winter day.  It is just the usual approach - clean and chop a leek (keep some of the green part, it adds to the colour), and chop an onion, then sweat these in about 25g of butter and a splosh of olive oil, along with a cleaned, chopped head of celery and a small head of peeled and chopped celeriac.  Do this sweating stage slowly, with the lid on, to help soften and develop the flavours.  Don't allow the veg to colour.  Now, just cover with veg or chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes or so, then blend.  I like to add quite a bit of flat-leaf parsley at this stage - the overall colour at the end is much improved.  Thin with milk or cream if liked, season with celery salt and nutmeg and serve in a big bowl with crusty bread - I had some warm wholemeal soda bread fresh from the oven - heaven!  And cheap too - add some cheese and fruit and you have a substantial lunch or supper for well under a fiver.

Chorizo, Potato and Courgette 'Frittilla'

So, tonight's effort was a cross-cultural blend of Spain and Italy - was I making an egg tortilla or frittata?  It was a combination of both, really, so lo!  The Frittilla is born!  I sauteed some sliced chorizo, thinly sliced potatoes and a red onion in a couple of tablespoons of oil until the potato is soft and the sausage has given up its oil.  At this point, throw in a couple of diced courgettes and cook for a few minutes more to soften.  Meanwhile, beat 6 eggs with a couple of tablespoons of milk, some salt and pepper and a handful of chopped chives if you have any - don't worry if you don't.  Stir in a ball of chopped Mozzarella.  If your pan fits in the oven, simply pour the egg and cheese over the contents of the pan, shake to settle and distribute well, and cook in the oven at 170C for 25 minutes  until brown and just set.  Alternatively, line a roasting tin with baking parchment and tip the contents of the pan in follwed by the egg and cheese.  Again, shake to distribute and then bake in the oven as above until just set.  This quantity serves 4 people generously and, using maybe a third of a 'horseshoe' of chorizo and a ball of bog standard 'essentials' mozzarella from Waitrose, this comes in at around the fiver mark - a filling, hearty meal, served with salad and leftover guacamole from last night (I had planned on courgette fritters but really couldn't be arsed).  And we have a delicious filling for some wraps for lunch tomorrow.

Guacamole

For many years, I have eschewed the avocado, believing I didn't like it.  Then I watched the expert on Mexican food, Thomasina Meirs, making guacamole and thought I'd have a go - especially as I'd been sent a couple of avocados in my veg box.  And, Dear Reader, I now love it so much I could marry it.  Miers' recipe is probably as authentic as it can get, and utterly, utterly delicious.  Mind you, I suspect that has more to do with the prodigious quantities of coriander leaf and lime in it than the actual avocado.  She starts by bashing a clove or two of garlic in a pestle and mortar with the stems and roots (if you have them) of a good bunch of coriander, and a small red chilli.  Add salt as an abrasive and bash and mash until an intensely fragrant slurry forms.  Now prepare your avocados - 2 large ripe ones - the usual way and mash roughly in a bowl with a fork.  Scrape in the slurry from the pestle - or is it the mortar?  Add the juice of a lime, or more to taste, and half a red onion, finely chopped, a tomato, roughly chopped and the bunch of coriander leaves roughly chopped.  Taste and add more salt, some pepper, more lime if liked and a good splash of Tobasco to pep up the flavours.  We served half the bowl tonight in tortilla wraps with some strips of spiced chicken, and the rest will accompany courgette and mozarella fritters tomorrow.  I think I am addicted..........

Apple and Rhubarb Crumble

It has been snowing here in Oxford, so a crumble and custard is definitely called for!  I discovered this lovely recipe from Tom Parker-Bowles, and it is a winning combo.  I added a spoonful of flour to the fruit, as the rhubarb makes a lot of sauce, which the flour thickened nicely.  I used Calvados, which is apple brandy, after all, and just a tablespoon of it over the fruit has filled the flat with the most incredible smell as it cooks.  Perfect.

Pasta alla Norma

The divine Giorgio Locatelli has just published a magisterial book on Sicilian cooking, and I have already book-marked about 20 things to cook.  The Sicilians are very influenced by the Moors who once ruled their island, and it is thought that they made pasta well before it was introduced on the mainland.  Pasta alla Norma is one of their most famous dishes, and Giorgio's version is rich with roasted and deep-fried aubergines, masses of olive oil, and a cheese called ricotta salata or salted and semi-hard ricotta.  I have simplified this to cut down the need to deep-fry the aubergine, but it is still delicious and a great veggie pasta dish.  Even given that aubergines aren't that cheap, this will still qualify as an 'under a fiver' dish for 4 - easily halved as well.  Start off by cutting two aubergines into chunks about 2cm across.  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan until hot and then fry the aubergines over a highish heat until golden brown and soft on all sides.  It will drink up the oil - don't be tempted to add more, just keep turning the pieces regularly and it will be fine.  Now make a tomato sauce with a large onion, 4 cloves of garlic (both finely chopped), another couple of tablespoons of olive oil and 2 x 400g tins of good tomatoes - Cirio brand for me.  When the sauce is thick and reduced, add the aubergines and about 20g of chopped fresh basil.  Heat through, whilst cooking 400g of pasta - rigatoni, penne or even bucatini, the thick southern-Italian spaghetti.  Drain the pasta, keeping a little of the cooking water back, and toss with the aubergine and tomato sauce, adding a little cooking water to slacken everything and help it coat.  If you are lucky enough to get hold of ricotta salata, grate it over everything and serve pronto.  If not, Pecorino Romano or Parmesan is good, and I also stirred some chopped mozarella through right at the end.  Why not pop on a CD of Bellini's opera 'Norma', after which the dish is named, whilst you prepare and eat - I favour the recording with Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne or Callas/Ludwig.

Celeriac Remoulade with Smoked Salmon

We have just spent a lovely few days with our friends in Lancashire, where we were treated to some fabulous meat dishes, including an amazing shoulder of lamb cooked for 21 hours.  But I find myself longing for some non-meat dishes, and the tangy spritz of celeriac remoulade did the trick.  Remoulade is really just a posh coleslaw, so don't be put off by the name.  There are numerous recipes on the web - the one thing I'd say is that some of them are a bit generous with the mustard.  This dish should have a refreshing bite from the Dijon, not a mule kick in the head.  I peeled and shredded half a large celeriac - try to get long elegant julienne matchsticks, a mandolin grater helps but patience and a sharp knife will do, too.  Blanch the strips of celeriac in a pot of boiling salted water for just 30 seconds or so, drain and refresh in cold water.  Drain again.  Now, either make your own mayo or get a jar of good old Hellman's - you need about  2 heaped tablespoons of it.  Put it in a bowl, season with a little salt, black pepper, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard and half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard.  Mix well.  If it is thick, thin it with a tablespoon of milk.  Adjust the mustard to your own tastes.  Now mix in a tablespoon of very finely chopped parsley, and fold the cool, drained celeriac through it.  Alllow to sit for an hour or so to develop the flavours, then serve with good smoked salmon, some freshly cooked beetroot and some rocket.  We were lucky to get wild River Lune smoked salmon from the Port of Lancaster Smokehouse and it was wonderful - tender, dry, delicate.  A fine supper indeed.

Golden Vegetable Tagine with Couscous

A nice sunny day in the kitchen, making cheap, cheerful and very filling Veggie Tagine with Couscous.  Vegetable tagines are moveable feasts, depending on what's in season.  In the summer, I make them a little like a spiced ratatouille with peppers and tomatoes and aubergines.  In the winter, though, squashes and root veg take very well to warm North African spices so I used up some carrots and a butternut squash in this version.  I peeled and diced a large Spanish onion, 4 cloves of garlic and a 'thumb' of fresh ginger, and chopped them all quite fine.  Then I peeled and diced equal quantities of butternut squash and carrots.  Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in 3 tablespoons of olive oil - do this gently and slowly so it remains sweet and pale in colour.  Now prepare your spices: crumble a good pinch of saffron stamens in a tablespoon of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to steep.  Measure out a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika (not the smoked variety).  Add to this a quarter teaspoon each of Cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon.  Add all the dried spices to the sweated onions and stir for a moment or two to 'awaken' the spice.  Now stir in the squash and carrots, the saffron water and a pint of veg stock (Marigold is fine).  Stir in a dessertspoon of tomato puree and a handful of chopped dried apricots (optional, but I like the sweetness in this dish).  Also tip in a 400g tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas (I like the East End brand). Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so until the veg is becoming tender.  Remove the lid and bubble off some of the liquid if it is watery.  Serve with rice, in which case add lots of chopped fresh coriander to the tagine, or I like to serve it with Lemon and Coriander couscous - instant couscous soaked in equal quantity-by-volume of boiling veg stock, into which a clove of garlic has been grated, lots of black pepper and a couple of spoons of olive oil.  Cover well and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of a lemon and masses of chopped coriander.  YUM-MEE!  If you have any ras-al-hanout spice mix, add a teaspoon to the tagine 5 minutes before serving, and if you like it really hot, add harissa to taste.

Toffee Cake

This was one of the cakes I made for the work Valentine's Day charity bake.  It is an unassuming little cake, generally brown in colour, and one that you might pass by for the more tarty delights of the passion cake (the pink loveheart-sprinkled confection above the toffee cake squares in the photo).  But, it is devastatingly good for those of us with a sweet tooth - assuming you have any teeth left, that is, after eating this.  So here, by popular request (actually, demand) is the recipe - just for you, Anne!  Sorry for the mix of Imperial and Metric.  I'm an old bird, set in her ways/weighs.

8oz chopped, pitted dates (the square block variety is fine)
300mls water
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
6oz soft light brown sugar
4oz salted butter, very soft
1 teaspoon good vanilla essence
2 large eggs, beaten
6oz self-raising flour
Icing
6 tablespoons double cream
3oz soft light brown sugar
2oz butter
2oz icing sugar, preferably unrefined

Heat the oven to 170C or equivalent.  Grease and line a 20cm square tin or brownie pan.
Chop the dates, put in a pan with the water and boil for a few minutes until soft and the water has evaporated.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so and then stir in the bicarb.  It will froth a bit.  Now put the soft butter, the sugar, the eggs, vanilla and flour into a mixing bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand held mixer, and cream everything together for a minute or two until well combined.  Don't overmix, though, a minute should do it.  Fold in the dates using a metal spoon, turn into the tin, and bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly springy when pressed with your finger, and coming away slightly from the edge of the tin.  Leave to cool completely in the tin.

Make the icing: put the cream, brown sugar and butter in a pan, bring slowly to the boil, stirring, to dissolve the sugar, then boil for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes - no more or it might set into toffee.  If it does, add a spoonful or two of milk to the pan and gently reheat, stirring, to liquify it again.  Add the icing sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until incorporated.  You want a fudgy toffee icing, so add a little more icing sugar if it is too runny.  Spread over the cooled cake and allow to set.  Cut into squares and consume in sugary bliss, deluding yourself that dates are good for you, full of iron, and 1 of your 5 a day.

Linguine with Prawn, Tomato and Fennel Sauce, and Lemon Dill Pangratatta

Phew.  Long name, but an easy and delicious pasta sauce inspired by a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.  In her version, she baked the prawns and sauce with feta cheese and the breadcrumbs on top, then served with crusty bread, but I thought it would be good turned into a pasta dish - I ditched the feta as I don't think it goes well with seafood myself!  Anyway, make a good tomato sauce with a finely chopped onion and also a chopped head of bulb fennel -saute in olive oil, add a tin of good tomatoes (Cirio brand for me) and a couple of cloves of garlic and simmer until the fennel is tender and the sauce is reduced.  If you have any Pernod in the house, add a slug just before the end to highlight the fennel flavour.  Make the pangratatta by sauteeing about 4 tablespoons of fresh white breadcrumbs in a tablespoon of olive oil until crisp, season well with salt and pepper and grate in the zest of half a lemon and some chopped dill or parsley if preferred.  You can set everything aside at this point.  When ready to serve, reheat your sauce, cook the pasta and 3 minutes before it is ready, add about 100g of chopped, ready cooked prawns to the sauce and reheat.  (Or you could put raw ones in a minute earlier).  Drain pasta, toss with the sauce and serve with the pangratatta sprinkled over and the halved lemon for squeezing.  NO PARMESAN PLEASE!!!

Spiced Parsnip and Butternut Soup

Curried parsnip soup is a classic, invented by the late, great Jane Grigson.  The original recipe calls for 1 parsnip and I always puzzled about that, thinking it was an exiguous quantity for a whole pot.  And then I got my Riverford deliveries and realised that she meant proper parsnips, great big beasts, with the earth clinging damply to them.  Anyway, I had some to use up, along with half a butternut squash.  They both take well to spicing and, together, made a lovely sweet, silky soup that would easily serve 4 people in big bowls with lots of crusty bread or a warm buttery naan.  It is made in the usual way - 1 large onion, chopped, a large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped, and an equivalent quantity of butternut, peeled and chopped (a small specimen or half a large one).  Sweat in a tablespoon of oil and a good knob of butter until softening.  Stir in a couple of cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped and an inch or so of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped.  Add a teaspoon each of cumin seeds (ground or whole, according to your preference), a teaspoon of ground coriander and a little chilli powder (to taste - you don't want it too hot, in my opinion).  Now, just cover with veg stock (marigold, as always, is fine) and simmer for 20 minutes.  Blend, add masses of chopped fresh coriander or parsley, squeeze a little lemon in and serve with a blob of yoghurt.

Baked Marmalade Chicken

This is a simple and tasty way of injecting flavour, colour and succulence into skinless chicken breasts, which can sometimes look a little like those defective silicone breast implants that keep popping up (out?) on the news at the moment.  It helps to start with good organic, or at the least, free-range, chicken breasts, on or off the bone.  For two, marinate in a mixture of a heaped tablespoon of good marmalade (preferably homemade), the juice of an orange (preferably Seville, but an ordinary one will be fine), a heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, and two teaspoons of honey.  Let the chicken sit for at least an hour, overnight if possible.  The acid in the orange helps tenderise the meat and keeps it succulent.  Heat an oven to 200C and lift the chicken out of the marinade onto a small baking tin, lined with a bit of parchment (otherwise you will be scrubbing for weeks).  Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes (25 if on the bone) until just cooked and the juices run clear.  Whilst it is roasting, tip the marinade into a pot and reduce over a high heat until it is a thick sticky glaze.  Pour this over the chicken in the oven for the final 5 minutes of cooking to produce a golden, burnished, glistening finish.  Low fat and really tasty!

Aloo Tikki

Oh. My. Goodness.  Where have these been all my life?  Now, mashed potatoes are delicious, FRIED mashed potatoes are on the way to heaven, and fried mash with Indian spices, dipped in breadcrumbs, is surely Nirvana.  Well it is for me.  After our duck-fest over the previous 3 days, we were in serious need of some veggie food, and had lots of Riverford veg to use up.  I also had some mash lurking in the fridge from Sunday that needed using - probably the equivalent of two large potatoes, mashed.  Well, to this, I added a finely chopped spring onion, and a tablespoon of finely chopped coriander, with half a finely chopped hot red chilli.  A mini-chopper is very handy for this stage.  This is mixed into the mash with a wooden spoon, along with half a teaspoon each of turmeric, ground cumin and garam masala.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Now, divide the mixture into 4 or 6 equal portions, oil your hands and shape each into dumpy little patties.  Dip in breadcrumbs - no egg needed, cos of the light coating of oil left from your hands.  Use fresh breadcrumbs or good bought Panko ones, not the orange stuff in a packet!  Heat a couple of tablespoons of light oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, and fry the patties until golden-brown, flip carefully and cook the other side.  Serve hot from the pan with a saucy curry (we made a cauliflower, red pepper, pea and tomato curry) and some Naan bread to scoop everything up with.  The little Aloo Tikki were sooooooo delicious.  The whole lot, including the cauli curry, came in under a fiver, and would have fed 4 - we have leftover curry too.

The lifecycle of roast duck: Quick Cassoulet

A proper cassoulet is something you should make once in a lifetime.  Freshly soaked and cooked haricot beans, proper confit duck, chunks of braised pork belly, authentic, coarse garlicky Toulouse sausages.  It is a wonderful, rich and complex dish, quite fatty, cooked for ages and probably not for the faint-hearted.  This version, on the other hand, is simple, quick and healthy, and made perfect TV supper fodder in a bowl.  Don't skimp on the quality of the ingredients, though, as simplicity exposes cheap products.  So, I started with the remaining 2 roast duck legs from the weekend, skinned and pulled from the bones in large chunks.  Then I halved three fresh Toulouse-style sausages - most supermarkets do them these days - mine were from Waitrose.  The sausages were browned in a cast iron casserole in a tablespoon of olive oil and a very finely chopped onion and carrot.  Next, half a tin or so of good chopped tomatoes were added - I use the Cirio brand.  To this was added a clove of garlic, chopped, the duck meat, about 300mls of veg stock and a big jar of good white beans - mine were from the Reflets du France range at Ocado.  Drain and rinse them, then chuck into the sauce.  Add a handful of chopped parsley and bake, uncovered, at 180 for half-an-hour.  Now, blend a tablespoon of parsley with a slice of white bread and sprinkle on top of the casserole.  Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes until the crumbs have gone brown and crusty.  Let everything settle for a few minutes then scoop into bowls and eat with a spoon!  Enough for 2 with leftovers for hubby tomorrow.

The life-span of roast duck: Peking -style Duck Pancakes

I got a bargain deal from Ocado of 6 duck legs for a tenner.  Sadly, this won't qualify for the under a fiver challenge, but it is still a snip, and I have lots of delicious duck to use up.  Yesterday, the crisp roasted legs were served with a sauce made from the pan juices boiled with Vouvray white wine, and the juice and zest of a Seville orange, with just a touch of honey.  Scrummy.  Tonight, I shredded another couple of cooked legs, including the skin, which was crisped in the oven along with some home-made crepes from the freezer - just as good as the more authentic Chinese pancakes.  The shredded duck meat was quickly stir-fried with some hoisin sauce, and all was served with shredded spring onion and cucumber, and a big bowl of stir-fried greens, red pepper, shallot, ginger and garlic.  Yum!  Quick cassoulet tomorrow with the remaining 2 duck legs.