Shortbread Thins

There are so many recipes for shortbread, it really depends on you finding your favourite.  There are some cardinal rules to follow (although I broke one, as you'll see!) - usually, you should use soft butter and cream it with the sugar; and you should handle the dough as little as possible to prevent the gluten in the flour developing and leaving you with tough biscuits instead of crisp shorties.  Well, I agree with the second bit, but I make mine with ice cold cubes of butter mixed in a food processor.  I use 175g of butter (unsalted, but add a good pinch of salt to the mix too), 85g of caster sugar, 200g plain flour and 50g of cornflour.  Tip it all into the processor, with the butter in cubes, and pulse and blend until it comes together into a soft ball of dough.  Stop just when this has happened, and tip it onto a big sheet of cling film.  Use the film to roll it into a long sausage cylinder, wrap well, and leave to firm and settle in the fridge for several hours.  Now, line baking sheets with baking parchment, turn the oven on to 140C (fan) and cut slices off the chilled dough - about 5mm or half a centimetre thick.  Lay out on the parchment and bake for 15-20 minutes or until pale golden.  Keep an eye on them though, they shouldn't be too brown.  Dust with a little more caster sugar and after 5 minutes, carefully lift to a cooling rack.  You can store any leftover dough in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a month or two.  Delicious with the Rhubarb Fool recipe - see previous entry.  The advantage of this method is that you don't have to roll the dough out - it is so buttery, this can be a problem especially in hot weather like today, and this can lead to over-handling and an impaired texture.

Rhubarb Fool

Hubby went to the excellent pick-your-own Rectory Farm in Stanton St. John on Thursday, and picked some wonderful asparagus, which is late this year, but with an intense grassy flavour.  He also got some of their main crop outdoor rhubarb.  Normally, this is fairly green, but the variety they grow here is the most amazing red colour, and is tender and not too tart.  We baked it with sugar, orange zest and juice, and when cool, folded the drained fruit through pillows of softly-whipped double cream and 0% Greek Yoghurt, (about 2:1 ratio) with a tablespoon of icing sugar to sweeten.  Served with shortbread thins (recipe follows) this is a delicious dessert to have in early summer - a perfect blend of tart/sweet fruit, creaminess and crisp biscuitiness. 

Morrocan Aubergine

Another aubergine dish, following on from the Caponata a couple of weeks ago.  This simple recipe packs a flavour punch, and is at its best served at room temperature or cold, with extra oil drizzled over.  It is very adaptable and would serve 4-6 as an appetizer with pitta bread, or 4 people for a main course if you added a tin of chick peas and some wilted spinach.  However you have it, it is delicious and qualifies for the 'under a fiver' category.  In 3 tablespoons of olive oil, saute a large sliced onion until soft and translucent, over a medium heat.  Turn up the heat and add a large aubergine, cut into half-inch cubes, and toss and fry until soft and the flesh is turning golden in places.  It will soak up the oil - don't add any more, but sprinkle in a tablespoon or so of water if it dries out too much, and regulate the heat if necessary.  Throw in three cloves of chopped garlic, along with 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.  Stir for a moment, then add 4 or 5 chopped ripe tomatoes (you can skin them if you like, but I didn't bother).  Simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on until the tomatoes collapse and give off their juices.  Now, allow to cool to room temperature and stir in some chopped coriander and mint.  Taste for salt and pepper, squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, drizzle on some of your very best extra virgin olive oil and serve.  By the way, I elected to serve mine with some pieces of spankingly-fresh sustainable cod, dusted with some Ras-al Hanout and drizzled with oil, then grilled until just cooked.  With more lemon squeezed over, it was a perfect meal for a warm evening.

Asparagus and Celery Soup

It is difficult to offer an exciting photo for this soup as it is just....green.  I could have tarted it up with swirls of cream and artfully arranged celery leaves of asparagus spears, but why bother?  It is just simply a delicious, asparagusy and celeryish plate of goodness (are those real words?).  It is made in the way of most blended veg soups: sweat chopped asparagus (about 400g of English green asparagus), a head of celery, chopped (include the leaves if you have any) and a large onion or leek, chopped, in a tablespoon of olive oil and 25g of butter.  Keep the heat moderate and the lid on, so they gently soften and give off their own juices, and we don't want them to brown.  This soup needs a bit of starch to thicken it, so I stir in a dessertspoon of flour, then just cover with boiling water and some marigold stock powder to taste.  Grind in some black pepper, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Blend with a stick blender or processor, return to the pan, and thin down, if liked, with creamy milk or some creme fraiche.  Lovely with crusty bread and cheese for lunch or supper and enough for four.

Caponata

There are probably as many recipes for Caponata as there are Sicilians, from whence it comes.  Giorgio Locatelli has more than four variations in his latest book on Sicilian cuisine.  So choosing a recipe will always be a matter of personal taste.  I don't like it too oily, I like the aubergine to be quite chunky, and for me it has to have celery in it.  I also like it quite sweet and sour so add a splash of wine vinegar, and a salty tang from stoned picholine green olives and salted capers.  You could add raisins if liked for extra sweetness and to ramp up the Moorish influence, and some toasted pine-nuts are nice to add crunch and protein if feeding veggies or vegans.  But please - no peppers, they aren't authentic.  Here is my version, a hybrid between a Jamie Oliver and Giorgio Locatelli recipe.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and saute a large onion chopped, with 3 stalks of chopped celery.  Don't colour them, but allow them to soften, and the onion to go translucent.  Stir in an aubergine, chopped into one and a half inch chunks, and stir and sautee until they soften too.  Don't add more oil, as they'll just drink it up.  Add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and cook for a few moments, then stir in a tin of tomatoes (a good brand please, like Cirio), and about 12 or so stoned green olives with a tablespoon of rinsed capers.  Now add salt, pepper and a tablespoon of good wine vinegar.  Simmer gently for half an hour until the aubergine is tender and creamy but not mushy.  Allow to cool to tepid, stir in lots of chopped parsley and a spoonful of your very best olive oil, and eat with crusty bread.  This will serve four people generously with some other mezze.  I made some hummus tonight, and some totally geographically inappropriate guacamole, which actually went really well with all the other flavours. 

Spring Vegetable Stew

Or ragout, if you want to be fancy.  This is a light treatment where you saute chopped spring veg (I used the white of a leek, a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and each spear cut into three, some radishes, sliced, a courgette, diced and some shredded lettuce leaves) in a knob of butter until wilted and starting to soften.  However, you don't want the veg to colour.  Pour over about 200ml of veg stock (Marigold is fine) and allow to cook for a few more minutes until the stock has reduced a little.  Then stir in a tablespoon of half-fat creme fraiche, plenty of black pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped parsley (or chives, or tarragon, depending on what you have).  Spoon onto two plates and top each with a piece of poached salmon or grilled chicken, or a lovely piece of poached smoked haddock was what I opted for tonight.  Or a poached egg would be good, if you wanted a veggie option.  Served with some new potatoes, this was a lovely spring supper.

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

Feeling under the weather, depressed, sore, tired, sorry for yourself?  All of the above?  Well, if so, make yourself some of this soup (or get someone else to make it for you) and things will feel better, albeit temporarily.  Chicken soup in its infinite varieties appears in virtually every cuisine of the world.  My own Scottish heritage meant that I was brought up on chicken broth, made with the carcase of the Sunday roast chicken, and rich with leek, carrots and rice and loads of parsley.  I have taken elements of this - the home-made chicken stock is essential - and added leek, carrot, courgette and celery for a bit of texture.  Simmer for half an hour or so, until the veg is cooked and has flavoured the broth.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Instead of rice, I added some angel hair pasta, but you can use whatever you have, whether tagliatelle, Chinese egg or Japanese udon noodles.  I cook them separately and put them in a bowl then pour over the boiling hot soup which has had shreds of left-over cooked chicken added at the last minute along with lots of chopped parsley.  So simple, so soothing, and so good for the soul.  Followed by Greek yoghurt and poached blueberries, I am replete and calm.  Now for a hot bath and an early night and things will surely look better in the morning.

Banana Strawberry Muffins

Relatively low in fat and sugar, these, so a nice treat and a good way of squeezing a little more fruit into little ones.  This quantity makes 6 muffins, but is easily doubled.  As with all muffin recipes, the secret here is to prepare the wet and dry ingredients separately, then combine at the last minute, and don't over mix - if it is a bit lumpy with some spots of dry mix, that is fine, it all comes out OK in the baking.  But over-mixing is a cardinal sin and will leave you with tough muffins, and nobody wants that!

So, set the oven to 170C, put 6 muffin cases in a muffin pan.  Sift together 145g of plain flour, 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Now stir in 80g of soft brown sugar.  Next, melt 56g of unsalted butter and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, mash 1 large or 2 medium ripe bananas, beat in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence.  Add the cooled melted butter.  Hull 6 or 7 medium strawberries and cut into small dice.  Now, mix the strawbs into the flour (this will coat them and keep them suspended in the batter).  Pour in the mashed banana/egg mix and stir quickly with a metal spoon - don't beat, just keep folding until just combined.  Divide the mix between the muffin cases, then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean.  Leave to cool, and eat on the same day or freeze leftovers.

Banana Butterscotch Pudding

Well, now that the sun has returned, you may not feel like this pud, but it was lovely a few nights ago when the dreich days of April and May seemed like they were never going to end.  Tuck it away in your memory banks and bring it out when you want a bit of comfort.  It is a Bill Granger recipe and is one of those miraculous puds which go in upside down with liquid poured over the top and then somehow the sponge ends up on top with a yummy sauce underneath.  When you make it, you WILL think "what the....?" as it looks a mess, frankly, but just persevere, it does work.  The simplest thing to do here is to link to Bill's recipe on the Good Food Channel.

Roasted Butternut, Puy Lentil and Goats' Cheese Salad

A lovely treatment for butternut squash, with the earthiness of the lentils and the tanginess of soft, fresh goat's (or should that be goats' - where does the apostrophe go?  ) cheese to contrast with the sweetness of the squash.  Simply roast chunks of butternut, tossed in olive oil, garlic and seasoning, for 40 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised.  You can either cook the Puy lentils from scratch, or open a pouch of Merchant Gourmet's excellent ready-coooked ones.  Make a nice lemony vinaigrette and add some mustard and lots of chopped parsley to it.  Now toss the cooked squash and lentils in the dressing, adjust the seasoning and pile onto lettuce, watercress or rocket leaves - whatever you have.  Now crumble over a small round of fresh, creamy goat's/s' cheese, scrunch over lots of black pepper and tuck in.  PS. News from hubby, and he's right of course - if you can guarantee the cheese was made from the milk from a single goat, then it would be goat's cheese, but as it is likely to be made from the milk of many goats, then it is goats' cheese.  See, you get a lesson in grammar as well as cooking.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

I blogged about this two years ago but didn't give the recipe - I can't think why as it is so simple but produces such reliable and delicious results.  It is suitable for veggies, too, as no gelatine is needed.  Crush 125g of digestive biscuits and mix with 75g of melted butter.  Press into the base of a 8" loose-bottomed cake tin and refrigerate.  You can use shortbread instead if you prefer.  Just whizz in the food processor or bash with a rolling pin (after putting in a plastic bag first....).  Now, put 250g of mascarpone in a bowl, along with 100ml of double cream, 75g of caster sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.  Beat with an electric whisk on low speed until combined - it helps f the cheese has been at room tempreature for an hour or so.  Now, carefully melt 200g of white chocolate (a good brand please, not Milky Bar) in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.  When just melted, pour the chocolate into the cheese mix and stir together with a metal spoon.  Plop the lot onto the biscuit base, spread out evenly and leave to set for several hours in the fridge - overnight is best.  Now serve in slices with whatever you like - we had rhubarb and strawberry compote tonight, but in the past I've used passion fruit, pureed mango, pureed raspberries, blueberry compote - all go deliciously with the sweet creamy cheesecake.  This will serve 8 people as it is quite rich.

Onion and Pepper Balsamic Marmalade

OK, so this isn't a quick recipe for a 30 minute supper, but it is nice to do at the weekend and it keeps well in a sterilised jar for a week or so in the fridge.  Great to spoon next to bangers, chops,  cheese on toast, with soft goats cheese and a crusty baguette and with courgette fritters - my favourite.  The list is endless.  To make a standard jam jarful, you need 2 or 3 large onions (I like red onions but ordinary ones will do), peeled and sliced, a large red pepper, seeded and cut into strips a little smaller than the onion, a clove of garlic, crushed.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy pan and add the prepped veg.  Stir well, turn the heat to low, cover, and leave to cook for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.  The volume will decrease dramatically.  Now, stir in a dessertspoon of brown sugar and a dessertspoon of balsamic vinegar.  Add some salt and pepper, tasting and adjusting all of these ingredients until you get the balance between sweet and sour that you like.  Stir well, cover the pot and cook for a further 15 minutes or so until all is jammy and caramelised.  Take the lid off, turn the heat up and stir constantly for another minute or so to drive off any remaining liquid.  Either use straight away or pot into your washed and sterilised jam jar and use for up to a week later.  Because this doesn't contain large amounts of sugar, it isn't a preserve, do it won't last for ever!  You can vary the flavours by changing the vinegar you use (Sherry vinegar is good) and the sugar.  I also sometimes add black mustard seeds or chilli flakes depending on what it is accompanying.  PS: to sterilise a jam jar.  Simple if you have a dishwasher - for those of us without, wash in hot soapy water (inc the lid) rinse in really hot water, then put on a baking sheet in an oven set to 150C for 10 minutes.

Really Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake

I have posted a rather more elaborate Lemon Drizzle Cake previously - two rounds of syrup-drenched cake sandwiched with lemon curd and mascarpone.  Gorgeous though this is, and eminently suitable as a celebration cake, sometimes you want something simpler to have with friends and a cuppa.  So this cake fits the bill.  You need two large, organic, unwaxed lemons, 150g each of softened unsalted butter, caster sugar and self-raising flour + 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 eggs + 1 tablespoon milk.  You also need some granulated sugar and icing sugar for the decoration.  Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin, set the oven to 170C.  Chuck the flour and baking powder, measured sugar, eggs and milk and butter into a bowl.  Grate in the zest from both lemons, and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and the mix is slightly paler in colour - no more than about a minute or so.  Tip into the loaf tin, level with a spoon and bake for about 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean - cover lightly with a little foil if it browns too much towards the end.  Leave in the tin for a few minutes or so whilst you prepare the initial glaze: squeeze the juice from 1 and a half lemons and mix with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.  Remove the cake from the tin whilst still warm and put on a plate.  Spoon over the gritty lemon and sugar to let it sink in.  Now you can eat it like this (as per the photo), or you can gild the lily and add a lemon glace icing when it is fully cold.  Squeeze the remaining lemon half into a small bowl and add 2 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar and mix to a thickish icing - add more sugar as necessary to get the correct consistency.  Now, drizzle the icing over the top and let some run down the sides.  Allow to set and then consume in thick slices with green tea - delicious!  You can freeze this, in slices wrapped in cling film or parchment if there is any left.

Roast Tomato and Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

This combo works really well in a lasagne, so I thought it would be good for a pasta sauce - and I was right!  Roast some ripe fresh tomatoes, chunks of butternut, onion and garlic, blend with some roasted red peppers from a jar and lots of basil, and you have a sweet sauce that coats penne or other pasta shapes perfectly.  I imagine this would be a popular sauce for kids, with its sweet tomatoey flavour they seem to love.  Frankly, you couldn't cram more veg in to them if you stuck a funnel down their throats and force-fed them like fois gras geese.  Anyway, simply chop and de-seed a small butternut, and sprinkle with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Do the same with three or four big, ripe tomatoes.  Peel and quarter a large onion and drizzle with oil.  Roast at 180C for half-an-hour, then tip it all into a food processor, (scoop the butternut flesh from the skin) with the drained contents of half a jar of roasted red peppers, and blitz to your desired consistency.  I like it chunky, but kids might prefer a smooth texture.  Reheat until bubbling, thinning with a little hot water if you want, adjust the seasoning, stir through some fresh basil, and then fold through freshly-coooked pasta.  Lots of grated parmesan is a must to add some counter-balance to the sweetness.  Easy, simple, and cheap - definitely an under a fiver job.

Raosted Carrot Soup with Rosemary and Smoked Paprika

The smoked paprika gives this quite a 'poke', especially if you use the piccante version, so if you think carrot soup is a little bland, try this recipe - the rosemary and paprika make it quite special and roasting the carrots first adds some depth of flavour.  Make sure there is some browning and caramelisation on the carrots to intensify the sweetness.  This recipe comes courtesy of the marvellous Riverford Organics and their fabulous website, so I shall simply link to it here.  The only change I made was to leave out the creme fraiche as I think it only needs a spoonful in the bowl when it is served.  While you are on their site, check out their fantastic veg boxes.  This would qualify as an 'under a fiver' easily - big bowlsful with wholemeal bread, followed by cheese and fruit, would make a hearty, healthy and frugal spring supper.

Chicken Forestiere

This is a very quick supper and can be on the table within 20 minutes.  Quite special too.  There are many versions of this dish, but it is essentially sauteed chicken breasts with mushrooms, garlic and shallot and a sauce made with the pan juices and some sort of alcohol - Madeira in our case, or you could use white or red wine or sherry - each will give a different finish.  You can add a little cream too if you like.  So, I cut two chicken breasts in half horizontally to make four escalopes or paillards.  Have ready about 100g or so of mushrooms, sliced (I used some lovely organic chestnut mushrooms), a finely-chopped shallot, a clove of garlic, minced, and a sprig or two of fresh thyme.  Also have ready 60mls of alcohol of choice and a couple of tablespoons of stock or water.  Season the chicken well with salt and pepper on both sides.  In a large pan over a medium to high heat, melt 10g of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Put the chicken in and leave it to sizzle and brown for 2 minutes - don't poke it!  Turn it over and let the other side brown nicely for a further 2 minutes or so until just cooked.  Take out onto a plate and keep warm, covered with foil.  Add a further 10g of butter to the pan and throw in the thyme, shallots, mushrooms and garlic and stir until the mushrooms give off their liquid.  With the heat turned up, add the booze and water and stir to deglaze the pan.  Bubble and reduce slightly, adding a couple of spoons of double cream or creme fraiche if liked (we didn't).  Throw in a little chopped parsley, add the juices that will have accumulated from the plate of chicken, and then serve the escalopes with the sauce spooned over.  Perfect with some new potatoes and the first stems of English asparagus of the year.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

One of my favourite scenes from the peerless 'Fawlty Towers' involves an irascible American man, ordering Waldorf Salad.  A baffled Basil Fawlty disappears to the kitchen and re-emerges, declaring that Waldorf Salad is off because they are 'out of waldorfs'.  As well as being very funny, it says a great deal about British food in the 70s!  We are much more comfortable with such exotica now!  As the American angrily barks, the recipe is 'celery, apples, walnuts, grapes - in mayonnaise' and this is pretty much what you do.  I like to cut the richness of the mayo (good old Hellman's) by mixing it with equal quantities of 0% fat Greek Yoghurt and lemon juice to taste - about 2 tablespoons each of mayo and yoghurt and the juice of half a lemon for two people should do it.  I roast chicken breasts for about 20 minutes until cooked but still juicy - season well and drizzle with olive oil before roasting, cool, then cut into chunks and fold through the mayo sauce along with a diced apple, quite finely chopped celery sticks (2), a handful of red grapes, halved, and about 50g of roughly-chopped walnuts, toasted in a dry frying pan.  Pile onto a bed of Batavia lettuce leaves and serve with crusty ciabatta. 

Blueberry Clafoutis

I know, blueberries aren't in season, but I have a pile of them in the freezer that need using and this was a perfect Sunday lunch vehicle for them.  I use a recipe from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse 'Fruit' Book and it works every time, no matter what fruit you use (and as well as the traditional cherry, I have used many variations - raspberries, plums, figs, pears, apple and blackberry as well as this blueberry one).  It is so simple to do.  I like to bake it in a parchment-lined 20cm square tin as it seems to be moister and turns out easier.  Take 2 regular punnets of blueberries and toss in a tablespoon of caster sugar, the zest of half a lemon and a tablespoon of plain flour.  Spread the mix across the bottom of the tin, sprinkling the lemony sugar/flour over the top too.  In a bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons each of caster sugar and plain flour, 2 eggs, the zest of the remaining half of lemon and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.  Now, gradually beat in a small tub of single cream, and then fill the empty tub with milk and add that too.  Pour the batter onto the blueberries, then bake at 170 for about 35-40 minutes until puffed and set - the interior should still be a little creamy so don't overbake it.  Best served just warm.  It is rich enough as it is, but you can add a dollop of cream if you like!