Category — Cooking

I have spent the morning baking for our Village Spring Flower Show, which is tomorrow.  In the morning I will pick a  flower or two and some nice greenery, to make a small display to enter. There are not  many flowers in my garden that are in bloom at the moment, mostly daffodils but I will see what I can come up with. Although listed as a flower show, there is always a very successful baking section, a wonderful display of scrumptious home baking.  Cakes, scones, flans, jams, lemon-curds all manner of goodies . There are some very fine cooks and chefs in the Village but it’s always great fun to enter even as a novice. Some of the men, who would never normally cook  have a  go, and I can vouch that some of their  flapjacks turn out to be very fine indeed!  When the serious business of  judging is over, all the items are auctioned off, which is such great fun, causing a lot of merriment, as we all get to bid on each others offerings and very often go home with something special for tea.

Shown above: Two simple fruit cakes with a little touch of  brandy in each. One ‘old fashioned’ Apple-pie, and Two,  Ham, Mustard, Egg and Cheese Flans.

How delightful afternoon tea is. Not much beats this, in my opinion. Yes of course  it should be the real deal, of  tiny thin crust-less sandwiches filled with such delights as salmon and cucumber or potted paste. Then to follow a nice slice of rich homemade fruit cake, all serve-up with a good quality pot of  tea. It is such an English tradition, that still works well, even if  only during the weekends of  our busy lives.  But what about  the humble scone, which is often neglected, still cheap to make and can turn in a minute, into the most delicious tea-time treat, with a good portion of whipped cream and topped with some really wonderful  strawberry jam. When the need for a full high-tea is not  required, this little humble cake can been perfect. It  is also such a useful stop-gap when having a house full of  weekend guests, particularly if you are to eat out or perhaps later in the evening. It makes a focus to the afternoon, gathering  guests together for a cosy afternoon chat.  Always remember, that the not so humble scone, makes a very reasonable quick and scrumptious tea time treat which never seems to stay on the plate for long.

Decided to make a giant 13 inch Chicken Pie to take on Saturday for the “Pie and Pea do” at the Village Hall.  I do hope they enjoy.

Such a great dish for those colder days, long slow cooking is the secret , the more hours on a very low temperature ensures the most succulent and tender lamb.

1 lamb shank per person, some rosemary and thyme – fresh is best.1 clove of garlic per shank, carrots and onions , a good rich stock and at least half a pint of good red wine about 50/50, to cover the entire shanks.

Dust shanks in a little flour and brown on all side in a little olive oil, place in good large casserole pot. Then fry the onions in the same pan until a lovely golden brown  add the sliced carrots and chopped garlic and stir in with the onions and cook for a min or two further, then add generous amounts of rosemary and thyme, salt and black pepper.

Place this mixture on top of the lamb shanks in the casserole, add stock and the  red wine to cover and place in a pre- heated oven cook on high for  10 min’s then turn down to a low temperature about 150c and cook for as long as possible -  I usually cook them all afternoon. If you are doing a large number – separate into two dishes and use  appropriate amounts of carrots and onions.

Serve with love and a good bowl of  fresh spinach, lovely creamy mash or Baked potatoes , it makes a great hearty supper dish for colder days.

We were so lucky to receive many wonderful gifts at Hemingway this  Christmas. Among them all was this delightful ‘Panettone al cioccalte’ which we will enjoy so much during the coming weeks.  It is lovely just eaten as it comes, or warmed and spread with some good butter, or indeed made into the most  marvellous Bread and Butter Pudding for a wonderful Winter treat. The weather is really cold now, so how comforting this will be. Thank you kind givers X

Makes about 20 Biscuits.

225 grams plain flour, 75 grams of Icing Sugar, 150 grams butter, A pinch of  Salt.

Preheat oven to 160c/gas mark 4

Sieve dry ingredients into good size bowl, warm butter and pour into bowl and mix well until mixture forms a ball of dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll until about 15mm thick, then cut into shapes of your choice. Can at this point be decorated with sultanas or chocolate chips pressed into dough. Cook in oven until pale gold in colour,  Allow to cool then sprinkle with sieved icing sugar.

Great biscuits for little ones to make for Christmas. ( about 3p per cookie)

Nearly everyone has tasted Humous the middle eastern chickpea dip and lovely it is too, well the following recipe is less common but every bit as tasty. My Mother-in-Law  the wonderfully enchanting Nadrat made the best ‘Baba Ghanoush in Egypt. We spent many evenings on the terrace of our home in Alexandria enjoying this tasty treat. Served with soft warm flatbread, much laughter and plenty of love. This rich cream is a combination of two strong flavours – the oven baked aubergines and the rich creamy Tahina. n.b.The following recipe yields quite a large amount enough for a party dish.

BABA GHANOUSH  3 Large Aubergines, 2-4 cloves of Garlic, a little salt,1/4 pint Tahina paste ( always sold in health food shops these days) Juice of 3 Lemons, 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin, 2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley. A little Olive Oil. A few Black Olives to garnish.

Method: Wash and dry your aubergines and cut in half  lengthways, place in a baking tray with a little olive oil and baked in oven on a  medium heat until soft right through to the centres. Scoop out the aubergines and place in large bowl – discarding the skins.

Crush the garlic gloves with a little salt, Mash the aubergines with a fork and add the garlic cumin, salt and mash until smooth  can all be transferred at this point to an electric blender, but can certainly be done without.

Add the Tahina paste and lemon juice alternately, beating or blending as you go, you may at this point add a little more olive oil to soften further and a little more salt and cumin if  liked. It should have the consistency of very thick cream.

Pour into a nice coloured bowl, garnish with a few black olives and serve with warm pitta bread or favourite crispbreads.

So lovely for a lunch break or as as a starter, an addition to other small bowls like Humous, Tzatziki,olives etc to form the basis of a Mediterranean Mezza

Nadrat. Alexandria  1979

Boudoir Biscuits. Cream Fraiche. Mascarpone. Coffee. Brandy. Icing Sugar.

Method.

Mix 500 ml of Mascarpone with 200ml of Creme Fraiche and 3-4 heaped dessert spoons of sieved icing sugar ( depending on how sweet you like it and how much brandy you will be using! ). Make up your best  coffee, good and strong,  allow to cool a little, and mix with 2-3 dessert spoons of good quality brandy. Dip Boudoir Biscuits in coffee  and brandy mixture ( not letting them get too soggy) enough to fill your selected dish,  layer up with the  Mascarpone mix, to the top of the dish. Chill  and before serving with love,  sprinkle with a little coco powder or chocolate curls, and perhaps a little angelica as decoration.

Originally a Persian dish – but now  a speciality of Fez. You can adjust the amount of fruit used and may prefer to use less the first time you prepare it.

Ingredients as follows:

1 kilo of  lean lamb ( cubed ),   2 teaspoon ground cinnamon , 2-3 tablespoons of ground ginger,  a little butter, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 medium onions finely chopped,  300 grams of prunes ( the lovely  stoned ones in the sealed foil bags  are wonderful), 1/4 spoon of saffron ( optional ), 2 tablespoons of honey,  a good teaspoon of ground coriander, salt and black pepper.

Turn the meat in a little hot butter (olive oil if preferred) in a heavy based pan. When lightly brown, add onions cook gently, and cook for a minute or two until softened , add ground ginger, saffron, cinnamon,coriander and a little salt, and plenty of black pepper, stir gently until nicely covered. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover with a good beef stock and cook in oven until meat is tender, approximately 2 hours, starting at 180c for 10 minutes then turn down to 160c for the remaining time. Now add the prunes and honey and cook gently for a further 20 minutes or until needed. At this point it can be turned off and  reheated when required – so  great for dinner parties – just remember to make sure it’s piping hot before serving with love.

Egyptian,and Moroccan  cooks often sprinkle a little orange blossom water ( can now be found in health food shops or delicatessen ) and roasted sesame seeds over the meat before  serving.

Nice to serve with fluffy white rice or little crispy potatoes and a bowl of freshly cooked spinach.

This is a fragrant dish and can be prepared with various fruits, apples,quince, pears, or apricots, again the sealed foil bag ones, are best for the apricots. It is a great dish to prepare the day before as the flavour enhances .

I do hope you enjoy this classic Middle – Eastern dish.    

Quick tasty supper for two, crack five medium eggs in a bowl with a little milk and a splash of water, salt and black pepper and whisk well

In a flat based frying or omelette pan put a little olive oil and a little crushed and chopped garlic, lightly sauté, then add a  good handful of  ready washed spinach and wilt gently. Turn in oil and then add the  whisked eggs and cook until firm but do not overcook.

Serve with  crusty bread with lashings of good English  butter.

There is nothing quite like a warming soup for lunch or supper now the days are getting colder. I’m all for saving time and money, so this soup ,which can be frozen in batches,  allows you to save on fuel and your energy and  gives you even more,  of  your ‘ five a day ‘ vegetables which must be a good thing.  It’s also a great  dinner party starter for a chilly night, served in smaller bowls.

With Vegetable soup it’s always so easy, as it allows you to cook in the pot whatever vegetables you have to hand. It never really matters what they are but I do always think you need an onion or two and a parsnip or turnip to give a good strong flavour but apart from that any other vegetables will do.

Suggested Ingredients    1 or 2  good sized Onions,    2-3 good sized carrots,   2 parsnips,   1 small turnip,   1 – 2 courgettes,  2 medium potatoes,  1 medium Aubergine ,  1.5 litres of good chicken or beef stock, 1 cup of  prepared cous cous,  1, tablespoon of  basmati rice.      1   table spoon of mixed herbs ,    and 1 dessertspoon of cumin and if  you like a clove or two of garlic.

Wash all vegetables well and in a large saucepan  saute chopped peeled onions and the aubergine  (leave skin on) in a little oil, until soft. Place all other  vegetables, herbs, cumin and dry rice into the pan, cover with chicken or beef stock – either is nice, beef will give a richer stronger tasting soup, but both is good – bring up to the boil, then turn down to simmer for at least 1 hour 30 minutes but really for as long,  on a gentle heat, as you can.  Before serving add the prepared cous cous and then  liquidize in a blender, a little at a time and return to a fresh saucepan to warm again. Adjust now with salt and black pepper.

Only one rule, the more vegetables, the more herbs and cumin, and of course the more stock. Don’t forget any not  eaten! can be frozen.

Lovely with crunchy  garlic croutons – little cubes of bread  – mixed with a finely chopped glove of garlic and a little olive oil baked in oven for five to ten minutes.

Cooked with love and served in warmed bowls with a generous swirl of cream this soup is delicious,

  As there are so many Apples on the trees right now and many windfalls as well, I thought it was time for my chutney making to begin, storing some jars away for the winter season.  The following recipe has been devised by me and makes a very good  delicious tasting chutney that is very simple to make and lasts well.

~Major Moursi’s Chutney ~

Garden Apples (as many as you can peel, well at least 8 large ones )windfalls are good for chutney if not too damaged and a great way to use them.

Ingredients: 4 -5 large onions -   4-5 cloves of garlic – 2 tablespoons of good honey, 2 tablespoons  golden syrup – small cup of  soft brown sugar – at least 250 grams of  pitted prunes ( 500 grams  would be better) – cup of sultanas – 3 good teaspoons of  ‘Madras’ curry powder – 2 teaspoons of  all spice – 1 good dessert spoon of  Dijon mustard – good quality vinegar to cover.

Chop apples, onions and prunes to med size about 1″ ( not too tiny – not too big ) chop garlic. Place in a good solid saucepan . Add everything else and bring to gentle boil and stir. Then turn down to lowest heat and cook for at least 3 -4 hours stirring occasionally. When everything is soft and of a good dark rich colour, take from the heat and allow to cool.

When chutney is cool place in very clean sterilized jars pushing down to get rid of air spaces. Cover with greaseproof  paper lid pushed closely on chutney to get rid of any air bubbles then seal with screw lid.  Looks nice  to cover with pretty cotton lids made from scraps of  material.

Enjoy with any cold meats or chicken, curries or fabulous with cheese. This chutney last for ages and even better when cooked with love.

The 34th Annual Flower and Vegetable show was held this Saturday in our village. A great bustle filled the air as the villagers took their wonderful produce to the village hall to await judgement. The eighty categories make it a fabulous affair.  The hall was filled to bursting with all manner of  superb vegetables with the Onion Competition displaying some of the biggest and best onions I have ever seen.  Every vegetable from the common potato and carrots to the not some common kohlrabi,  very popular in Germany and known as the German turnip, it dates back to the 16th century.  Also on display  were the marvelous  victoria sponges, fruit cakes, plum breads, apple pies,  jams and preserves, such wonderful jars of pickle onions and mint jellies. Mostly all the items are auctioned at the end of the day, selling at  the most reasonable prices and the villagers snap up the  scrumptious cakes  and first class vegetables. On arriving home I  made  a very  good leek au gratin for supper and some  butternut  squash and chili soup for freezing.

It has not been a very good summer  this year and yet these amazing village gardeners always managed to produce the most wonderful vegetables and should be so proud of themselves when collecting their various plaques and trophies.

It is such a nice social afternoon with tea and cakes or a glass of wine for those who choose.  Long may this wonderful show continue, I look forward to the 35th Flower and Vegetable show, in our really lovely little village.

This well used recipe has been used by us for as many years as I can remember.

4 egg whites ( room temperature)

8 oz’s caster sugar

1 heaped teaspoon cornflower

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Whisk egg whites until stiff. Whisk in sugar half at a time until stiff and glossy. Whisk in cornflower and vinegar.

Turn onto baking sheet ( lined with bakewell ( baking)l paper) and shape roughly and slightly hollow out centre. Bake @  150c  ( 300f/MK2) for one hour. Turn off oven and leave to cool. Do not  open oven door until really cool.

When cool, gently peel back baking paper and set on pretty plate or tray and pile high with whipped double cream and decorated with your favourite fruit of the season. Simply wonderful with poured- over  blackberry puree. ( made from blackberries washed well and drain and cooked gently with a little sugar and mashed through a sieve until smooth and thick.) Made with Love it always turns out well…

Larger Pavlova needed  – just double the quantities

As a child our Mother used to make Lentil soup so I suppose my love of this rich delicious pleasure was laid down early on in my memory of  favourite tastes. Then as an adult I made it often as a winter warmer for my family but I have never tasted one so good as the Lentil soup served at the Hilton Hotel in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. I sneaked into the  restaurant kitchen one  evening after having their sensational lentil soup yet again as a starter. Of course the very nice chef was not about to give his secret recipe away but with some gentle persuading I manage to  glean the little tips that make all the difference to achieving  a really great lentil soup. My recipe is now as follows.

3 tablespoons of butter – Salt and black pepper.

1 large onion chopped -    Juice of 1 lemon.

1 stalk of celery chopped – 3 carrots chopped.

3/4 lb lentils rinsed and soaked over night – 2 teaspoons of cumin.

3 pints of good rich meat stock -  1  beef meat bone ( optional).

Small garlic flavoured croutons.

Now either red, yellow, green or brown lentils can be used -see the two photos – I do like to soak mine overnight after rinsing well, these days the quality of lentils is so good this  may not be necessary still I feel it makes a difference. Never soak your lentils in salted water as this makes the skins hard .

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and cook the onion slowly, until soft  and a golden colour. Add the celery, carrot and saute for a few minutes. Add the lentils and the meat bone ( if using) and the rich meat stock. Bring up to the boil and then turn down to simmer for at least  1 &  1/2 hours, longer if possible, gentle long slow cooking makes this soup . When the lentils are soft and cooked, season the soup with salt and black pepper. Then add your lemon and cumin, we like rather a lot of cumin but I have suggest 2 teaspoons to start,  Remove the meat bone and simmer for a further  5 minutes. Allow to cool a little and then blend in an electric blender – or squash with a potato  masher until a smooth puree.

Return the soup to your pan and bring gently to the boil once more and then down to a simmer – ready for serving. – I serve with a little  Creme Fraiche, and some sprinkled  chopped chives and we like ours rather thick, but you can adjust with a little more stock or further blending should you choose.

Serve with croutons of  bread fried in olive oil,  to which a  clove or two of crushed garlic has been added. This soup is still a very cheap option and is great for  lunch with crispy french bread or makes the perfect starter particularly on a cold winter’s evening.

Remember, cooking with love, it makes a difference you know . I do hope you enjoy it.