Category — Food

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.

This Saturday we attended the village ‘Lincoln Red’ Roast Beef  Dinner, held in the village hall. It was a great affair with every detail of fine dining attended to. Large plates of scrumptious roast beef served with horseradish  and  jacket potatoes, salads, some very palatable wines and the most wonderful display of desserts and with the very good company,   it made an excellent evening.

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.

Gin is something I have always been rather fond of.  Not I’m happy to report in any needy way but from quite a young age it has always been my social drink of choice. Over the  years I have tried many different brands, but  Gordon’s  London Dry Gin has always been my first love.  My second choice would be Bombay Sapphire which is a really very superior gin, distilled from 100% grain and a good old 1761 recipe . I have over the years imbibed some rather odd  gins ! drunk in some far flung places, when on occasions a dusty bottle with a dodgy looking label and of some throat burning liquor would appear from under the counter. Still I have always come back to my friend the very special Gordon’s. There is nothing for me quite like the clean crisp tang of juniper berries with the bitter taste of quinine from a  good tonic with a slice of  lime. I always prefer the bottle of gin and the tonic chilled rather than the glass filled with clinking ice  yes, it has always my drink of choice.  During the past year or two I have been very lucky to have received as presents some rather interesting and different gins to sample. Firstly Tanqueray which is 43.1% proof and is a real ‘hit you in the eye drink’, and I must confess rather good. Next came Pink47 at 47%, a nice clean London Dry Gin and I might add, comes in a very pretty scent shaped bottle looking like it should be on the dressing table rather the bar, but a delicious tasting gin never-the- less . THEN ! we come to HENDRICK’S at 41.4% ,this is a simply wonderfully tasting  Gin! made (their words) “with a free and imaginative spirit” , it is distilled and bottled  in Scotland. Could this wonderful Gin  find it’s way into my heart knocking Gordon’s to second place after all these years? As they say ” It is not for everybody” that  “it is a gin made oddly”. Well it uses coriander and citrus peel infused with  juniper and rose petal and would you believe a hint of cucumber!  I laughed when reading the label,  preferred by1 out of 1000, which as they say “is fine by us,  not easy making this stuff ” but this super gin quite took my breath away. It’s true, this fact that no other gin tastes quite like  Hendrick’s, and this truth only enhances the experience but it truly does,  it’s good, it’s really good!   Try drinking with tonic and a slice of cucumber – simply divine.  Now I ask myself, after all these years, could my long term love affair with Gordon’s be in jeopardy or even dare I say over?

www.HENDRICKSGIN.COM

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.

Towards the end of June, seems to be the most popular time for the Village Fete, it really is such a wonderful English Tradition.  Our small village had theirs yesterday, as usual on the last Saturday in June.  The large Marquees were erected in the centre of the village, and with all the bustle and preparation an excitement seems to take over.

The ladies of the village start their wonderful baking  in the days before, and the cakes are duly assembled, some are selected for selling and the rest are displayed in the refreshment tent ready to serve our visitors a wonderful tea. Wines and gifts are packed onto tables for tombola and raffles, and all manner of stands, and games, filled the meadow.  The ‘Honey’ man was there with his wonderful little pots of goodness and his  special sheets of  bees-wax, which can be rolled and made into candles. Delicious homemade Jams and Marmalades filled the tables. Local  ‘very tasty ‘ Eggs were gathered up very quickly. With the  Ice Cream Man and Bouncy Castle doing a roaring trade, a festive air took place.  Great plants for sale, and an impressive display of vintage cars  filled more spaces.

The local school Band played  wonderfully and with such great  accomplishment and aplomb, and later with the catchy tunes of our village group, I found my toes tapping as some great music filled the meadow.

The weather was kind to us and seeing all the cheery faces and the happy smiles and laughter of  the children, it was a most pleasant afternoon.  Long may this splendid tradition continue.

This  delicious cake is made using a simple meringue recipe. It is then divided between two flat cake tins. Baked in the usual meringue way, but upon completion, allowed to cool and then  fill the centre with lemon curd, mixed together with equal parts of whipped cream, trim the meringue carefully and place in a large cake tin with a ‘loose’ bottom and freeze until needed. Then when you require the cake, defrost slowly, sprinkle with Icing sugar and decorate the top to suit your party occasion.  A pretty cake that is particularly rich, so only  small slices are required.  It can be adjusted  in size to suit your needs, by increasing  the quantity of sugar and egg whites and the size of  tins. A useful cake that can be made well in  advance.

N.B  Lemon Curd recipe is shown below.

Saturday was our ‘Lincolnshire Fayre’ supper held in the village hall.  A really nice evening, enabling us all, to get together for a good chat and sample some wonderful local produce.  Each table of  twelve was so prettily set with flower centre pieces and laden with some really tasty fayre.  We all started with Egg mayonnaise, the delicious taste of free range eggs and local salad made this, a most agreeably piquant start to the main meal.

The main course was succulent local cold cuts of Ham, Pork, Beef, local butchers Sausages and tasty Pork-Pies, of course the famous and very unique Pork Chine was also present. Pork Chine is salted neck-hind of pork, taken from between the shoulder blades of the pig, salted for up to ten months and then stuffed with parsley, the other ingredients are normally kept secret, it is served cold. Some may say an acquired  taste  but I like it very much. Huge bowls of fresh salad and new potatoes completed the main course.

We then had a seriously amazing choice of simply wonderful desserts. All home-made, by some of the best cooks in the Village. Ranging from strawberry and chocolate Pavlovas, the wonderful Italian dessert of  Tiramisu, creamy Rice Pudding,  Bannoffi Tart and Assorted Trifle’s etc. Absolutely a wonderful display and a heaven for the sweet tooth brigade, which rather looked like all of us, seeing  the weighty bowls carried back from the dessert table!

Finally to finish, the large trays of Plum Bread, which is another Lincolnshire speciality of dried fruit bread, consisting of raisins sultanas and currents, sometimes soaked in tea and always served with slices of good strong cheese. This particular bread  made at one of our local bakers, has now been chosen by British Airways to serve in  first class on selected flights.

Then Teas and Coffee for those who wish. What a great meal all served so beautifully, on prettily dressed tables with care and many smiling faces. Sharing  all this with good friends, it was a most pleasant evening and enjoyed by all. One little point this evening was all produced  for the grand sum of  £6.50 !

A nice fat cauliflower picked-up in the local market for 60p, quick boiled until  just tender and topped with a nice strong cheese  béchamel,  I like a really mature piece of  good cheddar cheese for this job. Getting more flavour by adding a small amount of the juice from the cauliflower into the béchamel and then served with a few crunchy sautéed potatoes and a couple of  large vine tomatoes does the job well!  Good Simple Fare.

And For Dessert.   Rhubarb, plucked from a neighbours garden! – in exchange for a little cake when baking -  and just as fresh as fresh can be. Simply poached in little sugar water and served with some single cream – heaven in a bowl!

BTW: A new poem ” Pain and Marchpane”  for those who like them  posted on http://www.susiehemingway.blogspot.com

Sweet succulent home grown salad leaves from ‘Orchard End’ with baked red peppers and vine tomatoes, delicious.

How wonderfully good is Lemon Curd, spread thickly on hot buttered toast, absolutely delicious and a wonderful pick-me-up at anytime of the day or even night!  My Sister Jenny, who lives at ‘Orchard End ‘ in the Village, came up with this years winning jar at our Village Flower and Vegetable Show.  Being an excellent cook, Jenny gaining the 1st Prize, was really no surprise to us all.  I will from time to time,  ‘blog’  some more of  her wonderful recipes. So for lovers of this really superb spread, I print the winning recipe below. Do hope you try it.

Lemon Curd – made with love.

Rind of  3 large lemons. Juice of 2 Large Lemons. 8ozs Castor Sugar.   4ozs unsalted butter. 2 large eggs.                                                   

Put lemon rind and juice, sugar and butter into a basin over simmering water. Stir until sugar has dissolved, Add the well-beaten eggs and continue to stir until thickened ( about 10 min’s)  until curd coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour into sterilised jars and seal. Allow to cool and store in fridge, Pretty cotton lids made from scrapes of clean linen and trimmed with pinking shears, completes the picture, …  I did say store -  Still you could always get the toast and butter ready!

               Jenny.