A Few Christmas Food Snaps

A few shots of the Christmas day food that kept us all clued to the sofa watching "Finding Nemo". This year we decided on Capon, stuffed and roasted in the traditional way. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a good old fashioned Prawn Cocktail, which was eaten with gusto by my brother.

I decided to have a tradition "tea" this year, with capon sandwiches, and other buffet items. This has ensured that there are pleanty of left-overs for the rest of the week.....

Christmas 2007

My dining room table, waiting for the dinner to arrive.....

Stockings waiting for Santa

Christmas 2007

Inspired by Norm, here's a few of my Christmas 2007 snaps......

My very minimalist Living Room Christmas tree..........

And my "tree" lamp for the Dining Room

Christmas Cake

12oz plain flour

1tbsp mixed spice

4oz ground almonds

8oz currants (although I changed this to chopped dates)

8oz sultanas

8oz raisins

4oz cherries
8oz butter

8oz soft brown sugar

6 eggs beaten with 8tbsp milk

1 tbsp black treacle

Mix flour, spice and ground almonds together. Mix fruit ( I let mine soak in a good splash of brandy for about an hour).

Beat butter and sugar to a cream, beat milk and eggs together. Mix together all ingredients. Add the fruit last.

Bake for four hours. First hour 180C (Gas 4), then slowly 150C(Gas2).

Duck breasts with pomegranate and mint

4 duck breasts

200g water cress

1 pomegranate

1 small bunch mint (chopped)

Sear the duck breasts, skin side down, for a minute or so. Place them in an oven proof dish (Gas 7) for about 15 minutes. (Depending on size and how pink you like your duck).

Line a plate with the watercress.

Slice each duck breast, diagonally and lay on the salad dish. Halve the pomegranate, bash the seeds from one half over the duck. Squeeze the juice from the other half over the duck.

Chop up the mint and scatter over the dish.

This is easy to make, but looks really impressive. Tastes good too!

Mince Pies

Ingredients

1 quantity shortcrust pastry

450g mincemeat

1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

55g caster sugar

60ml milk

Method1. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6.

2. Roll out the pastry until it is 2mm thick. Stamp out 24 7.5cm/3inch rounds with a pastry cutter and put in the base of 2 patty trays.

3. Fill each case with 2 tsp mincemeat and brush the edges with a little milk.

4. Stamp out 24 6cm/2½ in rounds for the lids and put on top of the mincemeat, sealing to the edges of the bases. Brush the egg wash over the pies and sprinkle with the caster sugar.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and cool or serve warm.

6. If you make them in advance, store in an air-tight tin and re-heat when needed.

In Season - December

Sea Bass
Sea bass is best in the winter months and can be bought whole, as steaks or as fillets. A whole bass is perfect for a special meal and is a favourite of many a restaurant chef. You may have to pay a little more for sea bass but its tender, soft flesh and its delicate milky flavour is worth the expense. It can be poached, steamed, baked or cooked over coals but, whichever way you choose, take care not to overcook the delicate flesh. Use flavours such as fennel, garlic, butter, olive oil and herbs such as mint, parsley and coriander to complement it.

Turkey
Traditionally, turkey is eaten at Christmas and Easter but it needn't be saved for the festive table. There are many cuts and joints in the shops, such as mince, steaks, drumsticks, thighs and crown roast, which can be enjoyed at any time. A healthy choice, turkey is very low in fat and high in protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins. It should be hung for several days to allow the flavour and texture to develop.


Pomegranate
Originating in Asia, the pomegranate tree is mentioned in the Old Testament and has been a symbol of religious significance for centuries in many countries. Now cultivated in the warm climates of South America, the Middle East, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean, the fruit is available in Britain from early to mid-winter. About the size of a large orange, it has a leathery skin with a blush of yellow and red. Inside there is spongy pith filled with seeds, which are, in turn, surrounded by a juicy, ruby red pulp. Eating a pomegranate can be a lengthy process as each pip has to be individually extracted, the juicy pulp eaten and the pips discarded (although they can be eaten if you find this too fiddly). The easiest way to extract the juice is by crushing the seeds through a sieve with the back of a ladle. This can be used to flavour mousse, fool, ice cream or sorbet. Many Persian and Middle Eastern recipes call for pomegranate molasses, a thick, sweet-and-sour liquid that gives a pleasant sharpness to meaty stews; it's also excellent paired with aubergine. It's available in some supermarkets and in Middle Eastern and Asian delicatessens.

Celery
The green or yellow varieties of celery are available all year round and are plentiful in summer but it's the frost-hardy white celery that is available only in winter. Celery should have crisp long stems attached to a sound base and the leaves should be vibrant and green. The stalks need to be cut away from the base and washed thoroughly. It's a most useful winter vegetable which, at a time when fresh herbs are scarce, can also be used to garnish and flavour dishes. Serve trimmed stalks raw with cheese (no festive Stilton should be served without them), or chopped into salads for a refreshing crispness. Chopped celery can also be used to flavour stuffing, soups, sauces and stews or as part of a bouquet garni for a stock. Whole young stalks can be steamed or boiled.

Also in season
wild duck
swede
celeriac
turnips
sprouts
goose
pumpkin
beetroot
parsnips
pears

Apple Spice Cake

2 eating apples, diced

200g self raising flour

125g butter

125g light muscavado sugar

2 large eggs

1tsp mixed spice

juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Cream together butter and sugar, add the eggs. Stir in lemon juice, zest and spice. Fold in the flour and add apples.

Bake at Gas 4 for 40/45minutes.

I can not tell you how delicious this cake is served, slightly warm, with a good splodge of clotted cream!

Mirin Glazed salmon

60ml mirin
60lm light soy sauce
50g light brown sugar
4 x 125g pieces of salmon
20ml rice vinegar











Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish and marinade the salmon for 3 minutes on one side and 2 mins on the other. Cook the salmon in a hot, dry pan for 2 minutes and then turn over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the pan onto a serving dish. Add the rice vinegar to the hot pan and warm through.

Pour the glaze over the salmon.

30-minute Fruit Cake

125g unsalted butter
125g light muscovado sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 medium eggs
few drops vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
50g glace cherries
175g mixed dried fruit
25g desiccated coconut
25g demerara sugar
50g flaked almonds


Preheat the oven Gas mark 5, grease and line a baking tin (I used a 2lb loaf tin).

Beat together butter, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Stir in cherries, fruit and coconut. Add the almonds and demerara sugar.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

For a more decorative finish sprinkle the almonds on top along with the demerara sugar.

Cinnamon Hearts

100g butter
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
250g plain flour
1tsp cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar, add flour,egg and spice. Mix to a dough. Chill dough for approx 1 hour. Roll out dough on a floured surface to approx 1/2cm thick. Cut out heart shapes. Bake for 10 minutes Gas 4, cooling on a wire rack when cooked.

Decorate with icing if desired.

All Purpose Spice Rub

1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients, using your hands to break up the sugar. Store in an airtight container, away from heat and light, up to 6 months.

Sloe Gin

1 lb. (450 g) sloes
3 cups (710 ml) gin or vodka
1 1/2 cup (350 g) sugar


Wash and dry the fruit, remove all stems, and freeze the sloes for at least a couple of days (not necessary if they are picked after the first frost). Place the fruit in a suitable container, add gin or vodka, and shake twice a week for 4-8 weeks. Transfer most of the liquid to a bottle. Add the sugar to the remaining sloes. Shake twice a day until all sugar has dissolved; this may take up to two weeks. Mix this sweet syrup with the first unsweetened liquid. After three months strain the liqueur thru a muslin cloth. Add some more sugar if necessary. The liqueur should mellow for 6 months before used.

As an alternative you can mix the sloes, gin/vodka and sugar at the same time, but then use slightly less sugar. If preparing the sloe gin/liqueur this way you will also get a delicious flavor, however, the total volume of liqueur will be less because more liquid will remain within the fruit.

Sloes are the fruit of blackthorn and are actually a wild type of plums. The flavor of the fruit is bitter, so the small plums are not suitable for eating. However, the effect of frost makes them milder. The bitter flavor is lost when making liqueurs.

November - What's in Season

Parsnips
Parsnips are a much-loved root vegetable and grow well in Britain. They actually improve with a frost because the effect of freezing the living root converts some of the starch into sugar. Parsnips are very versatile and can be cooked in much the same way as potatoes. They are delicious parboiled then roasted until they caramelise golden-brown, mashed with cream, braised, steamed or deep-fried in thin slices to make parnsip crisps, a contemporary garnish or moreish snack. They also make wonderful, creamy soups and partner well with apples, spices, ginger and cheese. They often have a tough core which many cooks prefer to discard. They should be scrubbed, not peeled, as most of the flavour lies directly below the skin.

Goose
Goose is farmed but is still very much a seasonal bird. The season starts in late September when the bird is small but ready to serve for the traditional Michaelmas Day feast on 29 September. By November, and in the run-up to Christmas, the goose is mature and getting fat. Fresh goose can't be bought in portions but only as a whole bird. It has a thick layer of fat, most of which melts away during roasting, leaving tender, slightly gamey meat. The melted goose fat stores well in the fridge and can be used to make the best and crunchiest roast potatoes.

Chestnuts
Mention sweet chestnuts and most people conjure up warm memories of roasting them on a cold winter's day. The smell is very enticing and the nut is deliciously moist and sweet. Chestnuts are also important as a baking ingredient because they can be dried and ground into flour for making cakes. Marrons glacés are whole chestnuts soaked in syrup, which can be eaten as a sweetmeat or used as decoration for cakes and puddings. Boiling or roasting makes their skins easier to remove and they are perfect served whole with Brussels sprouts. They can be chopped into stuffing for turkey and goose or made into a purée and served as a traditional accompaniment to game. When buying fresh chestnuts, choose nuts that are heavy and have shiny, smooth skins. They should be used quickly, before they start to dry out when their skins become tough and the nut loses its flavour.

Cranberries
The cranberry was an important staple in North America, even before the Pilgrim Fathers arrived. To this day, New England, the West Coast and the Canadian borders are the biggest producers of this tart little fruit. Cranberries grow in wetlands and bogs and during harvest, in the autumn, growers use machines resembling large egg beaters to comb through the low vines shaking the fruit off. The bog is then flooded and the cranberries float to the surface, where they are easily collected. Cranberries are too tart to eat raw and are always processed, usually into drinking juice or into a sauce used as a filling for pies and tarts, as well as a relish for turkey. Dried cranberries can be used in baking cookies, muffins and cakes.


Beetroot
The Greeks ate the leaves of the beetroot and valued the root for its medicinal qualities but it was the Romans who first cultivated it and brought it to the table. Nowadays, beetroot tends to be relegated to adding colour to salads or making relishes, which is a shame because it can be used in all sorts of dishes. Choose beetroots that are as small as possible because larger, older roots can take longer to cook. They can be boiled, steamed or baked and the outer skin needs to be rubbed off once cool enough to handle. Baby beetroots can be pan-fried in olive oil with other baby vegetables to serve as an accompaniment to meat or fish. Hot beetroot is delicious mixed with sweated garlic and onions and its sweet, earthy flavour is perfect for making soup such as borsch.


Also in season
grouse
swede
cabbage
potatoes
teal
pumpkin
pears
leeks
quinces





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Queen of Puddings

Ingredients
1 pint (570 ml) milk
½ oz (10 g) butter
4 oz (110 g) fresh white breadcrumbs
2 oz (50 g) golden caster sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons raspberry jam
(although I used blackcurrant)
First, pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, breadcrumbs, 1 oz (25 g) of the sugar and the lemon zest, and leave for 20 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to swell.

Now separate the eggs, lightly beat the yolks and add them to the cooled breadcrumb mixture. Pour it all into the pie dish and spread it out evenly. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until set.

Meantime, in a small saucepan melt the raspberry jam over a low heat and, when the pudding is ready, remove it from the oven and spread the jam carefully and evenly all over the top.

Next, using an electric hand whisk, lightly beat the egg whites in a large scrupulously clean bowl until stiff, then whisk in 1 oz (25 g) of the caster sugar and spoon this meringue mixture over the pudding. Finally, sprinkle the teaspoon of caster sugar over it all and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

Pumpkin Soup

1 large pumpkin
1 pint of stock (Veg or chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 medium chilli
1 can coconut milk
lots of corriander

Boil the pumpkin in the stock until tender. Drain but retain the cooking water.

In a blender, combine the chilli, garlic and corriander. Give it a good wizz.

When the pumpkin is soft drain. Combine the pumpkin with the chilli/garlic/coriander mix and blend until smooth.
(I did this with a handblender in my big cooking pot).

In your cooking pot add the coconut milk to the pumbkin mixture and simmer. If the soup is too thick add some of the reserved cooking water.

Serve hot in large bowls, garnished with chopped corriander.

Scallops and Chorizo

110g chorizo sausage
400g small scallops
juice of half a lemon
4tbsp chopped parsley

Slice the chorizo into rounds. Dry fry until crisp on either side. Remove the chirizo to a bowl and fry the scallops, in the oil released from the chirizo, for about 1 minute per side.
Return the chirizo to the pan, add the lemon juice and let it bubble for a few seconds before arranging on a serving plate and sprinkling with parsley.

Mussels

Once regarded as the poor relation of the shellfish family because of their small size and relative abundance, mussels are now very popular and fairly cheap.

The most common Blue or European mussels have sleek, shiny shells and tender, nutritious flesh. Like oysters, they are indiscriminate feeders and must be gathered from unpolluted waters. It is because of this that most mussels that you find in supermarkets and fishmongers are farmed.

Peak season for fresh mussels is October to March.

You can buy mussels in their shells year-round from the chiller cabinet, or, ready shelled versions come frozen, smoked and bottled in brine or vinegar.


Try not to choose mussels that have chipped, broken or damaged shells. Fresh mussels tend to be tightly closed. Allow about 500g per person for a main meal, and half that amount for a starter, or if they are to be added to pasta or soup.

To clean mussels, scrub in plenty of cold water to remove barnacles or sand. Discard any that float to the top. Give any open mussels a sharp tap with a knife and discard any that fail to close (they are dead). Remove the 'beard' - a fibrous clump of hairs that sprouts from the shell - by giving it a sharp tug towards the hinge end of the mussel. Place cleaned mussels in a fresh bowl of cold water until ready to use. Change this water two or three times to remove any salt or sand that the mussels may expel.

Mussels are highly perishable and should be eaten on the day of purchase.

Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

350g diced butternut squash and sweet potato
750ml hot chicken stock
1/4tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground mace
good grinding of black pepper
4tsps single cream

Put the butternut and sweet potato in a saucepan, with the chicken stock and spices.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Puree the soup. Pour into serving bowls, garnished with cream swirls.

Banana and Walnut Cake

100g butter (soft)
140g light muscovado sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
100g chopped walnuts
2 ripe banana's mashed
225g self rising flour

Preheat the oven to Gas 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. Set aside 25g walnuts, then fold the rest into the creamed mixture, with the banana's. Fold in the flour. Pour into the lined baking tin and sprinkle with the reserved walnuts.

Bake for 55 mins - 1 hour until risen.

Welsh Cakes

115g butter
225g self raising flour
75g caster sugar
75g currants
1 egg beaten.

Rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the sugar and currants. Tip in the egg and mix to a dough. Chill the dough in the fridge for approx 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out the welsh cakes to a 1 cm thickness. Stamp out thin rounds with a 6.5com fluted cutter.
Heat up a griddle pan. Drop a welsh cake onto the hot griddle and leave it for approx 5 minutes to brown, then flip over and do the other side. Cook in batches, taking care not to over-crowd the griddle.

October Seasonal foods

Fruit and Vegetables: elderberries, figs, watercress, squash, beetroot, courgettes, mushrooms, marrow, apples, kale, pumpkin

Meat, Poultry, Game: Autumn lamb, grouse, guinea fowl, partridge

Fish: oysters, mussels

Bread and Butter Pudding

Ingredients
25g/1oz butter, plus extra for greasing
8 thin slices bread
50g/2oz sultanas
2 tsp cinnamon powder
350ml/12fl oz whole milk
50ml/2fl oz double cream
2 free-range eggs
25g/1oz granulated sugar
nutmeg, grated, to taste



Method
1. Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter.
2. Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread each slice with on one side with butter, then cut into triangles.
3. Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then repeat the layers of bread and sultanas, sprinkling with cinnamon, until you have used up all of the bread. Finish with a layer of bread, then set aside.
4. Gently warm the milk in a pan over a low heat to scalding point. Don't let it boil.
5. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add three quarters of the sugar and lightly whisk until pale.
6. Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well, then strain the custard into a bowl.
7. Pour the custard over the prepared bread layers and sprinkle with nutmeg and the remaining sugar and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
9. Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown.

Plum Chutney

Ingredients
450g/1lb red plums, halved and stoned
180g/6oz caster sugar
120ml/4fl oz cider vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise



Method
Put all the ingredients into a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes until the plums are tender and the liquid is syrupy.
Keep for at least one month before using.
Serve with cheeses or ham.

Plum Tarte Tatin

100 grams butter
100 grams white sugar
7 large plums halved
1 sheet of flaky or puff pastry (pre-rolled)
The pan you choose for Tarte Tatin is important as it must be able to withstand cooking on a stove top and in the very hot oven with extremely hot caramelizing sugar. A heavy bottomed seasoned cast-iron pan is preferable.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5. Measure your pan and cut your pastry sheet into a round disc to fit as a lid. Cover the pastry so it doesn't dry out and put aside for later.
Peel the plums and cut into halves removing the stone.
Melt the butter and sugar together in the pan and slowly cook together until the sugar dissolves.
Arrange the plums, skin side down in the sugar mixture in a snug even pattern. Cook over a slow to medium heat for around 10 minutes until the plumbs are slightly soft and the sugar has begun to caramelize.
Place the pastry round securely on top of the plums. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Place a serving dish over the pan and flip upside down to release the dessert, so that the pastry is underneath.

Tarte Tatin

100 grams butter
100 grams white sugar
6 large apples
fresh lemon juice
1 sheet of flaky or puff pastry (pre-rolled)
The pan you choose for Tarte Tatin is important as it must be able to withstand cooking on a stove top and in the very hot oven with extremely hot caramelizing sugar. A heavy bottomed seasoned cast-iron pan is preferable.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5. Measure your pan and cut your pastry sheet into a round disc to fit as a lid. Cover the pastry so it doesn't dry out and put aside for later.
Peel the apples and cut into quarters removing the core. Brush with lemon juice so they do not brown.
Melt the butter and sugar together in the pan and slowly cook together until the sugar dissolves.
Arrange the apple quarters in the sugar mixture in a snug even pattern. Cook over a slow to medium heat for around 20 minutes until the apples are slightly soft and the sugar has begun to caramelize.
Place the pastry round securely on top of the apples. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Place a serving dish over the pan and flip upside down to release the dessert, so that the pastry is underneath.

Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie

Taken from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson









3 rashers bacon cut into strips
1tsp garlic olive oil
125g chestnut mushrooms sliced
250g chicken diced
25g flour
1/2tsp dried thyme
1tbsp butter
300ml chicken stock
1tbsp marsala
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry

Preheat the oven to Gas7. In a pan fry the bacon, then add mushrooms and soften them with the bacon.
Toss the chicken in the flour and thyme. Melt the butter in the bacon & mushroom pan, before adding the chicken and any left over flour. Stir until the chicken begins to colour.
Pour in the hot stock and marsala, stirring to form a sauce. Let this bubble for 5 minutes.

Divide the chicken into pie pots, top with a pastry lid. Brush with beaten egg.
Cook the pies for 20 minutes.

Chunky Vegetable Minestrone

2 carrots
1 onion
200g celery
2 pints vegetable stock
1 leek
100g green cabbage
2 tomatoes
50g soup pasta

Chop the carrots, oniions and celery, gently fry in a lrge saucepan until softened. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta shredded cabbage, finely sliced leek and skinned, deseeded, chopped tomatoes. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Pesto Sauce

In a blender whizz together, 50g basil, 1 large garlic glove, 1 tbsp pine nuts, 6tbsp olive oil, and 50g pecorino romano. When you have a smooth paste its ready.

Seasonal Foods

Damsons and plums
Damsons are blue-black fruit which look like small plums. They can be eaten raw when ripe but there is as much stone as there is flesh. They are best cooked, which brings out their sweet, spicy flavour, and put into pies and crumbles, jams, jellies, ice cream, fools and sorbets. An old English recipe using damsons is damson cheese, which is a rich confection of fruit, potted and aged before eating. Many winemakers are eager to harvest the fruit for their home brew.

Blackberries
Blackberries can be gathered as soon as they ripen from red berries into dark, plump berries and can be eaten fresh (they only keep for a short time) or preserved into excellent jelly or jam - although the latter can be a bit 'pippy'. They are also delicious in pies, crumbles, ice cream, fools and summer puddings. They are a natural partner for the first of the cooking apples. Blackberry and apple jam and crumble are popular recipes. Blackberries also make an excellent match for rich or gamey meat such as venison, lamb or pheasant.

Autumn lamb
Autumn lamb is available until the end of October and tends to have more flavour than spring lamb owing to the maturity of the meat. It is the perfect partner to other autumnal produce such as orchard fruit and root vegetables. A butterflied boned leg of lamb cooks wonderfully on the barbecue for late summer days. Autumn lamb should be readily available from butchers and supermarkets. Look out for bright red meat and white fat as a sign of freshness.

Apples
Worcester Pearmains, Bramleys, Discoveries, Early Windsors and Cox’s Orange Pippins should all be making an appearance this month. Some of these are available in supermarkets, but searching out local growers and visiting orchards will give you an even wider choice and the apples should be at their freshest. Use Bramleys in pies and crumbles, or bake them whole with some brown sugar, butter and spices. Slices of caramelised apple also go wonderfully with meat, especially pork.

Partridge
A close relative of the pheasant, the partridge comes in several varieties. The British, or grey partridge, has delicate and tender flesh which, when young, is pale and full of flavour. It's a small bird, so a whole one feeds one person. It's best hung for a few days (the more it's hung the more gamey the meat becomes) and any good game dealer or butcher will sell partridge ready to cook. The whole bird can be roasted and served with its traditional accompaniments of game chips (homemade potato crisps, really thinly sliced), clear gravy and watercress but it's the plump breast of young birds that provides the best meat. The legs can be used in game pies or puddings.

Wood pigeon
Wood pigeon tend to feast on corn and other cereal crops and so, by the time autumn arrives, they make for fine eating. Young birds are the best for roasting to ensure tender meat, which is dark, very rich and gamey. Older birds get tougher with age and are best braised slowly with vegetables, or used for stock. The richness of the flesh is complemented by other strong flavours, such as gin, brandy and port, and by dried fruit, such as prunes, and it's good served with braised red cabbage, lentils or cabbage and bacon.

Brown trout
Brown trout can be hard to source as they are farmed on a very small scale but it's worth the trouble. The fish is really delicious; some argue the flavour is far superior to rainbow trout. You may have to take up fly-fishing to get hold of any brown trout but, however you get it, it's best cooked simply in a little water and wine, with a few herbs, so as not to mask its exquisite flavour.

Sweetcorn
By late summer young, tender sweetcorn starts to appear in the shops and markets. At their best, the husks should be green and fresh and the tassel at the end should be fine and silky to indicate that the corn has not long been picked. For the best flavour, sweetcorn should be eaten as soon as it's picked, a bit of a tall order unless you grow it yourself or go to a pick-your-own farm. Eaten when really fresh, you will enjoy the sweetness of the kernels which should be plump and juicy and full of flavour. Sweetcorn should be cooked in boiling water with a little sugar but not salt, as this can make the kernels tough. After cooking, season the cobs with salt and pepper and serve with lots of melted butter.


Also in season
duck
venison
oysters
cucumber
spinach
figs
grouse
mussels
sea bass
onion

Meatballs

Ingredients:

for the meatballs:

250g minced pork
250g minced beef
1 egg
2 tbspns freshly grated parmesan
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tbspns semolina or breadcrumbs
good grind black pepper
1 tspn salt
Just put everything in a large bowl, and then, using your hands, mix to combine, before shaping into small balls. Place the meatballs on baking sheets or plates that you have lined with clingfilm, and put in the fridge as you finish them.

for the Tomato sauce:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tspn dried oregano
1 tbspn butter
1 tbspn olive oil (not extra virgin)
700g bottle tomato passata
pinch sugar
salt and pepper
100ml full fat milk
Put the onion, garlic and oregano into the process and blitz to a pulp. Heat the butter and oil in a deep wide pan, then scrape the onion-garlic mix into it and cook over a low-medium for about 10 minutes. Don't let the mixture catch, just let it become soft. Add the bottle of passata and then fill the empty bottle half full with cold water. Add this to the pan with the pinch of sugar, some salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes. The tomato sauce will appear thin at this stage, but don't worry as it will thicken a little later. Stir in the milk, and then drop the meatballs in one by one. Don't stir the pan until the meatballs have turned from pink to brown as you don't want to break them up. Cook everything for about 20 minutes, with the lid only partially covering it. At the end of cooking time, check the seasoning as you may want more salt and a grind or two more of pepper.

Cod Fish Cakes with Crunchy Lime Drenched Salad

Fish Cakes
120g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
4-4tbsp milk
400g cod
1 small red onion finely chopped
2 2bsp chopped parsley
Olive oil for frying.
Put the flour and salt into a bowl, and beat in the egg and milk to make a batter. Stir the cod into the batter with the onion, parsley and a grinding of black pepper. In a large non-stick frying pan shallow fry spoonfulls of the mixture in the oilve oil, until golden brown.

Crunchy Lime Drenched Salad
Juice of 1 lime
1/2tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2tsp black pepper
1/2tsp salt
1/2 cucumber diced
1/2 red onion diced
3 tomatos diced
2-3 sprigs of mint chopped
pinch of sugar
small handful of chopped coriander
In a large serving bowl combine the lime juice, cumin, chilli, pepper, and salt. add the cucumber, onion and tomatoes, toss together and set aside to marinate for 15 mins. Stir in the mint, sugar and coriander and serve.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients
4 lemons, rind and juice
4 eggs
110g/4oz butter
450g/1lb sugar








Method
1. Grate rind of lemons and squeeze out juice. Put sugar, rind and juice, butter and beaten eggs into a large basin on top of a pan of simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and curd coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm sterile jars, cover, seal and label. Refrigerate.

Indian Feast

Chicken tikka masala
2tbsp vegetable oil
1 large glove garlic chopped
a red chilli deseeded and chopped
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground paprika
1/2tsp salt
black pepper
400g chopped tomatoes
300ml double cream
8 pieces of cooked tandoori chicken
Heat the oil, add the garlic, chilli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and leave to simmer until the chicken is heated through.

Onion bhaji
150g gram flour
1tsp salt
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp bicarb
1/2tsp chilli powder
2tsp lemon juice
2tbsp vegetable oil
8tbsp water
2 onions thinly sliced
2tsp thinly coriander seeds
Sift the flour, salt, cumin, turmeric, bicarb and chilli powder into a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and oil, gradually stir in water until a batter forms, consistancy of single cream.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer until it reaches 180c. Drop in spoonfulls of the onion mixture and fry for 2 minutes, flip over and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes.

Drain on kitchen paper. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Chilli & Onion Chutney
1 green chilli chopped
1 red chilli chopped
1tbsp white wine vinegar
2 onions finely chopped
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp sugar
3tbsp fresh mint

Put the chillies in a small bowl with the vinegar, stir and then drain. Add the chillies to the choped onion, lemon juice, sugar and herbs.
Leave to stand at room temperature or cover and chill for 15 mins.

American Pancakes

9oz plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

250ml milk

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

2oz unsalted butter, melted

Beat the eggs into the milk and add the melted butter.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the milk.

Using a wooden spoon beat the mixture quickly to make a batter. Heat a heavy based frying pan. Grease with butter and pour in the batter to make rounds approximately 8cm/3¾ inch diameter.

Cook until bubbles start to appear on the surface, this will take approximately 1 minute. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side.

Continue until you have used up all the batter. Serve the pancakes and pour over the maple syrup.

This has got to be my favorite breakfast.

Seasonal Foods

FOODS IN SEASON NOW
VEGETABLES
artichoke aubergine beetroot broad beans broccoli carrots courgettes cucumber fennel french beans garlic kohlrabi mangetout onions peas potatoes radishes rocket runner beans sorrel watercress
FRUIT & NUTS
apricots blackberries blueberries greengages kiwi fruit loganberries melons nectarines peaches raspberries redcurrants tomatoes
MEAT
lamb rabbit wood pigeon
FISH & SEAFOOD
cod crab dover sole grey mullet haddock halibut herring john dory lemon sole lobster mackerel monkfish plaice salmon sardines scallops sea bass

Potato, Courgette & Corriander Pie

3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
150g Spenwood/Pecorino cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, peeled & chopped
1cm fresh root ginger, peeled & chopped
350g pots, peeled & thinly sliced
175g courgettes, thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled & thinly sliced
75 ml white wine or vegetable stock (chicken stock can aslo be used).



Mix the corriander, cheese, garlic & ginger in a bowl. Line a dish with half the potatoes and cover with half the courgettes and then half the sliced onion. Spoon on half the cheese mixture. Continue with a second layer of the remaining potato, courgette and onion. Pour on the wine or stock and cover with foil. Bake in the oven (gas 5) for an hour until tender. Top with the remaining cheese mixture and finish off under the grill.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe:

226 g butter, room temperature
150 g granulated white sugar
160 g light brown sugar
2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
420 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking-soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
270g chocolate chips

Preheat oven to gas mark 4 with rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl cream the butter. Add the white and brown sugars and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, adding the chocolate chips about half way through mixing. If you find the dough very soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).
For large cookies, use about a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop or with two spoons, drop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 12 - 14 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen - 3 inch round cookies

Madeleines

Madeleines were made famous by Marcel Proust in his novel 'Remembrance of Things Past' in which he wrote: "She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called 'petites madeleines', which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell....... An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses....".

115g unsalted butter melted
140g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
130g granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter.
In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.





Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it. Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate.
Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it. Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to Gas mark 5. Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans. (Make sure the pans are well greased or the madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)
Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center. (This will result in the classic "humped" appearance of the madeleines.)
Bake the madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched. Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

Remove the pans from the oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines. Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool. The madeleines are best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson is the daughter of former Conservative cabinet minister Nigel Lawson (now Lord Lawson) and the late Vanessa Salmon, socialite and heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, who died of liver cancer in 1985.

Lawson attended Godolphin and Latymer School and Westminster School before graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages.

She took part in the third series of the BBC family-history documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?, in an edition first broadcast on 11 October 2006. She traced her mother's side of the family, the Salmon (originally Solomon) family (owners of J. Lyons and Co.) to Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors in the Netherlands and the Rhineland of Germany. One of these ancestors, Coenraad Sammes aka Joseph, had fled to England to escape a prison sentence following a conviction for theft. Nigella was disappointed not to have Sephardi ancestry in her family.

Career
Lawson wrote a restaurant column for the Spectator and a comment column for The Observer and became deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times in 1986. She became, among other things, a newspaper-reviewer on BBC1 Sunday-morning TV programme Breakfast with Frost. She has also co-hosted, with David Aaronovitch, Channel 4 books discussion programme Booked in the late 1990s, and was an occasional compere of BBC2's press review What the Papers Say, as well as appearing on BBC radio.

Following slots as a culinary sidekick on Nigel Slater's Real Food Show on Channel 4, she has fronted three eponymous TV cookery series broadcast in the UK on the channel. She has had two series of Nigella Bites in 1999-2001, plus a 2001 Christmas special, and Forever Summer with Nigella in 2002, both of which yielded accompanying recipe books. She hosted a daytime TV programme on ITV1 in 2005 titled Nigella, in which celebrity guests joined her in a studio kitchen. The show was not well received by critics and ended after a short run. Besides her own cookbooks, Nigella is featured in Off Duty: The World's Greatest Chefs Cook at Home (2005). A third series called Nigella Feasts, based on her book Feast, debuted on the USA's Food Network in Fall 2006.

Her first biography, Nigella Lawson by Gilly Smith, was published by Andre Deutsch in September 2005, but was remaindered within weeks of release. However, a paperback edition, subtitled "A Very British Dish", was due to be published in the summer of 2006.

More recently in late 2006, Nigella did a show on BBC Two called Nigella's Christmas Kitchen. Two of the episodes secured the second highest ratings for BBC Two, with the third episode becoming the top show on the week that it was aired.

According to UKTV Food Lawson has a personal fortune in excess of £1.7 million. She was voted author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards. More than 2 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. She also has a profitable line of kitchenware, called the "Living Kitchen" range available at numerous retailers.

Popular culture
Her style of presentation is often gently mocked by comedians and commentators, particularly in a regularly-occurring impersonation of her in the BBC television comedy series Dead Ringers, who perceive that she plays overtly upon her attractiveness and sexuality as a device to engage viewers of her cookery programmes, despite Lawson's repeated denials that she does so.
She has also been featured on BBC One TV impersonation-sketch show Big Impression, where Ronni Ancona has done impressions of her, which mock and embellish the fact that she uses slightly exotic foods. For example, in one sketch, a recipe requires Phoenix eggs. In her act, Ancona also lampooned Nigella's tendency to present her recipes with over-description.

Personal life
Lawson married journalist John Diamond, whom she met in 1986 when they were both writing for The Sunday Times. They had two children, Cosima and Bruno. Diamond died of throat cancer in 2001. Lawson married art-collector Charles Saatchi in September 2003, and came under some criticism when it was suggested she had started her affair with him before the death of Diamond.

Green Tomato chutney

Ingredients
15g/½oz root ginger
8-10 chillies
2kg/4lb green tomatoes, chopped
500g/1lb apples, peeled, cored and chopped
250g/8oz raisins, chopped
625g/1¼lb shallots, chopped
2 tsp salt
500g/1lb brown sugar
570ml/1 pint malt vinegar

Method
Bruise the ginger and tie in a muslin bag with the chillies.
Place all the other ingredients in a preserving pan and suspend the muslin bag among them.
Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, and simmer until the desired consistency is reached.
Remove the muslin bag. Pour into warmed sterilised jars, cover and label.

Italian shopping spree

I am, an italiaphile. One day I'm sure I'll get around to learning the lingo and perhaps even visiting. Until then I'll contend with cooking the food and drinking the wine.

My spending spree bought me:-
100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil wil juniper berries and bay leaves
olive oil with oregano
Olive oil with pink pepper corns and rosemary
Lemoncello
Risotto rice
Crissini

and a spanish chorizo

Orecchiette with Carbonara and king prawns

For the carbonara sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
3 slices pancetta
1-2 tbsp double cream
1-2 tbsp fresh parmesan, grated
1 egg yolk
Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil.

For the carbonara, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, over a moderate heat.
Add the slices of pancetta to the pan, and fry for 2-3 minutes, on each side, or until crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, place the double cream, parmesan and egg yolk into a small bowl. Stir well. Add the prawns and heat through.
Cook the Orecchiette as per packet instructions. When the pasta has cooked, combine with sauce. Serve with black pepper.

Orecchiette is the most typical pasta shape of the Puglia region. It takes its name from the shape which is said to resemble little "orecchio" (ears).

Easy Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cacaopowder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven on Gas mark 6.
Stir all the ingredients together (add nuts or dried fruit if you want) and pour the mix in a greased 2ln loaf baking tin. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Or until a skewer comes out clean.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

For the cake:
250 ml Guinness
250 g unsalted butter
75 g cocoa
400 g caster sugar
142 ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp real vanilla extract
275 g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the icing:
300 g Philadelphia cream cheese -
150 g icing sugar
125 ml double or whipping cream
Instructions:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180oc, butter and line a 23 cm springform tin
Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter gradually, and heat until the butter has melted. At which time, whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the bicarb and flour.
Pour the cake batter into the greased, lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack as it is quite a damp cake.
Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar, then beat together. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of a pint.

Raspberry Pavlova - Nigella recipe

4 egg whites at room temperature
250g caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
few drops pure vanilla extract
300ml double cream, whipped till firm

Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and draw a 20-23cm circle on the paper. I often don't, and just imagine what size the circle should be as I dollop the meringue on. This seems to work fine.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until satiny peaks form. Beat in the sugar, a third at a time, until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold in lightly. Mound on to the paper on the baking tray within the circle, flatten the top and smooth the sides. Place in the oven. IMMEDIATELY reduce the heat to gas mark 2/150ºC and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in it to cool completely.

Invert the pavlova on to a big, flat-bottomed plate, pile on cream and spoon on fruit of your choice. My father in laws home grown rasperries shown here.

Cherry Cake

175g plain flour
175g butter
2tsp baking powder
175g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
225g cherries

Preheat the oven to gas 5. Line a 2lb loaf tin.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and eggs. Fold in flour, add cherries.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for at least 1 hour 10 minutes, or until risen, well browned and slightly shrunk away from the sides of the tin.

Olive Oil

What is extra virgin olive oil?
Before we can understand ‘extra virgin’ we first have to clarify the word ‘virgin’. What it describes, quite simply, is oil pressed from the fruit of the olive tree under conditions that cause no deterioration of the finished oil – the olives are not damaged, bruised or subjected to adverse temperatures or too much air, and they must not have undergone any additional treatment such as heat or blending (other than with other virgin olive oil). The supreme quality is measured by acidity or, more precisely, the lack of it – too much acidity gives a harsher flavour, which can, with skill, be refined out. What is simply termed olive oil is often a blend of lesser-quality refined oils with some virgin added to give the right balance of flavour.

Extra virgin olive oil could, in fact, have another name – perfect virgin olive oil, because this is precisely what it is: virgin olive oil with no flaws whatsoever. By law the acidity of extra virgin olive oil is never more than 0.8 per cent, and what does this mean? Flavour. First there is an aromatic fragrance, then a sweetness not marred by acidity, and then an abundant taste of fruit, verdant and luscious, not tasting like olives exactly but like some other mysterious, unique fruit. Like very fine wine, extra virgin olive oil is both rich and flavoursome.

Which country produces the best olive oil?
Difficult to answer, this. The olives of each country have their own character and flavour, which will even vary from region to region: a Tuscan olive oil, for instance, is different to a Ligurian olive oil. If I were being a purist I would suggest that Provençal dishes should be made with oils made in Provence, and Italian, Greek or Spanish dishes made with the oil produced in that country. But unless you do masses of cooking it’s best to find an olive oil you’re happy with, and my recommendation is to have an extra virgin oil for special occasions, along with an everyday

Go Nuts for new Fairtrade Peanut Butter

The worlds first organic and Fairtrade peanut butter is to improve the lives of some of the world's poorest farmers and help the environment.

8500 small scale farmers from northern Mozambique supply the required peanuts, and are guaranteed a Fairtrade price and an organic premium for their harvest. A fairtrade social premium is also offered so they can improve local businesses and communities.

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Rasberry and vanilla custard tart

Pastry

175g plain flour

125g unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

25g vanilla sugar

1tsp orange zest

Filling

2 medium eggs, plus 2 yolks

40g caster sugar

1/2 vanilla pod

450ml single cream

175g fresh raspberries

Make the pastry in a food processor, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for approx 20 mins.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and line a flan tin (1 1/2cm deep, 20cm loose-base). Preheat the oven gas mark 6, bake blind the tart for 20-25 mins.

Put the whole eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl and beat well. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and put both in a pan with cream. Cook over a low heat until the cream is well flavoured and almost boiling. Pour onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Strain into the pastry case.

Reduce the oven temperature to gas mark 2 and bake the tart for 45 mins, until the centre is lightly set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Remove the tart from the tin and arrange the raspberries on top. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar.