Our third guest contributor is Alyson Peacock, known to many as past Ludwell School governor, keen gardener and one of the stalwart team who got Ludwell Orchard project off the ground. Alyson has lived in the village with her family for over 25 years and believes in the 'You are what you eat' philosophy, so enjoys a mostly vegetarian diet, hence her scrummy recipes below. (Nonetheless, I know Alyson can weaken at roast chicken and crispy bacon....much like the rest of us!) aif
When I agreed to contribute to these pages some time ago now, I thought it would be easy. I could just regurgitate a favourite recipe (what an unfortunate image for a cookery page!) …tell you all how delicious it is and urge you to make it. Now here I am looking at a blank white page and I find it’s not that simple. I’m not permitted to duplicate recipes from well known chefs and these are the starting points for many of us – these, or our mother’s tried and trusted recipes which come from so far in the past they can no longer be attributed to a published cook. I find I have quite productive and successful periods in the kitchen that last for several weeks, then there are fallow periods when I simply can’t even remember what I have cooked before and feel bereft of inspiration. That’s how I’m feeling now about this article so I thought why not let the whiteness of the page be my starting point? I searched through my kitchen notebooks to find a few ways I’ve cooked white vegetables over the years; celeriac, parsnips and the humble potato. All are perfect accompaniments to roasts this Christmas. The celeriac recipe is a meal in itself and is delicious with crusty bread and a green salad, especially peppery watercress salad. If necessary it can be cooked several hours before serving and is easily reheated. The crusted parsnip cakes recipe is a Swedish idea originally intended for potatoes but I think they are much tastier made with parsnips. They can be served as a vegetarian dish with a little crème fraîche or sour cream, or as an accompaniment to other dishes. The spicy fried potatoes are great with curries of course but equally good accompanying sausages, other meats and vegetarian burgers. Alyson If you would like to be a guest contributor to Truly Scrumptious, please let us know donheaddigest@gmail.com. Celeriac and Walnut Gratin Serves 3–4 1 Celeriac – large 2 tbs Walnut oil (or olive oil) 300 ml Vegetable stock Walnuts – chopped (generous handful) 100 g Stilton or Bleu d’Auvergne cheese Salt and Black pepper Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C / gas 5. 1. Slice the bottom of the celeriac to stabilize it and peel off its skin with a sharp knife. Quarter it and then slice very thinly. 2. Toss the slices in the walnut oil and season. 3. Place in a gratin dish and cover with stock. 4. Cook for 40–45 minutes or until celeriac is tender. 5. Remove from the oven and scatter over the crumbled cheese and walnuts and then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Hazelnut Crusted Parsnip (or Potato) Cakes Serves 3–4 4 Large parsnips, chopped into large chunks ½ tsp Turmeric 110 g Hazelnuts coarsely ground (cashews, almonds or pistachios are fine) 60 g Fine breadcrumbs – wholemeal 1½ tsp Cumin seeds Salt and Cooking oil 1. Boil or steam the parsnips. Drain them well and leave to cool. 2. Mash well and add salt to taste and turmeric. 3. Toss the nuts with the breadcrumbs, cumin seeds and ½ tsp of salt. 4. Scoop up handfuls of the parsnip mixture; press into the nut mixture to coat both sides, at the same time flattening them into thin patties. 5. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the cakes over a medium heat until they are browned and crusty. Potatoes with Sesame Seeds Serves 6 2 kg Potatoes – firm or waxy 6 tbs Vegetable oil 2 tsp Cumin seeds 2 tsp Black mustard seeds – whole 2 tbl Sesame seeds 1. Boil the potatoes in their skins. Drain and cool. Cut into 2 cm dice. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. When oil is very hot put in all the seeds. 3. When the mustard seeds start to pop add the potatoes and seasoning and fry until some of their surfaces are golden and crispy. All Truly scrumptious at any time of the year Many thanks Alyson
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“It never rains but it pours, well it certainly has over the last month, affecting major crops across the whole of the UK and Europe” ….and so started a worrying email about the state of the fresh seasonal vegetable supply to the UK. Compounding the problem, it seems more people are eating hot meals with winter type vegetables this summer, rather than salad (I’m guilty here). “Farmers are unable to harvest their crops dueto ground conditions with some crops under four inches of water”…and so it went on.
As part of my role, overseeing 15 million meals a year to a discerning group of older people in Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland, this is a real concern to me. It made depressing reading. “Broccoli and cauliflower crops are ruined – Germany is waterlogged with their swede harvest wiped out,” (who is eating swede now anyway?). Poor availability means costs are soaring and crops for the frozen market seriously depleted. I imagine that vegetable gardens in the Donheads are no better. My runner beans haven’t emerged out of the ground – broad beans are looking healthy but no sign of any beans. I have a single courgette with potential, but soggy strawberries. My currants are healthy but lie flattened. Summer show entries? Not this year. This time last year and many years previously, I spent my evenings harvesting vegetables, digging potatoes and stopping Lucy, my westie from stealing the lowhanging fruit from the trees and pulling up the cabbages from my tiny vegetable bed. She smelt my fresh carrots as soon as they emerged, and pulled them up by their feathery tops. Lucy would leave apples, pears, tomatoes, peas and beans half eaten, strewn all over the garden. She’d been known to pull a whole runner bean wigwam over – all in search of something she knew was sweet, juicy and forbidden. I lost my rag with her on many an occasion as she proudly appeared in the kitchen, tail wagging with soil all over her head. Pea pods were one of her favourites. And this brings me to this months’ recipe. Pea and mint risotto – eaten on it’s own it’s wonderful, or to accompany sausages, chicken – almost anything any time of the year. It is also a great store cupboard staple – especially if you have garden peas in the freezer, as every good household should in my opinion. (You certainly need them if you have a thieving terrier in the house). I knock this recipe up, with many variations when there is little in the fridge, or if I arrive home late and need some therapy… a soothing ‘stir’ by the stove, glass of wine in hand, reflecting on the day. The best risottos are made with the best rice – Arborio has a fat grain and makes for a creamy risotto; Carnaroli, also excellent, holds its shape but is not so creamy. Cheese – parmesan is traditional but try hard goat or ewe’s cheese. Just experiment or use what you have. Stock cubes/powder is fine, vegetables and fresh herbs from your garden or frozen. Fortunately this year, you don’t need broccoli, cauliflower, swede or potatoes. Lucy, dear girl, I miss you – RIP June 2012 aif Pea and Mint Risotto Serves 1 Approx. £0.85 This is ‘fast’ comfort food. Quantities and ingredients are approximate – this is not a precise recipe, however if you have not made a risotto before, there are very particular recipes available in many books and on the intranet. This will work if you follow the method and your taste buds, as it is as individual as you are, because itis for one. Add more of what you enjoy. This can also be made on the top of a barbecue; real fire in the woods or gas fire when camping. I’ve even made this in a microwave! Small knob butter – preferably unsalted Splash olive oil 1 small onion or equivalent – finely sliced and chopped ½ celery stick (optional) finely sliced ½ mug blanched fresh peas or frozen garden peas/petit pois ½ mug risotto rice of your choice – pearl barley or spelt even works 1 mug hot stock – vegetable or chicken is fine (you need double the volume of stock to rice – hence measured here in a mug.) Big splash white wine (optional) Lump (50g) hard cheese (parmesan/hard goats cheese or other well-flavoured hard cheese,) finely grated Tsp chopped mint/tarragon/parsley/whatever you have (thyme/rosemary etc need to be treated differently) Sprinkling toasted almond slivers (optional but adds a nice crunch and a little needed bitterness – alternatively try sunflower seeds) 1. Heat a small pan and melt the butter with the splash of olive oil. 2. Add the onion and celery if using, stirring gently to cook until soft – not brown, 5–6 minutes. 3. Add the rice of your choice and coat with the butter and onion mix, stirring over a medium heat for a minute or more. 4. Add the white wine if using and stir well until the rice mixture thickens. 5. If you are using a woody herb (thyme or rosemary, very finely chopped), add now. 6. Chill (that’s you!) Stirring constantly but slowly, add generous splashes of the hot stock until all the stock has all been absorbed, or you feel it is of the right consistency and nice and creamy. This may take 20–25 minutes. 7. Whilst still quite wet, add the soft herbs of your choice (mint / tarragon / parsley) plus peas (if using frozen, it’s best to have run them under water or through a sieve to rid them of any ice first) and stir well until it bubbles again. 8. Add two thirds of your grated cheese, black pepper and taste. 9. Serve in a bowl, sprinkled with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with toasted almonds. A truly, truly scrumptious dish. Guest contributors – Jo and Phil James, Ludwell Stores
When asked if we would be guest contributors to ‘Truly Scrumptious’, we eagerly accepted. We ummmed and aahed about how clever we could be and what wonderful dishes we could get you to try. Finally with the heavy fare of Christmas still in our minds and our bellies we decided upon something comforting but healthy, colourful, light and of course scrumptious. We have always loved Spanish/Moorish/Moroccan fare and so admire Sam & Sam Clark’s food from Moro restaurant in London. Originally a Turkish dish, our ‘Truly Scrumptious’ recipe is basically a delicious roasted ratatouille with a few roots and spices thrown in. A generous handful of ‘greenery’ before serving adds a nice crunch and a great fresh flavour. We eat it as a main course with some yogurt sauce and a pile of pitta bread (could equally be a side dish). If Phil is feeling very enthusiastic he might throw in a huge bowl of homemade hummus. He tries not to get too despondent when Alice, our 8 year old and the household’s self-appointed food critic, informs him that his gorgeous bowl of golden oil-drizzled organic goodness is not a patch on the ‘real thing’, a branded product which lives pre-prepared in the shop’s chiller cabinet. Feeding children is such a tricky business – it is so easy to get pushy with foods and establish ‘food terrors’ (avocados and mushrooms in our house); whilst one doesn’t want to make food an issue, there are days when we just don’t feel up to the fight. So we compromise; Phil and I eat the odd fish finger (100% fillet, because you have to draw the line somewhere), as long as the children eat the odd courgette. It works fairly well for us all; although Phil and I are more biddable than the children and tend to keep our side of the deal with less fuss. A must for parents with fussy children is The Man who ate Everything by American food critic Jeffrey Steingarten. He asserts that if you try anything ten times you will learn to like it. It seems to work, Harry has managed mushrooms three times now…. And, once tiny quantities of ‘tricky’ foods make that journey from plate to mouth, the floodgates start to open. The list of foods the children will eat is slowly getting longer than the list of foods they won’t. We can’t pretend that Turlu Turlu is the children’s favourite dish but we persevere because it is one of ours. Harry eats most of a plateful and Alice leaks a little less noise now that she knows where to find the chickpeas. So please try it at least ten times, especially if you are feeding it to children, it is truly scrumptious. AIF If anyone else would like to be a guest contributor to Truly Scrumptious, please let us know donheaddigest@gmail.com Turlu Turlu (A James family special from Ludwell Stores) Approx. £6.85 when purchased in Ludwell Serves 4 3 courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2cm discs 1 aubergine, halved lengthways and cut into ½ again 1 onion, cut into large chunks 3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced 1 green pepper, halved, seeded and thickly sliced 3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut in three 200g turnips, cut into wedges about 2cm thick 2 potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes 3 tbls extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp ground allspice 2 tsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground 3 tbls cooked/canned chickpeas 150 ml tomato passata or good chopped toms crushed while cooking 1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley and 1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped sea salt and black pepper/lemon juice Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F / Gas 7 1. Sprinkle a teaspoon of fine sea salt on the courgettes and aubergine and allow to stand for 20 mins before rinsing. 2. In a large bowl, toss the aubergine, onion, garlic, peppers, carrots, turnips and potatoes with the olive oil, allspice, coriander seeds and a little salt and pepper. 3. Spread the vegetable mixture on a large roasting tray, no more than one layer deep and place in the preheated oven. 4. After 40 minutes, gently stir in the courgettes and cook for another 15 minutes. 5. Meanwhile heat up the chickpeas with the passata or tomato sauce in a pan, and check for seasoning. 6. Now add to your vegetables. Stir well with your prepared herbs and add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Serve with a green salad and yoghurt sauce made from crushed garlic mixed with a little ground cumin in Greek yoghurt. A truly, truly scrumptious dish Many thanks to the James family (goodfood@ludwellstores.co.uk) Shaftesbury’s farmers’ market was in town this last weekend, with some wonderful cheese, meat and fish produce and a new bakery stall, from where I bought a delicious granary spelt sourdough loaf. It was delicious torn into chunks and dunked into some freshly made soup. And soup is the perfect dish to be making now as we slip into autumn, hence this month’s recipe.
Just outside the town hall was a stall laden with corn, leeks, kale, berries and squash. Wonderful squash of around eight varieties, all sizes and shapes. I had to take half a dozen, although that’s a lot of squash for one person to consume. Fortunately, the winter varieties have thick, tough shells that protect that lovely sweet, rich and colourful flesh inside, making them excellent storage vegatables. I bought some hard bulbous squashes, as well as the small softer skin variety like acorn squash. Until the rise in popularity of butternut squash, pumpkins were the most popular squash on our shop shelves, but I really cant abide pumpkin - pappy and tasteless (just a personal view!) This had put me off cooking with any type of squash for years. Nowadays, farm shops sell all sorts of wrinkled, multi-colured, ribbed and striped specimens. The uglier they are, the better they seem to taste, I just wish I was more successful at growing them. My neighbour is very successful. She gave me a spaghetti squash a couple of weeks ago and it is exactly as the name implies, you can fork out the flesh in long strands and serve in place of rice or pasta, especially good if smothered in a fresh tomato sauce. Great for those gluten free guests, but you rarely see spaghetti squash for sale. At my niece’s wedding earlier this month I served roasted butternut squash (skin on) that I had drizzled with homemeade chilli oil and scattered with toasted seeds and nuts (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, nigella seeds and almonds). These wedges of golden glory, were accompanied by chunky homemade humous and basil leaves. I was serving this in place of the hog roast for our vegetarian guests. It flew off the buffet table faster than anything else and I was left wondering why I hadnt cooked more and done away with the ‘pig’. We have Halloween and Guy Fawkes night approaching so a warming squash soup would seem in order, but I have decided to do something different. I love cauliflower, especially with Thai flavours and I think it will be the perfect for bonfire night. I made this recipe first when I knew I had a couple of ‘curry-head’ neighbours popping round, so used them as guinea pigs. I made it too spicy - it was still a good soup but you couldn’t taste the cauliflower. I have refined the american recipe and now, third time in the making, I think it’s fabulous. As I write (it’s early morning) I know I am only a matter of feet from a tub of this wonderful soup. Unconvenitional breakfast, but I am tempted. I hope you enjoy it too, served at any event, season or time of day. aif Red Thai Curry Cauliflower Soup (Substitute squash if preferred) Serves 6. Approx. £0.85p pp when all ingredients purchased in Ludwell 1 ½ tbs vegetable oil 1 medium white onion - finely diced 1 celery stick - finely diced 2 tsp fresh ginger - grated or chopped very finely 1-3 tsp red Thai curry paste (Recommend one tsp only if you want to taste the Cauliflower) 1 tin coconut milk (14 oz) - Reduced fat is fine, just thinner 1 tbs brown sugar 1 tbs fresh lime juice 550ml Chicken or vegetable stock 4 tsp cornflour 1 medium cauliflower, cut into small soup-spoon sized florets 3 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves (if making this with squash rather than cauliflower, dice the squash quite small and allow an extra few minutes to cook at stage six below.) 1. Heat the oil in a pan set over a medium heat 2. Add the onion, celery and ginger and cook gently for 5-6 minutes 3. Add the curry paste to the pan and cook for 2 minutes more, keeping the onion mix moving 4. Mix a little of the stock with the cornflour to make a thin paste 5. Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, lime juice, stock and cornflour mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring often 6. Add the cauliflower florets, return to a simmer for five minutes more, or until the cauliflower is tender 7. Blend, blitz or mash approx two thirds of the soup and return to the pan 8. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, season (salt only) and serve If you are serving this in mugs without soup-spoons, blitz all the soup together. Pieces of vegetable are great in a soup if you are eating it with a spoon, but otherwise, not practical. I know I always say these recipes are the best, but this one really is a truly, truly scrumptious dish. ‘Toast’, the story of a boy’s hunger, by Nigel Slater has to be one of the most endearing, nostalgic and moving books ever written about a boy’s experience of ‘everything edible’ in the 1960’s. Nigel’s book is divided into no less than 69 chapters, each focusing on a food horror or delight. Fairy drops, peach melba, grilled grapefruit, butterscotch Angel Delight, Cadbury’s Smash, sherbert fountains, pickled walnuts, tinned ham and so on.
Incredibly descriptive memories, some that prick the eye, make you shudder or laugh out loud. An excellent read, but an even better audio-book narrated by Nigel himseIf. I listen to this whilst travelling. Driving up and down the motorway or on those monotonous train journeys when the only food experiences that come my way are buffet trolley sandwiches and Ginsters pork-pies. I was therefore rather disappointed with Lee Hall’s adaptation of the book for the BBC, broadcast over Christmas. Although a brilliant cast, specifically Helena Bonham Carter as Joan, (the voluptuous cleaner and soon to become step mother to Nigel, with such a passion for baking and ‘feeding’ people, that it eventually killed his father,) but this just didn’t hit the mark for me. I did not feel we got the same musings on food, its texture, feel, taste and smell as you do in the vivid writings of Nigel Slater. And what makes me anxious is that you may hold back from reading the book, thinking that that’s all it offers. I urge you to read it, or download the audio-book. Listen out for the Walnut Whip episodes and the moment of ‘being found out’ in the lay-by and that cringing embarrasment he relays, in front of his father. Priceless. I have a number of Nigel Slater’s recipe books and his musings are as evocative in his recipe books as his autobiography. I turn to his writing for inspiration for this months recipe. A tart packed with flavour for lunch, supper, starter or nibble for a February party seems just the thing. It’s that time of year when the long hours of darkness can seem very bleak in terms of fruit and vegetables. So I look to the beautiful, deep purple rings of the red onion, mingled with crisp pastry, thyme and melting cheese; Gold Hill from Cranborne Chase (this is pricey but worth every penny in this dish), Taleggio, or any semi-soft cheese. A sharp goat’s cheese also works well against the sweetness of the onions. Whilst this recipe calls for puff pastry (bought, naturally - you would have to be out of your mind to want to make your own), there is no reason why a homemade shortcrust in a tart case shouldn’t be perfect if you want a tidier, crispier base or more formal tart. You could also use these ingredients and method to make a red onion tarte-tatin by sealing the cooked onions (cut in half only, sliced side down) and sealing them in when cool with thick puff pastry and baking until golden; before carefully turning upside down on a platter and slicing in wedges. Great with a roast or cold meats or a meal on it’s own. aif Red onion; thyme and Gold Hill cheese tart. Serves 4 as a light lunch / supper or 6-8 as a starter £8.00 when all ingredients purchased at Ludwell Stores. (These quantities can easily be increased - e.g. when using a 500g pack of pastry) 6 Red (or white) small to medium onions, approx 800g in weight. 60g Butter - a thick slice will suffice 1tsp Soft light brown sugar 1tbls balsamic vinegar 375g Puff pastry - ready rolled is fine but rather thin 1 Gold Hill cheese - or 100g equivalent semi-soft or goat’s cheese 1 tbls Chopped fresh thyme or rosemary Ground black pepper 1. Peel the onions and cut them in half from stem to root, then into thick segments 2. Melt the butter in a large, shallow heavy based pan and add the onions 3. Cook over a low heat (they must not fry or brown in any way) until translucent and sticky. Give them time, pointless to hurry as this is a slow, gentle process, approx 30 minutes depending on the wateriness of the onions 4. Add the sugar, black pepper and balsamic vinegar, stirring frequently until all the liquid evaporates. Put aside to cool slightly. Preheat oven to 220°C / Gas mark 7 / AGA grid shelf on the lowest set of runners of the top oven. 5. Roll out your pastry on a lightly floured cold surface to no thicker than a 50p piece. At this point you can sprinkle some thyme or rosemary onto the pastry and give a last gentle roll, so the herb is embedded into the pastry (great tip for short crust too, home or ready made). Transfer to a large floured baking sheet. 6. Using a blunt knife, score a border of about 2 cm in from each edge and prick all over with a fork. Chill the pastry at this stage, until you are fifteen or so minutes away from eating. 7. Tip the onions onto the pastry, pushing them almost to the scored edge. 8. Brush the rim with some of the buttery juice or a little oil. 9. Slice the cheese, then break into small pieces and tuck them in amongst the onions. Scatter over the remaining thyme or rosemary 10. Bake until the pastry is golden and puffed up and the cheese and onion begins to brown - Keep an eye on this, may only take 15 - 20 minutes Serve with a pile of wilted spinach or steamed curly kale, splashed with fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with roasted pine nuts. Alternatively serve with a mixed salad and jugs of cold cider in the summer. Alternatives for toppings: use leeks rather than onions; mushrooms; tomato and basil; pancetta and parmessan or add some shredded chard to the onion mix at the last moment. A truly, truly scrumptious dish. |
AuthorThese musings and recipes are gleaned from The Donhead Digest with the permission of AIF, their author. Categories
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