AIF (the pen of ‘Truly Scrumptious’) has asked us to write this edition’s offering, whilst she is gallivanting around in South East Asia. We consider this to be a great honour, but a very daunting task, given the amazing articles she consistently writes, and the delectable recipes she brings to the Donheads.

The location of her vacation and the produce from Semley Fête have inspired this edition’s recipe. What, you may ask, was the produce from Semley Fête? Well, it took the form of two coconuts won at the shy, by dead eye Dick, who thought he’d done particularly well until he learned that Simon Lewis had come away with three!

So, what to do with the coconuts? The first problem being how to get into them without resorting to throwing them against the wall? Hopefully we can demystify the process and enable everyone to make good use of this excellent culinary ingredient.

First, extract the coconut water from within by piercing two of the dark coloured ‘eyes’ at one end of the coconut with a sturdy skewer (you may need to encourage it to penetrate with a tap or two from a hammer). Drain the liquid into a jug and reserve. Next, using your hammer, tap the nut all around, not too robustly, but enough to start the shell cracking and separating from the inner flesh. The idea is to break the outer shell without damaging the flesh inside. Peel away the hard outer layer and you should now have a brown coloured inner nut. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the brown outer skin leaving the delicious white flesh. You may be tempted to taste it at this point!

We are now going to create coconut milk, which we can use in our recipes. Put the flesh in chunks into a blender with your coconut water, made up to 225ml with water, and grind well for a couple of minutes, until the water and coconut are well integrated. Pour the contents into a sieve placed over a bowl and with the back of a spoon push as much of the liquid as possible through.

What you now have is a thick milk, called the first extract. Return the shreds to the blender with another 225ml of water and blend again and sieve to get the second extract. Repeat this process to get the third extract. The residue shreds can be toasted in the oven and used as desiccated coconut and then can even be ground up for use as flour.

So, good luck at the coconut shies and use your winnings by trying out the recipe on the next page!
rle & kse

Bengali Fish in a Mild Coconut Gravy
Serves 4
Approx. £9.50 when all ingredients bought at Buttlings & Ludwell Stores.

This dish is inspired by Anjum Anand, whose book, Indian Food Made Easy, does exactly that! The cost will obviously depend on your accuracy at the coconut shy! We love the heat and pungency of the green chillies, but if your taste is for less hot fare, then use fewer chillies, or leave them out altogether. If you have failed to win any coconuts, you can substitute with shop-bought coconut milk and coconut cream.

First obtain your coconut milk as described earlier.
2 Medium onions, peeled and cut into chunks
8 g  Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
4  Cloves
6 Green cardamom pods
2 Large shards of cinnamon
3 tbsp  Vegetable oil
2  Large cloves of garlic, peeled and made into a paste
3–6 Green chillies, slit lengthwise, but left whole
¾ tsp  Turmeric
1 tsp  Coriander powder
350–400 ml  Coconut milk (2nd and 3rd extracts), or canned coconut milk
Salt, to taste
1 tsp  Sugar, or to taste
600 g White fish fillets, such as haddock 50–100 ml
Coconut milk (1st extract), or shop-bought coconut cream

Preheat the oven to 190°C / gas mark 5. (AGA – absolutely no idea!)

1. Blend the onions with the ginger to a fine paste.
2. Grind together 2 cloves, 3 cardamom pods and 1 cinnamon shard in a pestle and mortar and set aside.
3. Heat oil in large non-stick pan. Add the remaining whole spices and fry for 20 seconds or until fragrant.
4. Add onion paste and fry over a medium heat, stirring frequently until golden brown (approx. 10 minutes). It is important that the onions are cooked through.
5. Add garlic, chillies, turmeric, coriander powder and a splash of water and cook for 1 minute.
6. Stir in 2nd and 3rd extract coconut milk (or canned), and salt and sugar, bring to a boil and then simmer over a low heat for 3–4 minutes.
7. Meanwhile oil an ovenproof dish and arrange fish fillets within.
8. Pour the gravy to cover the fish and bake in the oven for approx. 10 minutes until the fish is just done.
9. Remove from oven and stir in your 1st extract coconut milk (or shop-bought coconut cream) and reserved spices.
Serve with plain rice and nice green steamed vegetables or a salad. You can, of course, use this gravy as a basis for any fish, shellfish or prawn dish – delicious!
A truly, truly scrumptious and creative fish dish.

The last days of 2014 brought rock hard ground, an iced up pond, and beautiful hoar frosts to my grasses and hydrangea heads, but most importantly, sweetness to my prize winter crop – Jerusalem artichokes. They, as with celeriac, kale and Brussels sprouts, to mention a few, embrace a hard frost to enhance their sweetness and texture.

I grow these little knobbly gems in large tubs / plastic dustbins, as they grow rampantly in open ground. Probably the easiest and least needy of any vegetable to grow, Jerusalem artichokes are neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke, but rather part of the sunflower family, as their luscious growth shooting skyward by mid summer, evidences. If after reading this you wish to grow ‘a few’, I urge you to try. The Jerusalem artichokes you can buy for eating are perfect for burying in the ground. They vary in colour from white to gold to purply red. Keep them contained and you will have a crop for decades as long as you leave a few in the container each year and top up with compost after harvesting.

The taste of these gnarled winter treats is sweet and nutty. They are sophisticated in texture and taste and they can be transformed into swanky salads (yes, they can be eaten raw – try grated with a little carrot, beetroot, blue cheese and a lemony dressing made with a good nut oil). Or try sweet sticky fries, roasted, mashed, sliced to mix into a dauphinoise, gratin or blitz into a velvety soup. Really, what is there not to like about these beauties, other than skinning them maybe? Peeling a witch’s nose may be easier than peeling these, although the modern varieties are less gnarled. The skin is not offensive if you can’t be bothered to peel them; however, one trick is to parboil them before slipping off the skins with your fingers.

Now, Truly Scrumptious followers will remember that last edition I used poultry pickings, or poached chicken if you were being posh, and I am using chicken here again – (apologies veggies) but this is a good healthy recipe this month – a fresh unusual taste using these humble ingredients with large quantities of tarragon and lemon – fresh and truly flavoursome. If you don’t eat meat, then make a classy soup or sauté in butter with sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon and serve with a poached organic egg.
aif

Jerusalem artichokes with chicken, saffron and lemon
Serves 4
Approx. £9.50 when all ingredients bought at Buttlings and Ludwell Stores.

Saffron, lemon and chicken – always a great combination – written with a big nod to my favourite chef of the moment, Yotam Ottolenghi. Follow Ottolenghi on twitter@ottolenghi for inspiring writing and photos from this phenomenal, original chef.

Top tip – Plan ahead to leave it to marinate as long as you dare

500g  Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into thick wedges
3 tbs  fresh lemon juice
8   large chicken thighs, on the bone with the skin on
12  banana shallots peeled and halved lengthways
12  large garlic cloves, sliced
1   lemon, cut in half lengthways then into very thin slices
2 tsp  saffron threads
50 ml  olive oil
150 ml  cold water
1½ tbs  pink peppercorns, slightly crushed (optional – in brine – not the dried ones)
10g  fresh thyme leaves
40g  tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
2 tsp  salt and ½ tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 240°C / gas mark 9 (AGA roasting oven, middle shelf)

1. Cover the prepared Jerusalem artichokes with cold water, add half the lemon juice, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool in a large bowl.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients excluding the remaining lemon juice and half the tarragon and mix well with your hands, rubbing the marinade into the chicken well.
3. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.
4. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in a roasting tin and spread the vegetables and marinade around the chicken.
5. Roast for 30minutes, then cover with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes, by which time the chicken should be cooked through.
6. Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Mix well, taste and add more salt if needed.
7. Serve at once with kale, steamed and then tossed lightly in butter, sprinkled with toasted almonds.
8. I’m not even going to lower myself to mention the notorious, guaranteed after effects of these little treasures. Serve them to children and you will have them sniggering all night. I suggest the rest of the family sleep alone!

A truly, truly scrumptious earthy yet flavoursome mid-week winter supper

It is a dark and cold day and raining hard as I prepare to write my muse for this month. The kitchen is warmed by the Aga, so most of the time I don’t notice the chill in the air. Such days lead me down an unstoppable slide towards comforting winter cooking and, as such, I hear the slow bubbling of a rich chicken stock on the stove, which is filling the room with a warm, comforting aroma. Lighting the wood burner now would transport me to a winter haven.

I casseroled a chicken yesterday evening and it cooled on the doorstep overnight carefully sealed to stop it being plundered by local scavengers. It’s the stock I’m really interested in rather than the chicken on this occasion, although I shall use both to make this month’s Truly Scrumptious recipes. My stock should be rich and thick, having added some roasted squash, a few soft tomatoes, carrots, tarragon and some ends of leeks and celery. Yes, most of my fridge’s bottom drawer and some leftovers. I’m also going to use my stock to make a walnut soup for lunch. The recipe from Tamsin Day-Lewis describes the walnut soup (which is only walnuts – freshest you can find, garlic, stock and cream) as robust yet delicate. It’s highly unusual, however, and I am hoping it may be something rather different for Christmas. I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t freeze well either, so I thought I would give it a try.

My heart sinks when I see all the festive goods on sale, the advertisements showing tables groaning under the weight of Christmas dinners, frozen cheesecakes and canapés, or obscenely enormous turkeys. It surely isn’t about the volume of your offering, but rather simple quality. Christmas to me is not just one meal but many; a series of mini feasts for people you may not see on the day itself. I feel something mildly festive is called for, that is refreshingly simple and this is what I am planning for my Boxing Day with family and for kitchen suppers with friends. No-one should be found sobbing at the stove any day, and absolutely never at Christmas, but I have no doubt some of us may have done so in the past, possibly through frustration and disappointment at that longawaited masterpiece of culinary expertise that didn’t quite turn out as expected. So, my mantra this year, is keep it fresh and simple. We need a light touch and a sense of fun, tinkering with recipes as we see fit. Be inventive with your leftovers, like the two recipes overleaf, where I suggest using cooked ham and the pickings of your Christmas turkey, chicken, duck or goose.

Buying the right food is not always about spending more. It is more about the quality of your raw materials. The simpler the dish, the more exposed the quality of your ingredients and we are lucky in living where we are as the quality from Buttlings and Ludwell Stores is beyond question.

Here’s to many stress-free and genuinely truly scrumptious celebrations, whether enjoyed on your own or with others.
aif

Roasted Ham, Squash and Marmalade
Serves 6.
Approx. £6.50 when all ingredients bought at Buttlings and Ludwell Stores.

A wonderful, if odd mix – the salty ham and bitter marmalade cut through the creamy squash. Serve with winter watercress salad and tiny baked potatoes rolled in sea salt.

200g cooked gammon torn into large chunks – avoid the ham cube look! (If you are cooking your own, use ham hocks)
1.5kg squash – Prince Crown, Sweet Mama, Acorn or Butternut are best
2–3 tbs rapeseed oil or olive oil
6 bay leaves and sprigs of thyme (both optional)
6 tbs orange marmalade (with rind)
1 tbs pink peppercorns (optional but adds a lovely colour and mild crunch)

Preheat the oven to 190°C / gas mark 5 (AGA roasting oven, middle shelf)

1. Cut the squash into wedges, scooping out the seeds. Put squash into a roasting dish (same one you will serve from), season well and trickle with the oil. Roast for 25–30 minutes
2. Remove the squash from the oven and add the ham chunks with the bay and thyme together with the pink peppercorns
3. Mix the marmalade with 3–4 tablespoons of the ham liquor (if you have cooked them yourself) or hot water and spoon over the ham and squash.
4. Return the tray to the oven and cook for a further 20–25 minutes until glazed and bubbling. Serve with watercress salad and baby baked potatoes rolled in sea salt.

Egg Noodles, Poached Chicken and Greens
Serves 3–4
Approx. £2.50, excluding the left over poultry, when all ingredients bought at Ludwell Stores.

Great for using left over chicken, duck, goose or turkey and when you have a great stock on the go. If you want extra protein or are making a vegetarian version, add a simple egg pancake (2 eggs beaten, cooked in large flat pan, rolled up and cut into slices)

1 small head of spring greens or kale or Savoy cabbage (150g approx)
2 nests of fine egg noodles, crushed lightly
1 garlic clove finely sliced
½ thinly sliced red chilli (optional)
dash soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice (a squeeze worth)
chicken, duck, goose or turkey pickings
750 ml chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten and seasoned (optional)

1. Prepare your greens by roughly shredding and rinsing well
2. Bring your stock to a simmer and add the greens, then the noodles, garlic and chilli
3. Cook for 3–4 minutes or until the noodles are just tender
4. Add the cooked chicken or turkey to warm through
5. Taste and adjust seasoning, add the egg pancake slices if using (see above for method), add a dash of soy sauce and lime juice before serving in warm bowls

A truly, truly scrumptious duo of quick, fresh recipes for any occasion or season!

I’m sitting on a train heading to London, in cattle class, but at least at a table, back to the engine and in the aisle seat, which I believe is the best position to travel. I can’t understand those who need to see where they are going when not in the driving seat – I like to know where I have been and avoid all those jerky eye movements to focus on those nearby things whizzing by. Neither do I like the claustrophobia of a window seat just in case I am unfortunate enough to find myself penned in by someone who is ‘malodorous’.

Opposite me by the window is an older lady who is eating a home-made ham sandwich. With my head down reading, the smell of it hits me first before looking up to watch her unwrap it from its tight aluminium foil packaging. The bread looks okay although meticulously machine sliced, and the ham is in thick chunks, as far from machine sliced as you could get. No mustard that I can see or smell. She must be 180. Her ham sandwich reminds me of my great-uncle Ifor who lived next to Lake Vyrnwy in deepest Wales. I recall, when very young on our only visit to his home for tea, he served us thick ham sandwiches. They were easily made with equal quantities of hot English mustard to ham. My sister and I swallowed politely with our noses running and eyes smarting. This was our introduction to the colourful but harmless looking substance for which a health warning should be issued. I haven’t touched it since.

The eating habits of the very British elderly travelling from who-knows-where are quite different from commuters travelling from Kings Cross to Edinburgh, which is the next leg of my journey. Four passengers (I’m on my fourth train of the day) to my left are eating an array of hot spicy somethings, one of which looks like Leon’s Thai chicken curry (I know this to be excellent), and is filling the carriage with wonderful aromas. A young man in view behind the party of four is eating sushi from the popular food bar, Wasabi. He has an array of little dipping pots, presumably of soy-sauce, chilli or wasabi paste.

Main train stations now offer fantastic fresh, fast food options. I had spent a good ten minutes in Wasabi looking at the delicately wrapped parcels of sticky rice, salmon, avocado, crab and much more, turned into their wonderful sashimi, nigiri, maki and yakitori sets. Tanmen or soumen are rice noodles soups with crisp vegetables, pak choi, bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, mangetout, red chillies etc., in a delicious clear hot broth. The aromas of the soups and curries were intoxicating and left me lingering and being annoyingly indecisive about what to take away for my supper. I was overwhelmed, so boarded my train empty handed thanks to my dithering. All these wonderful choices – yet not a ham sandwich to be seen.

Mustard, horseradish and wasabi all have the same pungent and volatile properties that require goggles, breathing masks and fire retardant gloves to prepare. I already have a horseradish plant in the garden so I bought a wasabi plant to grow alongside. Wasabi is also known as Japanese horseradish and grows wild along stream-beds in the mountain valleys of Japan. Whilst still in its pot, the rabbits ate all the leaves which is surprising as the leaves are said to have the same spicy flavour of the roots, which when grated is similar to hot mustard. I’ve clearly not had the chance to try it, but apparently it’s great for the nasal passages, so good on you Mr Peter Rabbit.

Do try this month’s recipe or grate some of the horseradish root into a bloody Mary – it’s not as lethal as it sounds.
aif

Roast beetroot and smoked mackerel salad with horseradish dressing Serves 4
Approx. £9.50 when all ingredients bought at Ludwell Stores (This works equally well with rare beef slices or cold shredded smoked chicken rather than mackerel)

500g small beetroots
4–6 garlic cloves, unpeeled but bashed
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Sea salt / freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs rapeseed or olive oil

For the dressing
100ml crème fraiche
100ml thick yoghurt
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbs fresh grated horseradish (Ludwell stores sells it ready grated in jars) – or substitute wasabi paste
2 tbs finely chopped chives, plus a little more to finish
To serve (for a more substantial salad, add cold new potatoes)
4 smoked mackerel fillets / rare beef or shredded chicken
Chicory / crisp lettuce
Seasoning
Lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 200°C / gas mark 6 (AGA roasting oven, middle shelf)

1. Scrub the beetroots well, but leave them whole, then place on a large piece of foil.
2. Scatter with the garlic, thyme leaves, bay leaf and some salt and pepper, then trickle over the oil. Scrunch up the foil to make a baggy but tightly sealed parcel.
3. Place parcel on a baking tray and place in the oven.
4. Roast until tender – about 45 minutes for small ones, though this may take longer. The beetroots are cooked when a knife slips easily into the flesh.
5. Leave to cool, then top and tail them and remove the skin. Cut into wedges and place in a large bowl with the new potatoes if using.
6. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and season to taste.
7. Turn the beetroots over gently into the dressing.
8. Divide the beetroots between four plates piling on top of the chicory or lettuce. Flake the mackerel / beef strips or chicken over the top.
9. Scatter on some more chives, season to taste and serve with lemon wedges.

A truly, truly scrumptious and dramatic looking salad for late summer entertaining

I have a dear friend of many years called Bhavna. Bhavna is a foodie of the Asian vegetarian variety and keeping her happy when out for a bite to eat, can be tricky. I would bet my entire cookery book collection on the fact that she will ask for the pepper mill at the same time as placing her order. Rarely does she get it, which probably says more about where we eat than anything else.

Bhavna’s fiftieth birthday party was an evening full of fantasy, colour and memorable aromas. We were greeted by fire dancers on the lawn and served champagne by masked men on stilts. There was a room set up like an Indian market where we could fill little tin boxes of fresh spices; ‘pick and mix’ style Indian sweets and many delicacies I have never seen before or since. Ladies, beautifully dressed in traditional costumes, draped the men with silk shawls and the women with colourful bangles. I didn’t think I had particularly fat wrists, but clearly I do, as I had to wear my bangles around my ears to join in the spirit of the evening. We had our palms (and any other bare flesh) painted with Hindu symbols of the sun, using Mehndi or Henna paste, mixed with turmeric. There was also a lady with snakes around her neck and arms – that was a little creepy so I kept well away. The meal was amazing and went on for what seemed like hours, course after course of large dishes of spicy or sweet vegetables and meat for us carnivores, salads, nuts and fruits. It was altogether a remarkable and delectable occasion. Another world.

Bhavna has been very unwell. She was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour last autumn and is enduring frequent visits to, and stays in, hospital. Eighteen months ago I saw a beautiful pepper mill in an antique shop in Honiton. It was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and slip into your handbag. I thought of Bhavna at the time so went back in November in the hope it was unsold. It was so I used my honed negotiation skills to see what they could do about the price and – mission accomplished – it was mine. Bhavna can now spice up her hospital food, and hopefully take it with her when we eat out and avoid her constant call for the pepper mill.

Of course, you can’t give someone a pepper mill without some pepper. I was sent a link to an amazing spice shop called ‘the spicery’ (www.thespicery.com) where you can order spices, blends and recipe kits in very small quantities. I ordered two of their gift-boxes (one for me and one for Bhavna) which consist of six 5g packs of very fresh pepper. Enclosed was Cuber Pepper;,Grains of Paradise, the weird looking Long Pepper, Sichuan Pepper, Kampot Pepper and Green Peppercorns. I have mixed three of them in my own pepper mill.

So, with Bhavna in mind, this month I give you the wonderful dish, Mejadra, from Arabia. All spices are available at Ludwell Stores, which has a good selection, so why not have a clear out of your spice cupboard (cumin dated April 2007 will taste of dust) and buy some fresh spices for 2014 and make yourself this warming, comfort food dish to serve as a supper on its own or as a side dish. Enjoy eating with friends and savouring time together. All the best for a happy, healthy 2014.
Aif

Mejadra – Spiced rice and lentils with crispy fried onions
Serves 6 as a main course
Approx. £4.80 when all ingredients bought at Ludwell Stores

The crunch of nuts or seeds, sweet oiliness of the onion and perfect balance of the spices makes Mejadra a ‘master’ dish. It really is a star, and something I think would be great for a picnic in summer with finely sliced fennel and cucumber, dried cranberries and a dollop of natural yoghurt. My hero Ottolenghi describes this dish as the very ‘best comfort food’. I have to agree.

200 g  basmati rice
4  brown onions, sliced thinly
250 g brown or green lentils
350 ml water
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp coriander seeds
1½ tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground allspice
1½  cinnamon stick
1 tsp sugar olive oil
75 g cashews (pine nuts or peanuts will do)
Handful of coriander leaves and natural yogurt for serving (see below)
Seasoning
Method
1. Prepare your lentils by rinsing well first, then cook in a pan of boiling water for 12–15 minutes. They need to still have a ‘bite’ as you will be cooking them further with the rice mix.
2. Meanwhile, on high heat, in a large frying pan, brown off your sliced onions in olive oil in three or four separate batches. They must not sweat but rather fry until crispy. (Ottolenghi deep fries his with a coating of flour, but that uses a lot of oil). This can take 20  minutes and make your hair and clothes smell!
3. Wipe clean the frying pan then dry roast your cumin, coriander seeds and cinnamon. Remove from the heat when fragrant, then grind in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar (or bash them with a rolling pin).
4. Rinse your rice (to remove excess starch), then place in a pan on medium heat with your fresh ground spices, turmeric, allspice, sugar and cooked strained lentils. Add a generous glug of olive oil and stir.
5. Add the water, bring to the boil, place on a lid, then reduce to a simmer. Within 10 minutes, your rice should be ready. Allow to stand with the lid on for a further 10 minutes before seasoning to taste.
6. Fork half of the onions through the rice and lentil mix, then pile into a shallow dish and garnish with the remaining crispy onions and cashew nuts.

You can serve with coriander leaves, natural yogurt, cucumber and lemon wedges.

A truly, truly scrumptious and thrifty dish for a comforting winter evening.