I’ve just returned from the Donhead Village Hall, where entries to the summer show have been arriving for the last few hours. It’s a hive of competitive activity and tension. Magnificent Victoria sponges, shortbread, jams and chutneys. The vegetables and soft fruits look mouth watering, and the perennial flower class, better than ever. As a complete contrast to 2012, when we were all under water and very little in the way of flowers and vegetables for the show – how different this year is! Never satisfied, I would give anything for a little rain just now – my cabbages and chard are starting to crisp up round the edges.
This wonderful weather makes me want to eat outside, be it a quick sandwich, a picnic or a full-blown dinner party. Food and drink just tastes better in the fresh air. I recently bought a small barbecue from that ‘big supermarket’ in town. It’s orange and tiny (still took over an hour to put it together with more washers, screws and nuts than I needed – always worrying when you have some left over), but its size means you can pop it in the car and take it to the beach or carry to the top of a hill. Having turned the AGA off I am left with a single induction ring to cook on, and I was craving something crispy without having to fry it. I have it alight in the garden as I write. I will have boned chicken thighs with a spicy rub mix and grilled courgettes (the misshapen ones that were not good enough for my summer show entry). I have ‘pick and come again’ salad leaves, young spinach and beetroot and the first of my new potatoes, all drizzled with a homemade dressing. I will eat my supper whilst sitting on the bridge with my feet dangling over the cool river and wash it all down with a chilled glass of white wine. Perfect. Over-complicating a barbie, can be your downfall. However great the sauce or marinade you serve with it, you really don’t need a plate full of pink chicken legs, sausages and the obligatory beef burger. My heart sinks when I am presented with this unimaginative fodder, especially when accompanied by a ‘wappy’ lettuce salad. I believe that the best barbecues for entertaining are simple, with one headline dish – Moroccan spiced shoulder of lamb, a spatchcock chicken with preserved lemon or sea bream stuffed with herbs, served with something equally simple without too much choice and conflicting flavours. A moist homemade burger is also delicious – just don’t complicate it. Chilled soup sits well as part of a picnic and of course, barbecues or when eating outside on relaxed occasions with or without company. This is a simple recipe and a true taste of summer for those with a glut of tomatoes and a few herbs in the garden. I know you will enjoy this one. AIF Chilled Tomato and Pesto Couscous Soup Serves 6 Approx. £3.70 when all ingredients bought in Ludwell Two ingredients that have a natural affinity combine to create a refreshing cold soup that has heaps of flavour and a positive, almost dramatic look to it. This is a filling soup that could be served as a main course on its own. Its quick to make and truly scrumptious when eaten with the sun on your back. 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp sugar 4 large ripe tomatoes 1 litre passata 20 fresh basil leaves 300ml plain natural yoghurt For the pesto couscous ½ red onion 2 peppers (different colours, red and yellow will be perfect) 1 red chilli small bunch flat leaf parsley 8 mint leaves 1 mug measure of instant couscous 2 lemons 3 tsp (heaped) green pesto 150ml good virgin olive oil 1. Peel and dice the onion and finely chop the peppers. 2. Deseed the chilli and chop finely. 3. Chop the parsley leaves, discarding the stalks reserving a few whole leaves for garnishing. Shred the mint leaves. 4. Measure a mug of couscous and place in a bowl with the pesto. 5. Using the same measure of boiling water, add to the couscous and pesto. Stir until well mixed and leave for several minutes before fluffing up. 6. Juice the lemons and stir in to the couscous together with the prepared vegetables and herbs. Stir in the olive oil and season before chilling. 7. Heat the vinegar in a small pan with the sugar. Allow to cool. 8. Blanch the tomatoes briefly in boiling water, then refresh in cold water before peeling, deseeding and dicing them. 9. Mix the passata and fresh tomato. Shred two thirds of the basil and stir it in. 10. Season, then drip the vinegar mix in carefully, tasting all the time until you find the right balance for your taste. Chill until very cold. 11. Put a heaped tablespoon of cold couscous in the centre of each soup bowl, ladle the soup around this, then pour irregular splashes of yoghurt and olive oil around the edges 12. Tear the remaining basil leaves and reserved parsley and scatter over all. A truly, truly refreshing and scrumptious dish for this summer
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Two hundred and fifty-four miles north north-west of the Donheads, lies the Conwy valley in North Wales. I was there a couple of weeks ago with my sister, having been invited to ‘tea’ with my elderly aunt, Morffydd (pronounced with a rolled ‘r’ and a spit). My sister (more spit required) Gwenllian and I were born and brought up in North Wales. The Conwy valley is stunning, and the market town of Conwy itself, where we lived for many years, has been protected from all national chains, supermarkets and fast food restaurants. It is a great place to visit. Conwy has become a centre for good food, mussels in particular. I remember the quay and my mother buying fresh fish directly off the boats. But I don’t remember the mussels. We walked along the busy quay where stacks of large string bags of fresh mussels were being craned off the boats and piled high ready for sale. I had to go over and look carefully at them as I couldn’t understand why they weren’t in water, but by putting your ear close, you could hear them happily bubbling away inside their shells.
A 500 mile round trip is a long way to go for tea, however special the aunt in question, so we made a weekend of it and spent half a day at Bodnant gardens, a National Trust property and garden, well known for its laburnum arch walkway. The gardens with their spectacular views of Snowdonia, the streams, wooded areas and terraces were stunning. The drifts of daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, hellebores and magnolias were breathtaking and we vowed to return when the roses and wisteria will be at their best. A few hours of walking through Bodnant Gardens’ 80 acres worked up quite an appetite, but luckily we were very close to the new Bodnant Welsh Food Centre. Opened by Prince Charles last year, the Centre promotes traditional Welsh food, and takes every opportunity to allow visitors to sample the delicious produce available both from their own estate and also from carefully selected local producers. There is a smart restaurant, a working dairy where they make their own cheese and ice cream, a bakery with a vast range of artisan breads, a farm shop and tea room where we enjoyed a delicious light lunch – a real ‘taste of Wales’ (Welsh Rarebit made with their cheese is the most popular dish on the menu). Despite our seven-hour drive home, both Gwenllian and I bought new season spring lamb, local beef, cheese and bread to take home, as we couldn’t bear to leave it. Oh how we long to return! The early May bank holiday brought wonderful weather and so I had an impromptu lunch party. Twenty-nine people came – a few more than I had expected – but it all went well and everyone mucked in to make it a success. I served a spicy pulled pork dish with couscous, crisp coleslaw with apples and radishes with lime juice dressing. It was delicious and very simple, so let me share it with you here should you be as impulsive as I was, any long weekend soon. AIF Spicy Pulled Pork (Recipe influenced by Spice Trip by Stevie Parle and Emma Grazette) Serves 6. Approx. £8.80 when all ingredients purchased in Ludwell. Ingredients 2kg+ shoulder of pork, off the bone. Ask Buttlings to remove the skin for you too. 350ml dry cider or apple juice olive oil For the spicy dry rub: 2 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp black peppercorns 3 tsp chilli flakes ½ tbsp coriander seeds ½ tbsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp paprika (smoked paprika is very good if you like a smoky flavour) 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 fresh chillies and 2 cloves of garlic For the spicy sauce: 400ml tomato passata 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp brown sugar 60ml cider vinegar Preheat oven to 220°C / gas mark 7 (AGA top oven, then simmering oven 1. Grind all the spicy rub ingredients with a mortar and pestle until quite coarse. 2. Remove the rind from the pork and prepare separately for crackling as a side dish if wanted, or discard. 3. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and then in a heavy casserole (with lid), brown the pork on both sides in a large glug of olive oil. 4. Remove the pork from the casserole and cover the entire piece with the spicy dry mix. Rub in thoroughly. You could get very mucky, so wear an apron! 5. Return the pork to the casserole and cover with the cider or apple juice. 6. Bake in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. 7. Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C / gas mark 1. Put the lid on your casserole and seal with foil, return to the oven for 4–5 hours. 8. When cooked, remove the pork from the casserole and place in a serving dish. 9. Place the casserole with its wonderful juices, on the heat and bring to the boil. 10. Add the spicy sauce ingredients and cook for 15 minutes until it has thickened and reduced a little. Adjust to taste. 11. In the meantime, ‘pull’ the pork using two forks. Shred into large pieces removing any fatty bits. You can keep this warm if well covered. 12. Serve by pouring the sauce over the pork or serve separately in a jug or directly from the casserole for a more rustic look. Serve with couscous mixed with sugar snap peas, beans, pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander leaves, and a crunchy coleslaw with a lime juice dressing. Yummy. Expect people to come back for seconds and thirds, so cook double quantities. As always it’s ….truly, truly scrumptious Being told by an equally immature and giggly schoolgirl that someone we both knew had “a bun in the oven”, would have us spluttering and tittering like the fatheads we were. I didn’t know what it meant or alluded to, other than in the literal sense believing that we knew lots of people, usually girls, who enjoyed baking. It must have been a funny ‘ha-ha’ hobby, if it had everyone giggling so much. Fortunately I grew up and learnt better. So without the slightest titter, I am confident to tell you that as I write, I have a bun in the oven – five in fact.
I’m making brioche – that wonderful French slightly sweet yeasty bread, rich with butter and eggs. I hadn’t made it before this last month, believing it to be temperamental and hard work, which it certainly is not. Reputably a favourite breakfast dish in France with its soft texture, rich flavours and colour, brioche allows you to consume a packet of butter almost singlehandedly. Baked as a loaf, sliced and served toasted with even more melted butter and marmalade or jam is an absolutely must for Sunday breakfast. Brioche also makes beyond-belief French toast served with crème fraîche and summer fruits or berries or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup. Brioche buns are traditionally cooked in fluted tins with a topknot – I don’t have any of these so the buns currently baking are in muffin cases having placed a small ball of dough on the top to match the style. Many recipes use brioche as a base to a dish, in puddings particularly (in a bread and butter pudding, it’s a must). However, replacing some of the butter with cheese makes savoury brioche. This is a quite a different thing – equally delicious however, served with wild mushrooms, spinach, duck, chicken livers; bacon – all sorts of things. Anyway, where has this brioche devotee in me come from? I was recently asked to Sunday lunch with friends – offering to bring something, as I politely like to do but usually regret, the friends suggested ‘pudding’ for five. My heart sank. I’m not a pudding person. These friends are fans of Ottolenghi, a phenomenal chef developing wonderful Mediterranean creations. So I reverted to one of his first cookbooks with the uninspiring title The Cookbook. My copy is splattered and covered in notes having made most of my niece’s wedding reception evening party dishes for 150 guests from this book. I decided to make Ottolenghi’s brioche galette for my host and fellow guests. This ‘substantial treat’ uses a brioche base, mascarpone and crème fraîche filling with icing sugar and crushed star anise, topped with fresh figs, berries and with a crumble mix. Cooked till just golden. Whoa…. FAB-UL-OUS. Of all the brioche recipes I have tried – and believe me there have been many recently – this works and, whilst it only makes a small loaf, is ideal for most uses. aif Brioche. Makes a small loaf (500g), approx 5 small buns or one base for a galette or tart. Approx. £1.45 when all ingredients purchased in Ludwell. Ingredients 2 tbsp lukewarm water 1 tsp active dried yeast 190g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp salt 20g caster sugar 2 medium fresh eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 egg beaten for glaze 75g cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice 1. Put the lukewarm water together with the yeast in the warmed bowl of an electric mixer. Gently stir or swish about until the yeast dissolves. Leave for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. 2. Add all the rest of the ingredients apart from the butter and work together with a wooden spoon or spatula. 3. Using the dough hook on your electric mixer, attach the bowl to the machine and work on a low speed for around 3–4 minutes. The dough will become smooth and sticky. 4. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium high and slowly start adding the cold butter pieces. This is a slow gradual process and could take up to six minutes – scrape down the sides if required to get a good mix. 5. Once all the butter is in keep working until the dough is shiny and smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl (possibly another 4–5 minutes). 6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a very lightly oiled plastic container or bowl. Cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. 7. Place the dough, still covered in the fridge for 16 hours minimum – up to 24 hours 8. Don’t expect the dough to change in size over this time – it’s still fine. 9. Prepare your tin (500g loaf tin – individual tins or muffin cases; flat tray for a ‘free-form’ tart or galette), by brushing lightly with melted butter or line with greaseproof paper. 10. Place the dough in the centre of a lightly flour dusted work-surface; knock down carefully (punch it gently!) then shape into the size of your tin/tins. 11. Place the dough inside the tins and cover with cling film. Leave your dough at room temperature in its tin for 1–2 hours or until twice its size. Preheat the oven – 170°C / Gas Mark 3 / AGA roasting oven with cold shelf on middle rack 12. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg and place in the hot oven for 15 minutes (loaf – check after 8 minutes if making buns) – test with a skewer which should come out clean and dry. 13. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, take out of the tin to cool completely. Toast, dunk or eat as you like – as always it’s ….truly, truly scrumptious. I have a new friend. His name is Trevor. Trevor has been in the village a few years now, dashingly handsome although a little plump. He has an eye for the girls (and there are lots of them strutting their stuff around Ludwell) but competition such as this has never phased me as I know I have something different to offer.
Trevor is a rather mature cock pheasant – glorious feathers of orange-brown, blue, green and red – although he recently lost a small piece of his tail which looks sore, but means I can recognise him some way off. Trevor walks down the field and over the bridge, jumps through the gap in the gate and up to my back door where he peers, making weird woofing noises calling for breakfast. I feed him daily on bird food – the corn and sunflower seeds being his favourite. He often supplements his diet on my herbs and bushes or scratches up my bulbs, which is a less endearing quality of his. I am waiting for him to bring his girlfriends to breakfast as I would have no qualms about bagging them and putting them in a pot with a few onions and what’s left of the herbs. I don’t think Trevor is ever likely to be shot, as I believe he is too fat to fly but is probably a ‘sitting’ target for a lazy gun (that’s not an invitation – lazy guns!). A brace of pheasant turned up on my doorstep over Christmas, thanks to Peter my electrician. I was keen to remind myself about how to prepare a pheasant the least messy way. I turned to YouTube where I found a couple of methods within my squeamish grasp, one traditionally plucking the bird, the other skinning. If you are ever faced with the dilemma of how to prepare a pheasant, I would strongly recommend opting for the skinning method as it means no feathers up your nose, or stuck like cement to the floor and on your clothes. You just skin the pheasant as you might a rabbit, presuming you have seen this done. I took the breast meat off in one go and boned out the legs although removing the tendons is strenuous work. I shan’t give you the details here, but this involves cracking bones and pulling bits apart. My passion for food and thrift didn’t stretch to saving the tastier parts of the innards, so that all went in the bin along with the neck and carcass. This would make a great stock, but as I was somewhat overwhelmed by food over the holiday period, I admit to being wasteful. There is little fat on a pheasant (Trevor could be the exception here) so, if I was roasting the breasts, I would wrap them in bacon or add them to a game casserole, terrine or pie mix. A terrine can be made with a mixture of any bird, game or pork pieces and makes a wonderful centre piece for a lunch party – great for cold suppers, a starter, picnics. Serve the terrine with a crisp salad, a fruit chutney or jelly/sauce and some warm crusty bread or toast. You’ll enjoy this one. aif Game Terrine Serves 8. Approx. £14.60 when all ingredients purchased in Ludwell Ingredients 800g Selection of lean game meats (e.g. duck, pheasant, rabbit, venison, pigeon) plus chicken and gammon. (I used a mix of pheasant; chicken; venison and gammon) 300g streaky bacon, de-rind, stretch and flatten with the back of a knife For the Forcemeat 500g sausage meat Small amount of liver from the bird or chicken liver – chopped finely or minced (optional) 2 handfuls of fresh white breadcrumbs 1 egg 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley and thyme (use tarragon if your meat is more poultry than game) 6 juniper berries – crushed 2 cloves of garlic – crushed 3 shallots – finely chopped Splash brandy Seasoning Preheat the oven to 160°C / Gas Mark 3 / AGA roasting oven with cold shelf on middle rack 1. Gently fry the shallots in a little oil, before combining with the sausage meat, liver, breadcrumbs, herbs, juniper berries and egg. Mix well (use your hands). 2. Add the splash of brandy and season. (Check the seasoning in the sausage meat by frying off a small piece before adding additional seasoning). 3. Cut the game/poultry into strips – fat finger size. 4. Brown the game pieces (not the chicken or gammon) by frying gently. 5. Line a terrine dish or loaf tin with the stretched rashers of bacon, ensuring there are no gaps. This is fiddly but therapeutically rewarding. 6. Add a layer of forcemeat, then the strips of game/chicken, forcemeat, game etc., until you have at least three layers of both, finishing with forcemeat. 7. Fold the exposed rashers over the top, cover well with kitchen foil or terrine lid. 8. Place the terrine in a roasting dish half filled with hot water. 9. Cook for 2 hours before testing with a meat thermometer or skewer (which must come out of the centre piping hot). Cook for a further 20–30 minutes if required. 10. Press your terrine as it cools by placing another tin on top with a can or weight of some kind – this is really important for easy slicing and a smarter finish. 11. Press and chill for several hours or overnight. 12. To serve, turn out, slice thickly with a very sharp knife and serve with a fruit chutney and crusty bread or toast. Alternatively, melt down some redcurrant jelly adding a little white wine or juice and serve as a warm sauce. A truly, truly scrumptious light lunch or supper, anytime of the year. 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 |
AuthorThese musings and recipes are gleaned from The Donhead Digest with the permission of AIF, their author. Categories
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