Nikki

.. another T.O.B cook!  My aim is to get as many people baking as possible and Nikki decided that she would try the No Knead Bread

So she bought her ingredients and then … well, then she just waited for an opportune moment. Eventually….

Nikki RJ Loaf 1      Loaf number 1

And she tried again                  Nikki R-J Bread loaf 2

Much better.. and much appreciated by her daughter…Nikki RJ bread

Anyway.. this is what Nikki says about the whole experience…

“First thing you should know about me is that I am THE worlds greatest procrastinator. I can put things off for months – even if I have fantastic intentions, I can avoid it until there is no way out of it. It’s not even that I don’t like cooking, I do, but I like instant gratification. I’m blaming it on my generation!!

I bought all of the ingredients needed for the No Knead Bread, even took a picture of the ingredients to prove I’d done something towards making the thing! If I’m honest I was put off with the amount of time I’d have to wait before I could try it.

So there I was, all ingredients bought (ok, this may be a couple of weeks after actually purchasing them), a spare couple of days or so without anything particularly pressing happening and no more excuses forthcoming… I had family leaving for the weekend and a child who was amusing herself, so I found myself in my night clothes in the kitchen getting the ingredients out to make the No Knead bread.

I made the mixture… but decided it looked a little too ‘runny’ before the yeast even started to work, so added more flour until it was at a consistency that I was comfortable with, wrapped up the bowl lovingly up in cling film and set it to once side for hours!!!

Next morning there I was again, in the same position, night clothes on in the kitchen having just made my daughter breakfast, I decided to tackle the bubbly, sloppy mixture. Having floured my board I started to almost pour out the mixture on to the board – it’s very sticky!! The gloop landed on the floured board and after a little shaping it looked vaguely like the pictures on the Omnivorous Bear’s website. My impatience got the better of me and I couldn’t bear to wait for the full 2 hours before I threw it in the oven. I think I managed an hour and a half.

I threw the mixture with quite a bit of force in to my casserole dish and heard the sizzle and watched the dough bubble a little as it hit the dish – that was rather satisfying! In to the oven it went for half an hour or so, I then checked on it, decided it was cooked enough and needed to brown up. Another 10 – 15 minutes later it was ready to come out. I liked the fact that it didn’t make my house smell of that over powering yeasty smell like other loaves do when they are cooking.

It was done, I dumped it (yes, I know my terminology is affectionate) on to the cooling rack and tried to wait until it was cool and the ‘crust’ had hardened up. I think we managed to wait for just over an hour and then we cut in to it. It was still warm and slightly soft but edible. My daughter munched her way through 2 slices with thick butter and I ate quite a bit myself. So all in all although the wait was endless the end product was a success – I even made it again so it can’t be bad!!

Since cooking the bread I’ve since passed the recipe on to friends, one of whom has an intolerance to the yeast or something (I didn’t really listen) in shop bought bread, she tried the No Knead Bread and has become a convert and she makes two loaves a week for her and her partner. She’s much more committed than I am!!

Thanks the Omnivorous Bear – I baked, my family liked it, I may even try other recipes – but only after a long period of umm’ing and ahhhhrrr’ing!”

16 Nov… Nikki saw the Salt and Pepper post and used the spice rub on steak
Nikki RJ salt and pepper
As she described it as “b*****y yummy” and that she was no longer reliant on the Chinese for that salt and pepper fix, I think you will gather from that that it was a successful recipe. In a BlackBerry mesage to me later she said she tought she was turning into a cook. Which is a good thing, Nikki. A very good thing.
 My only aim is to get as many people cooking for themselves. Looks like it is happening

Ohhhhh… aubergine

Sometimes it is really rather lovely to have a lighter, vegetarian meal…. something quick and tasty. I always used to think aubergines were awful until I made this roasted and stuffed-with-delicious-little-bits aubergine. This is excellent when you want a midweek supper when you are late in from work, or maybe  a hot lunch at weekends. 40 minutes or so… does that sound good? And 30 minutes of that is in the oven.. you can be pouring yourself a drink and trying to put the tortures of a working day out of your mind while the smell of supper filters out and makes your mouth water…

Imagine a roasted aubergine, stuffed with delicious bits of anti pasti – olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, olives and goats cheese? And before you think that might not be for you, the Bear ate it and said it was delicious.

Aubergine and vegetables 002

You’ll need aubergine (half for each person)

I called in at Sainsbury’s and filled a little pot with their mixed antipasti – it has olives, marinated mushrooms, roasted peppers, tomatoes.

I bought a jar of chargrilled artichokes because I love them and I knew there were some sun dried tomatoes in the cupboard.  You don’t have to, you can just use the mixed antipasti if you want to. All I needed to finish it off was a small log of goats cheese.

Aubergine and vegetables 004

Halve your aubergines and slash them across (try not to slash their skin – you want to keep all the juices in) and then slash again length ways. This will give you the gaps you need to stuff in everything.

Put the oven on at 160 degrees C, or thereabouts

If you have bought artichokes you will need to slice them – they are too big to be shoved in the slashes

Aubergine and vegetables 005

and half the olives and any of the big bits

Aubergine and vegetables 006

Start to jam things in the gaps… this is quick and easy. You are not looking for awards for neatness here

Aubergine and vegetables 008

There will be some oil left from the pot, don’t waste it, dribble it over the vegetables and aubergine

Aubergine and vegetables 009

Then open the goats cheese and slice it. This is a sticky job, more sticky than shoving in the oily vegetables, but don’t worry you can wash your hands in a minute and settle down while it cooks.

Share out the goats cheese on top of the aubergine and vegetables

Aubergine and vegetables 011

See? Looking rather attractive, don’t you think?

Lay them on a silicone sheet or some tin foil, lay some more foil lightly over the top to keep the moisture in for the moment and pop them in the oven.

At this point I would start to boil some baby salad potatoes to go with it and then take a break…. pour that drink and tell everyone within earshot about how dreadful your day was.

After quarter of an hour, check the aubergines… and take off the foil top to brown everything in the last ten minutes. The aubergine will be soft and bathed in the delicious vegetably, oily juices.

Drain the potatoes… and serve….

Aubergine and vegetables 026

There you have it. Forty minutes or so and you have a delicious supper with ingredients you can pick up in the supermarket on your way home, very quickly

Aubergine and vegetables 024

A nice bit of crumpet…..

A couple of weeks ago I was reading “Bread” A River Cottage Cookbook

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 064

and today it was chilly and foggy…

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 063

and I remembered that I said I would make crumpets.  What could be better on a cold, grey afternoon than hot buttered crumpets, dripping with honey?

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 067

To make crumpets you will need a heavy based frying pan or griddle and some metal rings to cook them in. If you don’t have rings then just pour the mix on and make pikelets, instead.

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 069

So, into a bowl with 450g of plain white flour,

350ml of warm milk and 350 ml of warm water

5 g of powdered yeast

10 g of salt

1 tsp baking powder

Some sunflower or vegetable oil

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 072

And whisk it all together. It makes a thin batter, like single cream. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to rest and do its yeasty business for at least an hour until it is lovely and bubbly. I left it for three hours as we were going off into town.

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 073

When I looked it had expanded beautifully and looked smooth and frothy

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 075

Now you need to warm your griddle, or heavy pan on a medium to high heat and while that is warming, whisk in the baking powder an salt.

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 076

Whisk it…

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 077

Put some sunflower oil on some kitchen paper and rub it round the inside of the metal rings

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 079

Try making a test crumpet first, the book says. Good thing too… Ladle in some batter mix to just below the rim of the ring

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 080

It was fine, at first…..

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 085

The book said leave it for 5 minutes or so till the top is just set then flip it over….

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 087

Ooops!

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 089

Just goes to show that a test run is the way to go. That griddle was obviously far too hot. I turned it down and let it cool just slightly (that was cast iron, just turning down the heat wasn’t going to radically change things in seconds) and then tried again

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 091

It was good.. it was working

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 092

You can start doing them all now.

Soon be time for tea…..

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 093

Spread those hot crumpets with butter….

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 097

And…….. take a bite! They were good enough for a Bear, apparently.  You can see the size of the bite he took…….

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 098

Time for tea, indeed

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 099

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 101

A perfect afternoon tea in autumn.

Another cuppa, anyone?

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit…………… ragu

While I was in the north and at the butcher’s, I spotted some rabbit

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 035

£2.20! I bought that and started to think of things to make with it. Because the rabbits are wild they have very little fat on them but they are high in protein… a very delicious meat but they need to be cosseted in order to get the best from them. I thought a lovely rich ragu, slowly cooked until the rabbit was tender and served with pasta would be gorgeous.

What you will need is rabbit, of course, carrots, onion, some streaky bacon, a couple of bay leaves and some peppercorns. You’ll need either fresh tomatoes or a tin of the lovely Italian plum tomatoes, some wine, garlic and some butter.

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 045

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I got the bay leaves from the tree on the balcony

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 044

You will need pasta to serve it with – I make it when I have time but just buy some if you want to.

It was the weekend so I had the time to do this….. first of all, if the rabbit isn’t jointed, then do it now. Mine was, so that saved me a job. If it isn’t then you need to take a sharp knife and carefully cut through the joints. If you have poultry shears snip down the ribs. Get it into roughly evenly sized pieces.

                                                                 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 037

Heat your casserole and some oil and then start to brown your rabbit. What you are about to do is get the meat ready and make a delicious stock that you will add to the tomato sauce to pour over your pasta.

                                                                                         Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 041

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 047

While the rabbit is browning, get the rest of the stock ingredients together

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 046

 

Chop the carrots and onion, get some black peppercorns and add that to the browned rabbit. Add some water – don’t entirely cover the rabbit – and see all the lovely browning caramelisation mix with the water already……

 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 048

 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 050

Just leave that to simmer quietly for an hour and a half or so until the rabbit is tender and falling off the bone.

Now get cracking on the ragu…..Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 053

Usual routine… chop the onion, start to sweat it gently…

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 057

Never put the garlic in with the onion as it burns too quickly.. so while the onion is gently softening, chop the garlic

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 055

Then the bacon… chop that and add it

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 059

Once that has started to cook down, add the tomato. Chopped plum tomatoes in a tin are fine… excellent, in fact. You should always have tins of them in the cupboard.

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 064

The juice sticks to the side of the tin so pour some red wine in and swish it round… then pour it in

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 065

Well, you might as well get the last of the tomato out and you don’t want to dilute the delicious ragu with water, do you?

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 066

Now that, too, can simmer for a while…..

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 001

See how rich it is looking?

Back to the rabbit…..

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 002

See? It is tender and starting to come away

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 003

Get it out and put on a plate.. don’t throw the stock out! Look at how the wooden fork can gently pull the flesh away ….

Meanwhile, strain the vegetables from the stock.. you don’t need them but you do need the stock

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 005

Boil down the stock with a good old slug of vermouth for a few minutes so it reduces slightly then add it to the ragu…. I decided to blitz it as I wanted a smooth base to go with the soon-to-be shredded rabbit

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 006

Start shredding the rabbit… well, you don’t need to shred, it just falls apart when you pull at it

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 007

Do watch out for the bones though.. a rabbit always seems to me to have more bones than are necessary… look at them

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 009

Still, you get a lot of meat for your £2.20

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 010

Then, add the lovely, tender, delicate rabbit to the gorgeously smooth sauce

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 017

Stir it round.. that rabbit need to be covered in the sauce

While that is gently simmering, get some pasta ready

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 019

And then…? Well then you put the two together…

Crumpets, ragu, chicken pie 027

That is something I will be doing again. There was enough rich and tasty ragu there to easily feed 6 of us. Pity there was only the two of us……. don’t you wish you had been passing and had called in to share?

Best sandwich in the world

.. or so says the Bear. He likes this whenever he is at home and would probably eat it every day if he could. Of course, it is not a sandwich in the real sense of the word – there’s no top – and I am perhaps more partial, say, to egg mayonnaise. Or maybe crayfish and rocket… Still, each to his own and that is his choice.

It’s very simple – just three ingredients and a sprinkle of Maldon Salt

Bear's avvy and tomato 001

It’s best made with the delicious No Knead Bread, which makes spectacular toast, a Hass avaocado (they are the knobbly, dark green ones) and some small baby plum tomatoes, crisp, sweet and juicy.

Slice your bread

Bear's avvy and tomato 002

and lightly toast it

Bear's avvy and tomato 003

Slice those little tomatoes

Bear's avvy and tomato 005

and then scoop out the avocado and mash it with a fork

Bear's avvy and tomato 006

Then start to put it all together….

Bear's avvy and tomato 007

Spread the mushed up avvy thickly over the toast

Bear's avvy and tomato 008

Then put the tomatoes on top of that

Bear's avvy and tomato 009

And sprinkle lightly with Maldon Salt…..

Bear's avvy and tomato 011

And there you have it. How to keep a Bear happy in one easy lunch.

Bear Bars

The Bear travels a lot and often has to get up early (really early, like 3 am) to get a flight somewhere. He needs his breakfast, but with the best will in the world, it takes a bit of stamina to have porridge before dawn… or to transport porridge to eat later while he waits in an airport.

We tried buying those cereal bars, thinking they would do the trick – packed full of nuts and seeds and fruit…. and, as I realised when I looked at the labels, packed full of unwanted sugars and fats.  Surely it couldn’t be that difficult to make them? OK, so they wouldn’t be wrapped as nicely but that’s why we buy cling film!

I worked at trying to make something tasty and healthy and I did sort out a recipe, writing down the quantities and being oh-so-specific… and then I changed it. It’s going to be much easier to show you by taking photographs of each step.

If you want to do what I am doing…  get the ingredients below. If you don’t like a particular ingredient in the second section get another. The important thing is that the consistency must be right before you put it in the oven, though I have to say this is a pretty good mixture….

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 009

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 005

 

 

 

 

2 large eggs,  wholemeal self raising flour, porridge oats, golden granulated sugar, and then, what amounts to a smash and grab on the dried fruits and nuts shelves……

 

 

 

sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped mixed nuts, pistachio nuts,  sultanas (I’ll use two kinds – green and golden –  but that is because I have them and I like them), dried cranberries, goji berries, dessicated coconut, raw coconut, if I have any I will put in dried blueberries and cherries… and then, what might seem to be an odd choice, a jar of Bramley apple sauce. You can buy it in supermarkets.

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know… I always make everything as much as possible from scratch. The thing is, these Bear Bars are incredibly quick to knock together and I always have the dried ingredients and I always have eggs.. the thing that might not be around is apple. I can square this with my conscience by knowing if I have a jar of it in the larder, the Bear is never more than an hour away from a healthy snack.

I will do this in a glass bowl so it is easier to see what I am doing. I tried to measure it out once but what a palaver it is…. I have always made this by eye and I think that is the way to do it, so watch, copy and make!

Get a your ingredients together. Get a large bowl and a spoon.

You’ll need what I would call flapjack tins… either line them with greaseproof paper or put a silicone sheet in.

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of handfuls of porridge oats… and a shake over of wholemeal self raising flour( I suppose the amount would be a scoop… maybe half a cup?)  …add a pinch of salt to round out the flavour (even when making sweet things, a touch of salt just brings the flavours together. Look at the back of breakfast cereal packets – they have huge amounts of salt in them! At least here you are sticking to a minimal amount)

***If you want to make these gluten free, do as I have done for my coeliac friends and replace the flour with ground almonds and some gluten free white bread flour with some baking powder… it still tastes marvellous. In fact people don’t notice any major difference…. because this isn’t a specific quantity/ingredient recipe any minor differences would be attributed to that***

Right now you start adding the goodies! A handful or so of  sultanas… two handfuls if you are using different kinds.

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 013

A good handful of unsalted pistachio nuts, what a beautiful colour they are and they taste so lovely…. and then a bigger handful of chopped mixed nuts (they are cheaper so that’s why I use more of them)

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 016

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 017

Sunflower and pumpkin seeds next….

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 018

 

Goji berries (because the health food store, Julian Graves were selling them and I thought I’d try them. They are incredible antioxidants, apparently… but they are also nice to eat and so pretty in the bar! (Part of the enjoyment of these bars is that when you slice them you see the incredibly beautiful mix of colours of the seeds and berries and fruits) 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessicated coconut next – this keeps  moisture in the bars and adds a lovely sweetness. I’d give it a good two scoops or so…. or shake it so it makes a good layer, like this….

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 020

Raw flaked coconut is gorgeous so if you can get some add that too

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 021If you have other fruits, add them now – dried and sweetened cranberries are gorgeous…. as are blueberries and dried cherries….

 

 

 

 

 

 Now, if you look at the bowl you will see all the lovely layers of fruits and nuts………  that’s why I haven’t said quantities……  I just shake things in to make thin layers…..

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a scoop or so of sugar.. you don’t need much because you have added all that fruit. Sometimes I don’t bother. Now stir everything together. The flour and the porridge oats will coat the fruit and help it all mix together before you add the wet ingredients. You want all the fruits and nuts and seeds to be evenly spread throughout.

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 025                                                                                                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 026

Now, roughly whisk 2 large eggs together and pour into the mix….

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 027

Add the jar of apple sauce and then start to stir

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 028

 

You will end up with a rather solid mix but it will be wet and spreadable. If you want, give the mix a taste… is it sweet enough for you? You can add more sugar, especially if you have children who like things sweeter. I might add some agave nectar if I think it needs extra sweeteners as it is healthier alternative to sugar.

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 029

Put the oven on to heat at 160 degrees C

Now, start to get that thick, yet spreadable mix, into the lined flapjack tins…..

Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 030

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spread it smooth so it cooks evenly

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 032

And into the oven for maybe half an hour or so. This does depend on the amount of sugar you have in there as that will brown more quickly, so keep your eyes on it.

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 039

When it is a good golden colour all over and feels springy to the touch, get it out and leave it to cool.

 

 

 

 

 

Then cut it into slices … you can freeze them (but make sure you wrap them separately so they are easy to separate)  and then you will have a ready supply of healthy bars to give to the ones you love.

 Bear Bars and Rabbit ragu and tagliatelle 061

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s better for you than one of those bought cereal bars, isn’t it?

And just perfect for when your sister in law visits and you can give her some with her coffee!

Monkfish

I was cooking for some friends recently and bought monkfish tails. I didn’t use all the monkfish so I froze a tail fillet knowing that it would come in handy one night as a quick supper for the two of us.

That night was Friday night.

I had a few tomatoes and the last bit of a pot of cream.  It was cold and grey outside so I wanted  something bright to look at and there’s nothing more cheery than saffron added to food, with its lovely golden colour and that gorgeous deep tang of its flavour.

 Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 011

This wouldn’t take long so I thought rice would be good. Basmati cooks really quickly and all you need to do is measure the rice then add the same amount of water and maybe a tablespoon extra.

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 013

Just put that on the heat with a pinch of salt and get cracking on the rest of the supper…

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 014

Start by chopping up a small onion and gently sauteing it in some butter till it softens and sweetens . Add a good pinch of saffron

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 018

And some finely chopped tomatoes

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 019

Stir it round and then pour in a good old slug of vermouth… maybe a cup full, add some salt and pepper..

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 020

Stir that round and let it bubble down a bit.  The alcohol will cook off so don’t expect to get lashed on the sauce 😉  and don’t worry, you can give it to youngsters!

Get the monkfish and cut it into rounds.  Check the rice… has the water all been absorbed in? Is it tender? If it needs a drop more then add that but keep your eye on it. If it is ready, take it off the heat and put a tea towel over the top and then put the lid on to absorb the extra steam. By now the tomatoey sauce will be coming together. Add a knob of butter and stir round then carefully put the monkfish slices in

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 021

Let it gently, very gently, bubble away for about 5 or so minutes until the fish is cooked.

Take the fish out and put on one side because you are now going to make the most delicious sauce…

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 023

Pour in some cream and stir it in then turn up the heat so the sauce can reduce and thicken

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 028

See how it is still a sauce but it has thickened?

Now pile up the rice in a bowl and add the monkfish

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 029

Doesn’t it look gorgeous?

Then pour the sauce over

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 032

And settle down to eat….

Bone Idle Bread

Sometimes a simple breakfast is all we want… maybe tea and toast. And sometimes we want a sort of fruity nutty feel to the toast, and Nigella’s Lazy Loaf is just the thing.

Like most things I make, this is simplicity itself – we call it Bone Idle Bear Bread because it is so easy.

All you need is bread flour… I have been working my way through a range of seeded and grain bread  flours… some yeast, some muesli, a pinch or so of salt  and milk and water.

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 001

To bake it in you’ll need a loaf tin and one of those silicone paper liners. Either that or line the tin with greaseproof paper but that is so fiddly, so go and buy some liners… you will thank me for it

In a big bowl, put 200g of muesli (we particularly like Dorset Cereals Really Nutty) and 325g of bread flour. This week I am using Allinsons Seed and Grain Flour and stir it round…. put a sachet of yeast.. or a teaspoon or so in

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 002

 and stir round, adding a pinch of salt

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 003

You’d better do this before you add the 250 ml of milk and 250 ml of water… you get a better mix

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 004

That’s just under a pint, mix the milk and water together and pour straight in

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 006

Stir it round.. it becomes a gloopy mix very quickly

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 007

Then pour it (I tell you, this is pourable.. don’t panic!)

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 008

Then… you won’t believe it but this is right.. put it into a cold oven

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 010

THEN, and only then, turn the oven on to 110 degrees C and walk away for 45 minutes. This allows the bread mix to start to rise…..

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 016

At the 45 minute stage, turn the oven up to 180 degrees C and leave for an hour.

Then.. take it out and leave it to cool on a rack

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 033

This is a substantial bread…

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 038

And it is wonderful toasted…..

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 040

Put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea while you wait.. then spread your bread with butter…

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 043

And then, because the Bear loves the taste of Marmite on fruited and nutty bread, a lovely mix of sweet and savoury….

Bone Idle Bread, Monkfish 044

Try it with jam.. or honey….but whatever you do, try it. Easy as anything and that, my friends, is all we ask!

Bonfire Night

Yesterday was  Guy Fawkes, or Bonfire Night and, for us in the UK, we gather round bonfires, watching fireworks and eating sausages, commemorating the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and the resulting punishment given to Guy himself. It’s also a special day for us as it is our wedding anniversary. And yes, we’ve heard all the jokes about there being fireworks on our wedding night 😉

From our dining table we can look down onto the city below us and see all the fireworks – a fantastic sight and, as a plus point,  it also saves us standing around outside. We don’t like to ignore tradition completely though, so we thought that we would at least have the sausages as part of our anniversary meal. Sausages and our favourite sparkling wine – the one we had at our wedding. Because it was cold we thought that red wine would be better than champagne – more warming, even though it was chilled. I’m sure you know what I mean. We’d wanted sparkling drinks to go with the fireworks going on outside and  chose Hardy’s Crest Sparkling Shiraz

I had to do more, though, than cook sausages and serve some wine and I decided that one of my favourite wintery standby recipes would be perfect – roasted, spiced winter vegetables. I have a recipe that I must have copied down from somewhere – it is written in a very old diary from 1977… not that I first did it then, just that I used the diary…it was already old when I found it….Old and empty, which is why I decided to use it for scribbling down recipes.

Bonfire Night Part 1 001

Goodness knows when I wrote that, though, but it must have been at least 17 years ago.

Bonfire Night Part 1 002

I have no idea where I got it from, so I can’t give due credit. Anyway, it has evolved, almost beyond recognition since then and I think the tweaks I made have improved it. Well, it has improved it to MY taste, anyway. Still, in order to make it  I needed vegetables, so set off to the greengrocer to see what I could get.

It’s great to be able to go to a traditional greengrocer

Fruit and veg 3

All the fruit and vegetables are piled up so you can see what you are buying and choose just what you want

Fruit and veg

Fruit and veg 2

I came back with lovely, knobbly Anya potatoes, sweet baby Chantenay carrots, sweet onions, broccoli, baby tomatoes, a sweet potato, a couple of parsnips, some baby corn, some garlic and some ginger. I also bought a packet of Merchant Gourmet roasted chestnuts, which must be one of the best things ever – the time that saves in roasting and peeling, well, I wouldn’t be so keen on chestnuts if I had to do it all myself… and as for the sausages? I chose Toulouse sausages – they are  small French sausages made of coarsely diced pork and bacon flavored with wine, garlic and unlike other sausages tend to have more meat and less of the normal breadcrumb filler.

Bonfire Night Part 1 003

The aim is to have the perfect mix of roasted vegetables. I love the soft sweetness of the sweet potato, with a bursting little tomato, a tasty, slightly charred bite of broccoli with the gorgeous chestnut…. lovely little garlicy roasted potatoes and mushrooms…. it really is delicious. It can easily stand alone as a vegetarian meal but with the addition of sausages…..oh it is just perfect!

And best of all it is simple! Start by putting the oven on high – about 230 degrees (210 if it is a fan oven) so that when the vegetables are ready they go into a hot oven and get just a hint of charring. It really deepens the flavour.

Then, prepare your vegetables. Start with the root vegetables –  peel and roughly cube the sweet potato. Chop the Anya potatoes (or any other potato) into roughly the same size pieces. Same for the parsnip. The onion needs to be cut into manageable pieces.  Obviously they are going to take longer than the other vegetables.

Bonfire Night Part 1 009

Scatter them into a large roasting tin and drizzle oil over them to give them a good, but light and even coating

Then prepare your spice mix. You need ground coriander, ground cinnamon and some cardomom pods.

Bonfire Night Part 1 008

Crush the cardamom pods and take out the seeds inside (I hate it when you leave the pods in and then you chew on the inedible outer casing…it’s a sort of medicinal taste. Not good when you are aiming for a comforting supper) Give them a grinding in the  mortar with your pestle

Bonfire Night Part 1 011

The cases split open and inside are the aromatic black seeds.

Bonfire Night Part 1 012

You need to separate them from the husks.. either through your fingers

Bonfire Night Part 1 013

Or in a large draining spoon so the seeds fall down.

Bonfire Night Part 1 014

Then crush the seeds to a powder. You’ll need a teaspoon or so

Bonfire Night Part 1 015

Scatter the spices and ground seeds lightly over the vegetables (maybe a large teaspoon of each) and add some grated ginger and chopped garlic. Sprinkle some salt over the top and drizzle with some more oil.

Bonfire Night Part 1 016

Into the hot oven for ten minutes or so till you can see it starting to brown….

Bonfire Night Part 2 004

Turn the oven down to about 175  degrees (less if it is a fan oven) and before you cover with foil, scatter in the softer vegetables, the baby tomatoes, broccoli florets, quartered mushrooms, the baby corn,  and the packet of chestnuts.

Bonfire Night Part 2 007

Bonfire Night Part 2 009

That will take another hour or so. Just check how things go as it steams in its own juices under its tin foil cover.

Now, I suppose, you had better set the table

Bonfire Night Part 2 012

Once I did that, we really entered into the spirit of Bonfire Night… Fireworks? Hah! We had a sparkler each. No expense spared for our anniversary dinner……..

Bonfire Night Part 2 022
Back to the cooking. Is everything softening well?

Take the foil off and stir things round….. dot the top with small nuggets of butter and then let it cook, uncovered for the last half hour or so.

Bonfire Night Part 2 023

That is, I can assure you, the most lovely aromatic mix of roast vegetables you’ll have had in a long time.

The only other thing to do is cook the sausages

 Bonfire Night Part 2 036

Make sure they are beautifully browned

Pour some wine… the bubbles are just so right for Bonfire Night. A glass or two of lovely rich sparkling shiraz is just the thing for sausages and veg…. and just the thing to celebrate with!

Bonfire Night Part 2 027

 

And… serve!

Bonfire Night Part 2 028

 The roasted vegetables are beautifully soft with just the right hint of charring. The spices are perfect and smell is just gorgeous. Look at how beautiful it all looks.

But Bonfire Night isn’t Bonfire Night without some fireworks… and we needed to celebrate…..

 Bonfire Night Part 2 034

And the result?

Bonfire Night Part 2 040

Clean plates. Always a marker of how successful a meal has been.

And I did, in the end, manage to get a photograph of  the fireworks going off below us

Bonfire Night Part 2 042

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Bonfire Night Part 2 044

So… a simple meal of roasted vegetables and sausages – perfect for Bonfire Night and even more perfect to celebrate an anniversary…

Cheers everyone!

Kedgeree

I do so love a good breakfast and when breakfast almost turns into lunch that’s even better. That means you are up later so you missed breakfast and  you are hungry but it’s too early for lunch. That’s why they call it brunch.

Weekends and lazy days. like today (our anniversary)  are perfect times for relaxing, celebrating and enjoying cooking and eating  food and one of the perfect things to make on days like this? Kedgeree 

So get some basmati rice, an onion, some curry powder (yes, I know, but this is one recipe that just needs it…no need for grinding lots of spices), maybe some ground cumin (but no need to worry if you don’t have it) some eggs, some smoked haddock, coriander leaves and a red chilli and some cream. I have a mix of natural undyed smoked haddock and some smoked cod there. Not for any reason other than  there was only a small bit of smoked haddock available when I went shopping, so I had to get some extra fish…. You have to do that sometimes. Just be flexible and don’t worry.

 Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 008

First of all, in a large frying pan, gently cook some chopped onion in some oil and butter. This softens the onion nicely . If you like coriander as much as I do then chop in some of the coriander stems as well.

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 012

While that is gently cooking, put your smoked fish in another pan with some water and poach at a soft simmer. I was going to say a gentle simmer but I realised I had said “gently” far too many times already. There again, I suppose it is a theme of the day…. this is the sort of breakfast that goes with a relaxed mood.

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 011

Put 4 eggs in a pan and start boiling them for 4 minutes. As soon as the time is up, put the pan under a cold tap and run the water to cool them quickly. This will stop them cooking, keeping them just slightly soft and making sure there’s no horrible black rings round them.

Measure your basmati rice – for four people, I use 1 mug of rice, and add a mug and a little bit of water. Bring this to the boil then turn the heat down. Basmati rice cooks quickly so keep your eye on it. If you have measured the water then it should all have absorbed

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 009

Thing is, it won’t be perfectly fluffy rice just yet. What you need to do is to get a clean tea towel and put that over the pan (taking it off the heat, of course) and then put the lid on top…. this absorbs the last bit of steam

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 010

While that is on one side, the onion will have softened so stir in a teaspoon of curry powder, a pinch or so of cumin (if you are going to add it)  and a knob of butter. This deepens the flavour and makes it taste rich and delicious.

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 013

By now the fish will have poached so take it out carefully with a fish slice and let it cool enough so you can remove the skin and flake it into bits.

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 018

And, when you peek under the tea towel,  the rice will be perfectly fluffy

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 015

Your eggs will be cooled so peel and quarter them.

Now? Now you start to put everything together…… First, the rice gets stirred into the oniony mixture in the frying pan

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 016

Then, if you have cream, stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream… or failing that, some mayonnaise. Not too much, just enough to smooth out the flavours of the curry powder and onion and rice

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 017

Then, carefully (you don’t want to break the fish into shreds and you have, I know,  flaked it so carefully) fold the fish into the rice mix

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 019

Then… add the eggs

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 020

Chop the coriander leaves and scatter over the top

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 022

Smell that……. maybe a quick squeeze of lemon juice to sharpen things up and then…. into a bowl

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 023

Doesn’t that look delicious? I always chop a bit of chilli to scatter over the top – very finely chopped chilli, not too much, just enough to leave tiny red specks of heat in the occasional mouthful

Pumpkin soup and kedgeree 028

If you haven’t made it before… try it. Honest, it’s good.

A perfect brunch on a perfect day.