Fruits, Roots & Shoots

Busy job, house hunting and marriage preparations are apparently taking it out of me, my first week off from work and my body decides it has had enough and just needs a rest. Well that is how I’m interpreting me getting ill.

It turns out a day in bed watching Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries and a couple of big bowls of chicken soup were exactly what was required.

Now I know everyone will have a view of what the perfect “feel better” chicken soup will consist of, probably based on what they were given as a child – I like sweet corn in mine as it reminds me of my mums chicken pasta bake and I much prefer (on this one occasion) to have dumplings rather than noodles or rice to make it more filling. My brother on the other hand would always insist on chicken noodle cup a soup when ill rather than the real deal.

Stock is the basis to a good chicken soup and homemade really does make it better, whenever I roast a chicken I make sure I make and freeze a load of stock, however when you are feeling unwell you want your hit of soupy goodness as soon as possible and I do use a good quality bought stock if I’m out of homemade, as I was this week.

I use brown meat as I think it gives a much better flavour to the soup and a more interesting texture in this case I used thighs but a mixture of thighs and drumsticks would work just as well. If you do have some left over roast chicken just skip the first step and make sure you use whichever meat you have whether brown or white.

My soup does have some light spice in it – no where near enough to be spicy, just to add that touch of warmth that makes it feel so nourishing when your not feeling your best – it you were bunged up I would up the chilli and ginger a bit as I find the kick really helps.

Feel Better Chicken Soup

For the Soup

• 400-500g of boneless free-range chicken thighs.
• 1 tsp herbs de provence
• 2 white onions
• 2 large carrots
• 2 bay leaves
• 400ml of good quality chicken stock
• ½ a red chili
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• Small bunch of thyme
• Small bunch of basil (I used thai basil as I had it)
• 200g fresh or frozen sweetcorn

For the Dumplings

• 100g butter
• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of dried thyme

First roast the chicken for 30 mins in a medium oven with a little olive or rapeseed oil drizzled over it and the herbs de provence.

Whilst the chicken is cooking dice the carrots, onions, garlic, chili and grate the ginger. Sauté all these in a casserole dish in a little olive or rapeseed oil with a pinch of salt and pepper for around 10 minutes; they should be becoming a little soft. Add the chopped herbs and bay leaves to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock to the pan along with 200-400ml of water (enough to cover all the vegetables plus 2cm of liquid) allow to cook for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings and shred the cooked chicken.

For the dumplings simply rub the butter into the flour and baking powder with a pinch of salt and pepper and the thyme until it forms a wet sand like consistency, add just enough water to form into a workable dough then roll into walnut sizes balls.

Add the cooked chicken and sweet corn to the pan and drop in the dumplings, cover the pan with the lid and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes by which time the dumplings will have floated to the top (meaning they are cooked) and the soup delicious.

If I fancy a little extra texture to the soup I put the whole casserole dish without lid under a hot grill for a few minutes just so the top of the dumplings crisp up.

 

The chicken soup and rest clearly did its job as I’m feeling much better and ready to tackle work again tomorrow.

 

 

 

A month ago Joel and I left London to start our next adventure back up north in Manchester, well Stalybridge to be more exact. We have moved into a nice little flat and have both started new jobs so things have been a little hectic to say the least. It is very exciting though, particularly the new roof terrace that I have already planted up with rosemary, Basil, 4 types of mint, salad leaves and some radishes – pretty much anything I could squeeze in before winter arrives.

I was lucky enough to arrange my new role so I had a couple of weeks off in between finishing my London job and starting my new one. I somehow also managed to land it so one of the weeks was glorious sunshine which gave me some time to explore the glorious countryside around where the now live.

One of the main factors for moving up here was that we would be able to spend more time outdoors, walking, climbing, breathing fresh air (we were severely lacking this in London). We timed moving here perfectly to see the moors when they are at their best, covered in a blanket of pink heather and with a clear view over the hills to the glistening reservoirs. In August and September the moors of the North West have another treat to offer, Bilberries by the tubful.

The Bilberry, also known as Winberry or Wortleberry is a cousin of the North American blueberry, but far superior in both taste and texture, although admittedly rather small in comparison. Unlike the blueberry the inside of the berry is dark purple and full of flavour and they hold up very well when cooked (unlike the horrible mush blueberries can make if your not careful).

I have to thank our friends Jenny and Peter and their excellent collection of books on wild food and foraging for sending me some recipe ideas for Bilberries because as excited as I was to find a huge haul of the berries other than making flavoured gin (which we also made) I was at a bit of a loss as to what to make with them. The below in an adaptation of a recipe they sent me from The Hedgerow Cookbook by Caro Wilson and Ginny Knox which I will defiantly be asking to borrow next time I see them.

Whilst Bilberries are small we found that after an hours good picking with 2 people we had enough for the below recipe plus 2 bottles of Bilberry Gin that will be ready for Christmas – not a bad afternoon.

Bilberry and Lemon Tart

I used a 30cmx15cm rectangular baking pan for this as my tart cases are still in boxes!

For the Pastry;

• 100 g of soft butter
• 100 g sugar
• 200 g plain wholemeal flour

For the filling;

• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp plain wholemeal flour
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 350-400 g bilberries
• 250 ml crème fraiche
• 4 egg yolks
• The zest of 2 lemons

To make the pastry beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then rub in the flour until you have a wet sand like texture then add 1tbsp of water and combine, if more water is needed to form a roll able dough add 1 tsp at a time (I needed 2 tbsp of water). Roll into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 mins. (You can always do this step the day before).

When you are ready to make your tart preheat the oven to 200C, roll out your pastry as thin as your can and then lay into your tart case, patching up the pastry where you need to – you want this pastry to be thin so it will be nice and crispy against the creaminess of the tart. Prick the pastry all over with a fork then back blind for 15 mins or until lightly golden. I didn’t bother with baking beans for this recipe. When you take out the pastry reduce the oven to 180 C.

Spread the bilberries over the tart and put back in the oven for 10 mins to allow the bilberries to soften.

Whilst the Bilberries are softening make your filling; mix together the almonds, flour, sugar, lemon zest crème fresh and egg yolks, once these are combined quickly whisk in the lemon juice.

Pour the filling over the bilberries at bake for 15-20 mins until the mixture has only the slightest of wobbles when you shake the tin.

Leave to cool then enjoy.

Looking forward to the Bilberry Gin in December!

 

That time when I came up with a cool recipe, cooked it, took photos and wrote a blog post but then our somewhat hectic lives got in the way and its been sat in the ether for about 8 weeks…. Asparagus season is now pretty much over but if you can get some of the last spears or save this recipe for next year, I swear its delicious.

A true sign that summer is on its way is when British Asparagus raises its spears out of the mounds of soil and into the shops of Britain in all its green and purple glory. My mum laughed at me when I called her a few weeks ago just before a visit home, when she asked me what I wanted to do for the weekend visit I had two requests – spend some in the garden in the sun and cook some Asparagus using her cask iron griddle pan. Both seem like perfectly reasonable requests to me for a girl trapped in a London flat with no garden and no space in her tiny kitchen for such specialist (not to mention heavy) equipment.

I love Jane Grigson, and I love her Fruit and Vegetable books – as you may have gathered but I have to say I do disagree with her on the best way to cook asparagus, she favours the boiling/steaming in an asparagus pan method. I could not disagree more, I feel like adding water to asparagus destroys all its delicate flavours – an exception could be made for the white thick spears that are preferred in most of Europe. I tend to fry my asparagus or even better if I have the equipment I cook it on a grille pan – all the flavour locked in with the delicious addition of charred lines along the outside.

Other than that I like to keep my asparagus simple, I do think it needs some fat with it to show it at its best – doused in herby butter, dipped in a soft boiled egg or maybe dressed with a nice vinaigrette as below.

You of course don’t need a griddle pan for the below recipe – it would work great on a bbq or if like me you are stuck in your flat a frying pan would work well too.

Asparagus with preserved lemon vinaigrette

• A bunch of Asparagus
• 1 small preserved lemon
• 2 ½ tbsp. of rapeseed oil
• 1 ½ tbsp. of white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp of suagr
• Salt and pepper
• Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat the griddle pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot. Whilst the pan is heating up finely dice the preserved lemon, whisk into the oil, vinegar and sugar.

Use 1 tbsp of the oil to lightly coat the asparagus then lay them into the pan perpendicular to the griddles. After 3 mins turn over the spears, after another 3 mins the asparagus should be beautifully charred on each side and still with a little bite.

Take the spears straight out the pan and into a bowl with the vinaigrette so the warm asparagus really takes in the flavours.

Serve simply either on its own with some nice crusty bread or as a side so something that needs a little sharpness – perhaps some lamb.

We are in the “hungry month” at the moment, traditionally the month where there were very few fruit and vegetables around to eat, the winter roots are running out and the peas and leaves of spring were yet to emerge. Of course now we can get almost any food at any time to year you might think this a little redundant but for the first time I’m feeling it, not in the true sense of being hungry but as I am trying to eat much more seasonably I’m really feeling that lack of seasonal options at the moment. The flip side of this is that I am so excited for the British asparagus, peas and broad beans that are coming my way, I’m defiantly looking forward to them much more having not had them since last summer.

One of the few green vegetables still around is sprouting broccoli – I say sprouting broccoli rather than purple sprouting because I can get different kinds at the farmers market, as well as purple, white and all green some leafy some less so – I like getting a mixture. My favourite way of eating sprouted broccoli is briefly steamed or lightly pan fired with a little lemon, or maybe a tahini-soy dressing unfortunately not much of a recipe for a blog post.

As anyone who follows me on instagram will know I’m a little obsessed with the waffle maker Joel got me for my birthday, I’ve been making every imaginable waffle variation on Saturday mornings, some worked very well, others less so… As much as I love covering waffles in caramel apples or maple syrup sometimes I feel I should have something more savory and a green eggs benedict waffle seemed the ticket.

If you don’t have a waffle maker the mixture would work well as thick “American style” pancakes, or of course you could have the toppings on an English muffin.

Green Eggs Benedict Waffle

Serves 2 hungry people (2 waffles) or 4 less greedy people

Green Waffles

• 200g of whole meal flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 egg
• 250 ml milk
• ½ a courgette – grated
• 1 large handful of spinach – shredded
• 1 tbsp chopped parsely

The toppings

• 4 eggs – poached
• 20 stalks of sprouted broccoli
• ½ a leek – very thinly sliced

Avocado hollandaise

• 1 large avocado
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• pinch of salt and pepper

Heat up your waffle maker. Mix all of the waffle ingredients together into a thick batter and pour into the maker – how long to cook will depend on your machine on mine I cooked on a medium heat for 6 mins – slightly longer than a standard sweet waffle.

Whilst your waffle is cooking poach your eggs. Add the hollandaise ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth, add a tablespoon of the poaching water at a time to the blender until it is a thick but pourable consistency. At the last minute pop your broccoli in the poaching water for a minute until slightly soft.

All that’s left to do is layer up your waffles. Waffle, broccoli, egg, avocado hollandaise, then a sprinkle of the raw leeks.

Enjoy for breakfast lunch or dinner.

P.S I enjoyed holding my broccoli like a lovely bunch of flowers because I’m cool like that.

 

I escaped London and went up to the lake district with my parents and brother for a long Easter weekend, the hustle and bustle and many, many people of London can be fun and exciting but can also get quite overwhelming so I like to get out and into the countryside as much as I can. I feel more balanced in the countryside (although time of work probably helped with that too).

There is a very lovely walk in the Eden Valley that my mum and I did on Good Friday, it has lots to see on the way and very conveniently a lovely little mill café half way around. For a couple of months in spring the woods you walk through along the bank of the River Eden are filled with wild garlic at this time of year the leaves are young and fresh but as the warmer weather comes and they become more established the wood is filled with the heady scent of garlic that can totally overwhelm your nose.

Wild Garlic is only around for a couple of months of the year (Late March to Early May) and grows mainly in shady wooded areas. It can be eaten raw, added to salads, pesto, generally replace garlic in quick cook dishes. I would recommend wiping the leaves down with a damp piece of kitchen roll before use, just in case.

When I’m not at home with all of my kitchen equipment and store cupboard I like to keep things simple and the below recipe is a miracle for me – only 3 ingredients! It really allows the garlic to shine through, is really quick and easy to make with no real equipment required and a perfect snack post walk, side dish or salad accompaniment.

Wild Garlic and Goats Cheese Patties

Makes 6 small patties – enough for a snack for 2.

• A handful of wild garlic (7 leaves ish)
• 100g of soft goats cheese of your choosing
• 6 boiled new potatoes

Slice the new potatoes and add to a bowl along with the crumbled goats cheese and chopped leaves (its easiest to chop them with scissors) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roughly mash it all together and shape into 6 small patties. Add to a frying pan on a medium high heat with a small knob of butter or a teaspoon of oil. Fry on each side for 2 mins until golden and crispy.

The Lake District and Eden Valley are as beautiful as ever but the horrendous floods they experienced in December are still having a huge impact of communities, there are many houses that families still cant move back in to, many businesses that are fighting with insurance companies in order to be able to fund repair work. As so much of the areas income is dependent on tourism the best thing you can do to help is go and visit this beautiful area (with all its amazing food and producers) but there is also a flood recovery appeal you can donate to if you would like to help.

http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/ways-to-give-new/cumbria-flood-appeal-2015

Whilst obviously not local these are a very seasonal fruit, only around for a few short months come just at the right time when we need something uplifting to remind us spring is actually coming not matter what the weather is up to. As much as I try to eat locally grown food there are some treats I just cant resist – avocados, pineapples, pomegranates, kiwis, oranges – ok there are lots of treats but something is better than nothing right?

Blood oranges take me right back to a holiday in Barcelona with my mum a few years ago, particularly the amazing Boqueria fruit market which was round the corner from our hotel, blood oranges were at every stall, proudly sliced in half so you could see just how red they were inside. I was (not so elegantly) trying to consume as many as possible whilst wearing a white dress – the downside of travelling very light is not having enough outfits for your fruit choices!

Its become a bit of a joke between my mum and I that at this time of year blood oranges get put in ever possible food stuff in restaurants and cafes, whilst amusing to observe, I secretly like it. There are very few other fruits and vegetables that we can only get for a short time – Asparagus and wild garlic being in the same boat and its nice to have something to look forward to in the kitchen – just don’t give yourself blood orange/asparagus/wild garlic fatigue.

As I’ve been exploring making more preserves recently I thought I could try making something that would capture their fresh tangy taste, and after flicking through my new copy of Diana Henry’s “Salt Sugar Smoke” (an excellent book) I found a recipe for blood orange curd. I’ve never made a fruit curd before, though I have consumed many, I was surprised at how fast it was to make, I started when I got up and it was ready for brunch time.

 

Blood Orange Curd

Diana Henry

Makes 1 jar

• 4 egg yolks
• 70g sugar
• 80ml blood orange juice – 1 large juicy oranges worth
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 80g butter

 

Add all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl, set over a simmering pan of water, but don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water, stir until the butter melts, then until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon – Diana said this could take up to 30 mins but mine only took 15. Make sure you keep stirring or the eggs could split.

Pour into sterilised jars, cover with a wax disk, allow to cool then refrigerate for up to two weeks – I doubt it will last that long though!