Through the Kitchen Window

Words and Spices

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Wednesday - High summer and warm sunshine and there seems to be something to pick in the garden every day.  Sweet peas scent the kitchen table, I pick some fresh mange touts for supper and a couple of baby beetroot to roast.  The courgettes are covered in golden flowers, one or two are already growing fruit and the scarlet runners are almost in flower too.

We have chilled watercress soup for lunch, vibrant green and full of peppery flavour.  I make some soda bread to accompany it and cut it into chunky slices to serve.

I found some gleaming English cherries in the supermarket yesterday and we follow our soup with them, the  juice filling our mouths with sweetness.

  WATERCRESS SOUP FOR 4

  25g butter

1 onion peeled and sliced

1 large potato peeled and cut into chunks

1 pack of watercress

450ml chicken stock

Salt and pepper

A little milk

Cream and chives to serve

  Heat the butter and fry the onion until soft, add the potato and cook gently for a few minutes.  Pour in the stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the watercress and allow it to wilt.  Cool slightly.  Put in an electric blender, add a little milk and whizz until smooth and creamy.  Serve hot or chilled, garnished with a swirl of cream and snipped chives.  It’s a good idea to hold down the lid of the blender with a towel or teatowel to prevent the hot soup from spurting.

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Prawn stir fry

Rose hips glow in the autumn light and there is a tinge of gold on the  beech leaves but the sun is still warm and it seems too soon to be thinking of casseroles so I decide on a prawn stir-fry for supper and begin chopping red peppers and a chilli to add fire together with a little ginger and plenty of soy sauce.  I’ll steam slices of broccoli for a touch of colour and serve it all on a bed of slippery noodles, scattering with toasted sesame seeds.

PRAWN STIR FRY for 4

 1 teaspoon cornflour

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 red chilli, finely slices

1 small red pepper, sliced

50g cup mushrooms, sliced

4 spring onions, sliced

2 cm root ginger, finely chopped

250graw king prawns, thawed

1 dessertspoon oyster sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

 Stir the soy sauce into the cornflour until smooth and mix in the prawns.  Heat a little rapeseed oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the chilli, pepper, mushrooms and spring onions for a few minutes until becoming tender.  Add the ginger followed by the prawns.  Fry for a few minutes until the prawns are all pink and thoroughly cooked.  Stir in the oyster sauce.  If it is too thick add a little water.

 In the meantime stem the broccoli and heat the noodles in boiling water.  Drain the noodles, add the broccoli to the prawn mixture and serve over the noodles.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and tuck in.

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Elderflower jelly

The Indian summer continues, the late sunshine giving the countryside a golden glow.  Elder bushes are dripping with gleaming clusters of berries and I pick some to make pots of deep purple jelly to try on tomorrow’s toast.

ELDERBERRY JELLY

 Elderberries

Apples (one to every 5-10 heads of elderberry)

Preserving sugar

Water

 Cut the apples into chunks but do not peel or core.  Put in a large pan.  Push the washed berries off their stalks using a fork and add to the apples.  Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Juice will continue to seep from the berries.  Strain through a muslin bag (this will take several hours, or overnight).

 Measure the resulting juice and for every 500ml, weigh 350g of preserving sugar.  Put the sugar in an oven-proof dish and warm while you bring the juice to the boil.  Add the sugar to the juice, bring to a rolling boil and cook for around 15-20 minutes.  Test for setting by dripping a small quantity onto a chilled saucer.  If setting point has been reached the drop will crinkle when you push it with your finger.  If not, boil for a little longer and test again.

 In the meantime, wash jam jars and put in a very low oven to heat through.  When the jelly is ready, carefully pour it into the jars and seal with waxed paper and cellophane jam pot covers.  Cool before you taste it on toast.

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Goat's Cheese Tart

May is my favourite month with its crystal clear days, candy pink cherry blossom, warm sunshine and the promise of summer still to come.

Another joy of May is the English asparagus season and today I find some at the farm shop, freshly cut and full of sweet earthy flavour.  I steam it for a few minutes and we drench it with melted butter, sprinkle salt and pepper before tucking in greedily, the butter dripping off our chins.  A crisp tart of goat’s cheese follows, the sharp, clean-tasting filling smothered in bright slivers of red and yellow peppers and scattered with toasted pine nuts.  I add a watercress salad to give a peppery contrast.

 ASPARAGUS

 Fat asparagus spears

Fresh butter

 Snap the woody ends from the asparagus.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the asparagus.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes until just tender.  Remove from the water using tongs, so as not to damage the delicate spears and serve with plenty of butter and freshly ground black pepper.

 GOAT’S CHEESE TART FOR 4

 450g puff pastry

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

2 tubs spreadable goats cheese

Pine kernels

 Heat the oven to 220oC/gas 7.  Roll out the puff pastry as thinly as possible.  Use a plate to cut a large circle shape.  Using a sharp knife, mark a 1 cm rim round the outside and prick the centre.  Place on a baking sheet and leave to chill while you prepare the peppers.  Bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes until the skins are becoming black.  Put another baking sheet in the oven to heat.  As soon as the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, remove the seeds and slice the flesh into strips.  Spread the goats cheese over the pastry case and scatter the red and yellow peppers over decoratively.  Now put the pastry on its baking sheet on top of the heated baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 200o/mark 6,  scatter pine kernels over  and bake for about a further 10 minutes, checking to make sure you don’t burn the pine kernels.  Serve with a green salad.

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Rhubarb torte

It’s sunny today and I spend some time clearing up the garden. The mild weather has brought the crocuses into flower and the birds are singing away cheerfully.   I invite some friends to a lazy lunch and we gossip over cold salami and ham with char-grilled peppers and plenty of crusty bread.  I found some early rhubarb in the local shop, so I bake it with a dash of orange and use it to fill crunchy almond sponge flavoured with ginger.  We eat this for pud, with velvety dollops of crème fraiche.

RHUBARB  TORTE FOR 4-6

  250g rhubarb

25g caster sugar

Zest and juice of half an orange

50g semolina

50g ground almonds

100g self raising flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

100g butter

½ teaspoon almond extract

100g caster sugar

1 egg

 A few flaked almonds and some icing sugar to serve

 Grease a 18 cm diameter sandwich tin and line the base with baking parchment.  Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

 Begin by chopping the rhubarb into chunks, put in a pan and sprinkle with 25g caster sugar and the orange zest and juice.  Cook very slowly for about 20 minutes until it is soft and tender.  Cool.

 Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients in a food processor.   Spread half the mixture into the base of the prepared tin, cover with the cooked rhubarb and spread the remaining mixture carefully over the top, spreading as evenly as possible.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, adding the flaked almonds for the last five minutes.  Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

PS Other fruit such as apple tastes just as good (but use cinnamon instead of ginger here).

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Carrot and Mint Soup

More rain overnight and the fields are flooded again.  We seem to have had weeks of rain and it keeps on coming.  The ground is saturated and my newly planted lavender is standing in water.  Raindrops drip off the laurel leaves and run down the windowpane, but it is mild and I begin to think about sowing seeds for the coming season.  My favourite are sweet peas with their vibrant colours and sweet perfume; or the icing sugar colours of tobacco plant, filling the air with its peppery scent on a warm summer’s evening.

In the vegetable garden I still have a few carrots, so I pull them out of the mud and turn them into a warming soup for lunch, flavoured with freshly chopped mint to remind me that spring is coming.  All I need now is some crusty bread.

CARROT AND MINT SOUP for 4

 25g butter

450 carrots, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 small potato cut into small chunks

1 ¼ litres chicken or vegetable stock

A handful of mint leaves, chopped

 Melt butter and fry vegetables about 5 minutes.  Add the stock, bring the boil and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.  Cool, add mint and zap in an electric blender until smooth.  Re-heat and serve with a little extra mint sprinkled over.

 I make some chocolate chip cookies for the weekend, crisp on the outside with velvety pockets of gooey chocolate inside, smooth and sweet on the tongue.

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red onion tartlets

           Friday will be Valentine’s Day and I decide to cook a meal with pink as my theme.  I'll begin with little red onion tartlets - crisp pastry shells filled with onions cooked with a pinch of sugar and a spritz of balsamic vinegar until they soften to a sweet-sour jam.  A handful of bright green spinach and watercress leaves on the side make a peppery contrast.

            For the main course I'll roast a tender loin of pork.  A tasty stuffing of wild mushroom and sage adds flavour and I'll rub the skin with sea salt to make the crackling crunchy.  Thinly sliced potatoes baked in stock until they brown on top and a rosy dish of red cabbage braised with onions and apple and a hint of cloves will make the perfect accompaniment.

            For pudding I'll prepare a smooth creamy cheesecake flavoured with orange zest and set on a ginger biscuit crust.  The pink here will come from a jewel-like compote made from early rhubarb, baked with orange juice, a tangy antidote to the sweetness of the cheesecake.

            A dry rosé wine, perhaps with a little fizz, will set the mood for romance.

 Red onion tartlets for 2

Half a pack of all-butter puff pastry (freeze the rest for later)

350g red onions, sliced thinly

25g butter plus a splash of cooking oil

75ml red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch thyme

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.  Melt the butter and oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry very gently until soft.  Stir in the vinegar, sugar and thyme and leave to cook very slowly, stirring frequently,  for about 20-30 minutes until it is the consistency of marmalade.  Roll out the puff pastry as thinly as you can.  Cut out two small rounds (or heart shapes if you like!).  Place on a baking sheet, mark out a thin border and spread the onion marmalade inside the border.  Bake near the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is brown and crisp round the edge.  You could add a dollop of creamy goats cheese to each for the last five minutes.  Serve with a few spinach and watercress leaves.

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chocolate cake

A bright morning but the cool wind reminds me that winter is still with us.  I fill the kitchen with the warm aroma of baking, making a decadent chocolate cake for a friend's birthday tea.  I fill it with a rich chocolate ganache and sprinkle icing sugar on top.

We have a lunch of chicken livers fried until they are firm on the outside but still soft and juicy within.  I pile them on a mound of winter leaves and scatter with crisp shards of bacon and a few crunchy croutons, adding thick slices of walnut bread on the side.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons hot water

175g soft margarine

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

175g self raising flour

1 1/2 level teaspoons baking powder

 For the icing:

75g butter

50g sieved cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

225g sieved icing sugar

 Grease and line two sandwich tins.  Heat the oven to 180oC/gas 4.  Mix the cocoa with the hot water in a large pan.  Add the margarine, caster sugar followed by the eggs (beaten), flour and baking powder.  Mix carefully then heat very gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2-3 minutes until the fat has melted and all is blended together.  Put into the tins and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Turn out and cool. 

 To make the icing, melt the butter, stir in the cocoa powder and cook over a gentle heat for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and add milk and icing sugar, beat well, then leave stirring occasionally until icing has thickened to spreading consistency.  Use to sandwich the two cakes together and dust the top with icing sugar to serve.

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rhubarb and ginger roulade

The first snowdrop pushes its head through a mound of shrivelled leaves, shining cheerfully through the damp grey mist of a February day.  The year has turned and January has gone for good.  Birds are stirring in the trees and the evenings are beginning to grow lighter at last.  Spring is not so very far away and I celebrate with a casserole of lamb flavoured with aubergine and peppers, the flavours of the Mediterranean.  To follow I use the first rhubarb of the season to make a ginger flavoured roulade filled with the tangy fruit and lightly whipped cream.  I add a drizzle of jewel-coloured rhubarb puree to each slice as I serve it.

 RHUBARB AND GINGER ROULADE FOR 6

3 eggs

75g caster sugar

25g ground almonds

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 piece stem ginger, chopped

1 tablespoon syrup from the preserved ginger

 450g rhubarb

25g caster sugar

Small pot whipping cream

Heat the oven to 180oC/gas 4.  Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.  Whisk the egg yolks, gradually add the sugar and then whisk again until the mixture is pale.  Add the chopped ginger and syrup and whisk again.  Sieve the ground almonds and ground ginger together and fold into the yolks.  Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold in carefully, using a metal spoon.  Put in the tin, gently smooth the top without squeezing out the air, and bake for 20 minutes until slightly golden and firm to the touch.  Turn out onto another piece of baking parchment dusted with caster sugar and cover with a damp tea towel.  Leave to cool and then carefully peel off the backing paper.

Meanwhile, wash and cut the rhubarb into chunks, sprinkle with 25g caster sugar and cook very gently in a pan until soft and pale pink.  Strain off the juice and retain.  Cool.  Cook the juice, adding a little arrowroot to make a syrup.  To serve, whip the cream, stir in the chopped stem ginger and spread over the sponge.  Spread the rhubarb over the cream and roll up, using the baking parchment to help you.  Serve sliced, with a drizzle of the syrup.

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noodle soup

Heavy overnight rain has left the fields flooded, the ground still saturated from several days of wet, miserable weather.  I check the garden for signs of new life and find daffodil bulbs already pushing through the cold damp earth.  My fingers begin to ache with cold so it's back to kitchen to prepare lunch.  With a nod to Chinese New Year I make warming bowls of fiery noodle soup: hot beef stock with thin slivers of chilli and ginger and some chopped spring onion, a handful of fine egg noodles and a scattering of vibrant green coriander and in minutes I have a tasty, comforting meal.

NOODLE SOUP

1 litre good stock

4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

Juice of half a lime

50g cup mushrooms, finely sliced

150g fine egg noodles

A handful of spinach leaves

 Put the stock in a large pan.  Add the spring onions, soy sauce, ginger, chilli and lime juice and bring to a gentle boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Stir in the noodles and spinach leaves and serve.

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root vegetable casserole and dried fruit salad

The sun is shining today but there is a cold wind and I make a comforting casserole of root vegetables blending the flavours of celeriac, parsnip and sweet potato with onion to make a tasty accompaniment to grilled gammon.  Dried apricots and prunes cooked simply make a delicious winter fruit salad with slices of fresh orange and banana and a good dollop of crème fraiche.

ROOT VEGETABLE CASSEROLE FOR 4

1 medium onion

1 large potato

2 parsnips

1 large sweet potato

1 head of celeriac

500ml vegetable stock

Simply slice the onion finely, and the remaining vegetables into larger slices, cover with stock and either boil in a pan for about 20 minutes until tender or leave in a moderate oven (160oC/gas 4) for about an hour.  Delicious with sausages too.

DRIED FRUIT SALAD FOR 4 

100g dried apricots

100g prunes

2 oranges

2 bananas

Cover the apricots and prunes with cold water, bring them to the boil in a largish pan and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender.  Cool.  If you have time, leave in the fridge overnight and the flavours will mature.  Peel and segment the orange, slice the banana and add to the cooked fruit.  Serve for breakfast with yoghurt, or for pudding with orange ice cream.  For extra flavour you could add a pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice.

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cheesey bread and butter pudding

  The indoor hyacinths I planted before Christmas are flowering now and filling the house with their wonderful perfume.  I use the remains of yesterday’s French loaf to make a savoury bread and butter pudding, soaking the bread in eggs and milk and adding plenty of grated cheese and a scattering of chopped walnuts.  Baked until it is brown and crunchy on top and sprinkled with snipped chives, it makes a tasty lunch.

SAVOURY BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING FOR 2

About 6 slices from a French stick

Butter

Grainy mustard

225g grated cheese

500ml milk

3 eggs 

Spread the bread with butter and mustard Butter a shallow oven-proof dish and place the bread in a single layer.  Beat the eggs with the milk, stir in the cheese and pour over the bread.  Leave for about 30 minutes for the milk to soak into the bread.  Meanwhile heat the oven to 180oC/gas 4.  Sprinkle a little extra grated cheese and a dusting of Cayenne pepper over the pudding and bake for 45 minutes until golden.  Serve with a crisp salad.

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orange marmalade

Birds are stirring in the trees and the evenings are growing lighter at last.  Seville oranges are here, bringing with them a hint of Mediterranean sunshine and the hope of warmer days to come.  I fill the kitchen with their citrus aroma as I boil them up to make pots of golden marmalade.  I save some squeezed juice to flavour the icing I shall drizzle over a deliciously sticky marmalade cake and freeze a little extra juice to make an orange syrup which will sweeten the first strawberries of summer.

  MARMALADE – MAKES 6-7 POTS

 4 Seville oranges

1 large sweet orange

1 lemon

2.5 litres of water

2 kg granulated (or preserving) sugar

Cut the oranges and lemons in half, squeeze out the juice and strain it, placing the pips in a muslin bag.  One by one blend the oranges with the water, using ½ litre to each orange and using the last ½ litre for the remaining fruit.   Leave this to soak in a non-metallic container overnight.

Next day put the fruit and liquid in a preserving pan with the muslin bag tied to the handle and boil until the mixture has reduced by about one-third (up to 2 hours).  Remove the bag and add the sugar (warmed in the oven) and stir until it has dissolved.  Now boil rapidly for about 20-25 minutes and test for setting by putting a few drops of the marmalade onto a cold saucer.  If setting point has been reached the cooled marmalade will crinkle when you push it with your finger.  If not give it a few more minutes and then test again. 

Put in pots and enjoy some on tomorrow's toast.

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New Year split pea soup

After what seems like days of grey skies, at last a bright shiny January day full of sunshine and hope so I venture into the garden to hunt for signs of life.  The snowdrops are there, pushing bravely through the cold earth, and a few crocus leaves under the apple tree.  Buds on the camellia are fattening up and even the wisteria is beginning to stir.

The sun disappears and clouds build, reminding me that winter is still with us, so I make warming bowls of split pea soup for a hearty lunch, tasting thick and slightly salty.  A  bunch of juicy black grapes is waiting to be finished up and their sweetness washes away the saltiness of the soup.

 Split Pea Soup for 4

Tablespoon groundnut oil

1 medium potato, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 medium onion, sliced

200g split peas, rinsed

1.5 litres stock (I saved cooking liquid from the Christmas ham and stored it in the freezer)

scraps of cooked ham

 Heat the oil in a pan and fry the vegetables gently for a few minutes.  Add the peas and stock, bring to the boil, skim, cover and then simmer for about 45 minutes until the peas are tender.  Mash with a potato masher (or liquidise if you prefer a smoother soup).  Stir in the ham and heat through.  Serve

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Mediterranean fish bake

A blustery north wind brings down more leaves and chills the air as I plant tulip  bulbs to brighten the spring garden.  I watch a handsome woodpecker searching for grubs on the lawn, his head flashing scarlet as he pecks away.  The holly tree glows with berries and stars of winter jasmine twinkle against the dark earth.

The cold begins to seep into my feet and hands so I retreat to the kitchen to prepare supper - a Mediterranean fish bake to bring sunshine to a drab winter's day.  I sit chunks of potato on a bed of tomatoes and roast them until they are nearly done and then add fillets of fresh haddock and a scattering of black olives to continue the sunny theme.  All it needs is a spoonful of steamed spinach to add a vibrant dash of extra colour.

Mediterranean fish bake for 4

1 small onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

400g smallish new potatoes, scrubbed

400g can chopped tomatoes

100ml dry white wine

4 haddock fillets

a handful of black olives, pitted

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes until soft.  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and mix with the onions.  Stir the wine into the tomatoes and spread over the base of a baking tray; arrange the potato mixture over.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are nearly cooked.  Sit the haddock fillets on top and scatter over the black olives.  Return to the oven for 7-10 minutes until the fish is cooked.  Serve with steamed spinach or French beans.

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Grandma's Christmas cake

When I open my spice cupboard and smell the comforting aroma of cinnamon and cloves, my thoughts turn to Christmas, filling the kitchen with the scent of nostalgia.  Outside it’s dark and cold, but in here the oven is on, and I am surrounded by warmth and colour.  I stirred together juicy Californian raisins, sultanas full of Greek sunshine, shiny black currants and glistening glacé cherries, coated them in orange juice and sherry and left them to steep overnight.  The spirits of my mother and grandmother watch over me now as I cream together butter and soft dark brown sugar in my largest mixing bowl.  On the radio I hear the young voices of a junior school choir singing carols.  I beat the eggs and add them one by one and now the flour and those heady spices.  The plumped-up fruits and a scattering of almonds go in and I stir and stir.  I spoon the mixture into my prepared cake tin and place it lovingly in the oven.  The Christmas season has begun.

  GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS CAKE

350g raisins, 350g sultanas, 350g currants, 110g glace cherries

75g candied peel, rind and juice of 1/2 orange, 4-5 tablespoons sherry

275g butter, 275g soft brown sugar, 5 eggs

350g plain flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice, 75g almonds 

Line a 23cm round or 20cm square cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment.  Tie another double layer of baking parchment round the outside of the tin.

 Put the dried fruit, cherries, peel and orange rind in a large bowl.  Pour over the orange juice and sherry and stir to make sure the fruit is well coated.  Now cover with a cloth and leave to steep overnight, stirring occasionally.

 Heat the oven to 140oC/gas 1.  Cream the butter with the sugar until soft and creamy.  Add the (beaten) eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift the flour and spice together, then fold into the egg mixture a third at a time.  Mix in the fruit mixture and almonds.  Put in the tin, spreading evenly. Make a slight hollow in the centre of the mixture.  Bake towards the bottom of the oven for 2 hours and then cover with a piece of tinfoil for the remaining cooking time - about another 3 hours  - until firm to the touch.  A skewer stuck into the centre should come out clean.  Turn out and allow to cool, then prick all over with a skewer and sprinkle with brandy (about 2 tablespoons).  Double wrap in tinfoil and keep in a plastic bag until ready to marzipan and ice.

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autumn lentil soup

There is a chill and a whiff of wood smoke in the air and a north wind tears at the leaves, bringing them swirling back and forth in a lively rhythm as they fall, scattered nonchalantly on the woodland floor.  They collect like heaving mounds of copper and gold coins, rippling and jostling in an ever-changing pattern of shape and colour.  A watery sun whitens the slender branches of the silver birch tree as it stands silhouetted against the glowering sky.

Here in the kitchen, I make steaming bowls of red lentil soup for a comforting lunch, crammed with the earthy flavours of carrots and celery.  For extra flavour I snip in crisp shards of bacon and chunks of fresh tomato.

Red lentil soup for 2

1 medium potato, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 sticks celery, 50g streaky bacon, 2 teasp vegetable oil, 50g red lentils, 275ml semi-skimmed milk, 275ml chicken stock (from a cube), 1 tomato

Roughly chop the vegetables and bacon.  Heat the oil, fry the snipped bacon, add the veg and fry gently for 5-10 minutes.  Rinse the lentils in cold water and add to the pan, cooking for a few minutes, then add the milk and stock and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.  Lastly, peel the tomato, chop it and add to the soup.  Heat through for 5 minutes and pour into warmed bowls.  Tuck in.