So easy, so delicious

Braised bacon with leek and carrots served with mashed potatoes and peas. Spiced chutney or mustard. And for pud, canned black cherries with the rest of last night's evaporated milk.
Last night's dinner, by the way, was spiced pork and cabbage served on noodles. And for pud, canned lychees and the aforementioned evaporated milk.
Appalling? No. Fruit and milk go so well together and one can of milk stretches such a long way.

Also cooked this morning were two of the fruity chocolate loaves I mentioned in my previous post. I added a handful of dried cranberries to each loaf, but next time I might push the boat out by adding dried figs or something equally exotic.

I'm chomping at the bit to really get going on my festive menus. Vague ideas scamper around inside my head but nothing concrete. Concrete? A bad word for any cook to have in her vocabulary!
 Luckily for me I've had very few culinary disasters. Although, between you me and the gate post, I did over- garlic John's omelette the other night. He ate it. And with every mouthful I'm sure I saw him grimmace. But he soldiered on as any fearful  husband would. I of course apologized because nothing upsets and angers me than failing to deliver a great plate of food.

Another nightmare springs to mind...Mr H and I had invited Mr and Mrs Nof and their two young children to our new flat for dinner.
Cut a long story short...I hadn't made enough beef stew... So I opened a can of Fray Bentos Stewed Steak and mixed it in with my pitiful casserole.
It traumatized me for thirty years.
And that is why I always make enough to feed an army.

Today's bacon joint will do for dinner today, sandwiches for later and John's munchbox tomorrow.

Come-Again Cake

If you want a lovely fruity chocolately loaf cake then this is the one.
From Paul Hollywood's 'Pies and Puds' cookbook......

I made it recently and it was so good I'll be making a couple for Christmas. I'll also give one as a gift.
It keeps well and the texture improves on keeping. So you can't go wrong.



200g unsalted butter (I've used margarine instead and it's perfectly fine)
150g caster sugar (although I used granulated)
200g self raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 medium eggs, beaten
2 tbsp golden syrup
200g mixed dried fruits (the usual suspects; sultanas, raisins, currants but I also added a handful of tropical dried fruits by Whitworths)
Finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon.


Heat your oven to 160 degrees C/gas 3.
Line a 1kg loaf tin (about 10cm x 20cm base measurement) with baking parchment.

Beat butter and sugar together in large bowl until pale and fluffy.
Beat in 3tbsps of the flour together with the cocoa, then gradually beat in the eggs.
Fold in remaining flour, then add remaining ingredients and fold them in too.

Spread the mixture in the tin and bake for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a rack.
Store in airtight tin.




A perfect cut and come again cake originating in Yorkshire says Mr Hollywood....I don't know or mind where all these wonderful cakes come from I'm just glad that at sometime somewhere someone put stuff in a bowl and made a cake.

Little bottle found for £1 in The Factory Shop. Lid made out of foil by Mr Hairy Suit.

Looking Good

To go with my sausagemeat sauce and farfalle I've made Ciabatta. Never made it before but it's looking good. It'll be baked in a mo....

Last week I bought some Oxtail and Lamb Mince. More on what I intend to do with those two next week. Meanwhile, tonigh,t a real quick standby....Tuna Pasta with cheese scone and veggies, for afters, tinned fruit with drop scones.
Better get cracking!

Something to warm the cockles of my heart

Pork shoulder chops cooked in a sweet sticky barbeque style sauce.
A Mary Berry recipe with a few Horsehound tweaks.

Honey, beef stock cubes, chilli powder, white wine vinegar (or your favourite vinegar), tomato puree, salt, pepper and water poured over chopped and lightly fried onions. Brought to a boil then simmered for a few minutes.
Lay some chops in your roasting tin and pour over HALF the sauce.... roast for about half an hour then drain off some of the fat and pour over the remaining sauce. Let it cook till the chops are glazed, sticky and slightly crispy around the edges.
I'm serving this with mashed potatoes and green cabbage with garlic and leek.

For pud, individual apricot and apple sponges baked in 6 fl oz custard cups. This makes for fewer calories, less fruit and less sponge mix. All highly commendable.

My Favourite Fruits Are:
Cox's Apples
Raspberries (fresh)
Mango (tinned, fresh)
Lychees (tinned)
Lemon

What a star!

Here it is. My Picnic Loaf.
Minus a few slices.
I served it with buttered potatoes, and an oddball mix of carrots and beans in a spicy sauce. The meaty filling was superb...

Here are the ingredients:

1 Tin Loaf. With a slice cut off one end.

500g/1lb minced beef
the entire innards of the loaf, crumbed in a blender or food processor and put to one side
1 leek, finely chopped
3oz/75g cheddar cheese, grated
4 tbsp tomato puree
4 tsp ground coriander
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Lightly brown the breadcrumbs in batches using a little butter or oil. Stirring all the time.
Put to one side.
In a big bowl mix all the ingredients then add the crumbs.
Mix well.

Stuff the loaf with the meat mix packing it well in.
Put the slice of bread back in place.
Secure with a skewer. I used a long one going through from end to end. No elaborate sewing.

Smear margarine or butter all over the loaf and wrap completely in foil.
Place on a baking sheet and put into a hot oven Gas 4 for 2 hours or so.
Do not check it by peeling back the foil. Let it cook nicely.

Then when you're ready to serve, undo the parcel and look at it, you'll be amazed.
It doesn't matter if the first couple of slices goe awry, all adds to the charm. There is plenty to go around so feeding a family of four is no problem.
We only managed one slice each, so there is lots left for Mr Horsehound's lunchbox and my little midday snack tomorrow.

Do give it a try, it's a real star!

I'm raring to go

On today's menu is......

A Picnic Loaf,

I first heard of this along time ago when browsing through one of those cookbooks where celebrities give us one of their favourite recipes in aid of charity. The only recipe which faintly interested me was submitted by Labour minister Harriet Harman MP shadow deputy leader of the Labour party and other things. Anyway her recipe for this pie tickled my fancy although I never got round to making it.
Then, the other day, as I was devouring Josceline Dimbleby's cookbook there it was...The recipe for a Picnic Loaf.....And I knew I had to make it. The time was right.

The white Tin loaf is sitting on the table ready to be transformed into a wonderful pie type thing and the beef and other ingredients are in the fridge all I have to do is assemble, create and bake this marvellous little thing. I can't wait.

If, after baking, it hasn't exploded or imploded I'll post a nice pic.

What else?
Oh yes I made a dozen Muffins yesterday. I used a bar of dark chocolate with cranberries with a little vanilla extract for extra oooomph.. They came out warmly brown and with hot melted chocolate escaping from the bursting sides and roofs (or if you want to be pedantic...rooves).
They tasted like they should. Cake. Not overly sickly sweet, great texture, chewy and an beautiful thing to behold.

Shop bought Gingercake. Split then filled with tinned Nestles cream and tinned pears. A dollop of cream on the side and generously dusted with cocoa. A storecupboard dessert I'm rather proud of.

Steak and Kidney Pudding. Tender meats encased in a light as air suet pastry made last night's dinner a joy.
.

In the kitchen waiting to feed Mr Horsehound and Mr Hairy Suit. In my element.

A Happy Day

I've made a Steak and Kidney Pudding for dinner tonight, it'll be cut into wedges and served with peas, carrots and baby potatoes.
For pudding we'll be tucking into an Apple and Blackcurrant Crumble and Custard.
A truly British affair.

As I type the steak and kidney pudding is simmering and will continue doing so until 18:00hrs. I love making puddings, all puddings, sweet or savoury, but Steak and Kidney wears the crown. And it's so easy to do.
No pre-cooking, nothing elaborate to deal with and once it's prepared you can toddle off and leave it.

Here's my recipe:

12 oz Self raising Flour
6oz Beef Suet
Cold Water to mix.

A pack of ready prepared Steak and Kidney from the supermarket,or if you can't get hold of that, use about 8 oz of chopped braising steak and 4 oz chopped lamb's kidney. I have used ox kidney and it's very good but it does have a stronger flavour than lamb's kidney.

1 chopped Onion

Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Make the pastry by mixing the flour and suet together then adding enough cold water to make a slightly sticky dough which leaves the bowl clean. Don't make it too wet though its much better to add a few drops more water than to add more flour.
Form the dough into a ball, cut off a third for the lid then roll out the remainder and line a 2 pint greased pudding basin with it. Roll out the rest of the pastry to a large circle and leave to one side.

Stir the meats into a couple of tablespoonfuls of seasoned flour and mix well.
Add some of the meat to the pastry lined pudding basin along with some of the chopped onion and carry on till all is gone. Season well. Add a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce and if you prefer a meatier darker gravy pop in a crumbled beef oxo or tablespoonful of beef gravy granules. Then pour over enough water to come half way up the meat mixture.

Dampen the edge of the pastry and place lid on top. Press down well to seal. Trim around the basin. Cover with foil, if necessary, twice. You don't want water seeping into the pudding. If you want to you could use a cloth and tie it the old fashioned way with string, I've done that but using foil is much cleaner and easier.

Put the basin of goodness into a large pan, pour in boiling water to come two thirds up the dish, put lid on and make yourself a cup of tea. Steam for 5 hours.
All done.


Yesterday I bought a secondhand copy of Josceline Dimbleby's cook book and read it last night in bed. After making copious notes about the goodies I intend to make I put the book on the bedside table and went to sleep.

Sunday Roast

Pork and a few trimmings.
For pud I sliced a shop bought ginger cake horizontally, sandwiched it together with tinned cream and sliced pears then dolloped a spoonful of cream on the side and dusted the whole lot with the merest amount of cocoa.
Truly scrummy.