Oh My Giddy Aunt

Last night's Winter Ratatuoille was amazing. It delivered on all fronts. Great colour, textures and flavour. I couldn't believe how a few humble veggies could make such a wonderful meal.
What we couldn't finish was taken to work this morning by a chuffed Mr Horsehound.
I urge you all to try it. And don't forget you can play around with vegetables ( I often do) for example try substituting swede for the sweet potato and turnip for the carrot, an aubergine (eggplant for my American readers) would be lovely too, the choice is yours.
If you can't get hold of fresh rosemary use dried but be mean with it because it can be an overbearing little herb.

 Today, after a couple of slices of toast, I set about doing some baking.
Nothing is actually baked yet, but there is a bowl of pizza dough rising slowly by the radiator and in another bowl some frothy looking batter which will, when frothed enough, make 20 or so crumpets.
Although I'm not a great fan of crumpets, shop bought ones at least, I know two gentlemen who are. I will though indulge in a hot buttered one come teatime when I'm joined by Mr Hairy Suit. Mr Horsehound will have to wait for his until breakfast time.


 If the crumpets come up nicely I'll post a pic. If they burn or are holeless I'll chuck them.

Very Excited

Tonight's dinner is Winter Ratatouille and pasta with garlic buttered poppy seeded baguette slices.



Red Onion, 1, peeled and sliced
Sweet Potato, 1, peeled and chunked
Carrot, 2, peeled and cut diagonally
Garlic, 3, unpeeled and left whole
Olive Oil, virgin on offer and available in Morrisons
Fresh Rosemary, dried would be ok I suppose. I have Rosemary in the garden so it'll feel wholesome pulling some off.
Honey, clear and cheap from Morrisons.
Salt Pepper, ordinary salt, multi coloured pepper from a shop called Tiger in Chiswick

Passata, or two tins of tomatoes blitzed or mashed


Pour honey and oil and rosemary over the veggies and garlic. Roast till tender. Remove from oven. Squeeze over the garlic. Place in large pan and add passata. Heat till boiling then simmer for a little while.
Serve on top of your favourite pasta.

I've not made this lovely sounding recipe before so I'm happy about trying something new.

For pudding? Not sure. Probably a mini fruit crumble of sorts.
Last night's chocolate pud and chocolate sauce was eaten in silence. No wait, I tell a lie, there were several sighs of satisfaction, especially after having seconds.
Before the pud, Orlando Beef, mange tout and potatoes, simple gorgeously tender meat with buttery yellow skinned potatoes and the sweetest little pea pods I've ever tasted.

Comforting Food

Breakfasted on one fried sausage, one fried egg and one fried fat tomato. Two slices of toast for added crunch. Recently I've been bored witless by breakfasts, and no wonder as they consisted of lack-lustre cereals like Weetabix and Muesli. Even making my own muesli did nothing to burn away the winter blues. Added to the fact that I'm nearly keeling over through lack of fuel and feeling more and more melancholic. I need something more substantial I thought...... going on to listen as the sausage sizzled and the egg set.

Later on.......In Morrisons

 I bought a pack of ready made puff pastry It'll be ideal for apple turnovers. Hot from the oven with custard. Tinned fruit be it ever so healthy can be ever so dull, what I yearn for are puddings.

I bought a small bag of mange tout, something I rarely buy, but knew would go well with tonight's dinner of Orlando Beef and buttered potatoes. The little 'eat all' veggies are a secret desire/love of mine but being prohibitively priced I usually plump for frozen peas.

I'm looking forward to dinner tonight.
Spicy orangey beef casserole with small buttered potatoes and mange tout followed by chocolate up and over pudding with chocolate custard.

A raspberry jelly sits in the fridge and there it will stay.

What would I do without pasta?

Tonight's meal is Sausagemeat bolognaise with Penne and a three seeded Cheddar cheese scone. The seeds being Poppy, Sunflower and Pumpkin. A delicious little round of dough perfect for mopping up all the sweet tomatoey porky juices.

I've found a recipe for a Winter Ratatouille which contains all my favourite root vegetables. Sweet Potato, Parsnips, Carrots and Red Onions. I'll post about it on the day of cooking. Probably Thursday.

I was hoping to make some Marmalade this week but I've been waylaid by other things. I'll  get round to it though, next week is looking likely.

Back to today..For pudding; tinned fruit and cream. As much as I love puddings hot and proper I am trying to cut down. Expanding body and all that.

Talking of bodies, I daresay a million calories or so where used up when I boogied on Saturday night. As I twisted and jumped I could almost see the blubber evaporating.

I had a slice of Co-Op Cherry cheesecake at Rob's on Sunday and it was good. The trouble though with shop-bought cheesecake is that it's too neat and too small. The fruity swirly decoration looked handpainted, probably done by a machine. And it was barely enough for four average piggies.
But credit where credit is due, it tasted alright.
And that's what counts, matey.

Blueberry Muffins and evaporated milk? It worked.

An  unremarkable looking Shepherd's Pie but inside,  under the heavenly crusty mashed potato layers of sweet lamb and vegetables.

The right half looks like a face. I used more blueberries than stated in the recipe. Nothing irritates me more than lone fruits lost in a mound of cake.

Shepherd's Pie

Lamb Mince with onions and carrots in a rich Worcestershire dashed gravy topped with cooked garden peas and sliced raw tomatoes then smothered in creamy whisked mashed potato.
I'll serve this perennial favourite with, dare I say it, mint sauce.
I know I know, it's not your regular accompaniment but I need MINT today.
For pudding warm homemade blueberry muffins and evaporated milk.
The blueberries being sold off cheaply in Morrisons on account of looming sell-by date.

Just out of the oven. Blueberry Muffins. But where are yours?

To be made sometime in the near future lots of Marmalade.

Apples and bacon and fruit cake

My usual monday night fare is on the cooker.
Bacon, onions, garlic and thinly sliced potatoes to be served with fried eggs for Mr Horsehound and on its own pour moi.

And as I glanced at the snooker on tv ( Judd Trump v. Stephen Maguire) I made a Dutch Apple Flan and Teabread. Snooker and baking seem to go so well together. The calmness at the snooker table matching the tranquility of making a fine pastry.

The flan in question is delightful, I've been making it for many years, came across it in The Farmhouse Kitchen Cookbook, and, according to Dorothy Sleightholm, the main author of the book and all round good egg, the recipe was contributed by a Canadian... so where the Dutch bit comes from I have no idea. But it's jolly fine either hot or cold.

The teabread is an old faithful. Dried fruit soaked in tea. Teabread is like an old friend.
And there's nothing much better than being with an old friend drinking tea and eating a good fruit cake.

For the Dutch Apple Flan:

Make an 8 inch flan case and bake blind till crispy.

Fill with a mixture of chopped Bramley apple, 125 ml natural yoghurt, an egg, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of plain flour, a little freshly grated nutmeg, some sugar and a  few droplets of vanilla extract.
Bake for around 40 minutes then scatter over the top a crumble mix...
Consisting of 2 and a half oz flour, 1 and a  half oz of margarine, 2 oz sugar and a generous pinch of cinnamon. 
Continue baking for around 20 minutes till slightly golden.

Duck

Last night roasted some duck legs and served them shredded in ordinary pancakes with iced and curled spring onions.
 A shop bought plum sauce, chilli sauce and hoisin sauce added fabulous flavour as did my own homemade sauce; a marmalade, honey, orange juice and star anise flavoured affair. So scrummy.
A bowl of simple fried rice was all that was needed to accompany the duck.

I was a wee bit concerned that the pancakes wouldn't quite 'go' but they did the job very well. I made several 6 inch very thin pancakes and kept them warm on a plate over the rice.
For sweetness we had a can of lychees for dessert. No cream or yoghurt and certainly no custard, Madam.

We're off to Mr and Mrs Hairy Suit's for lunch today, I daresay Chef Robert will put on a decent spread. He is, I'm proud to say a fine cook.


Lots of fantastic cookery thoughts roaming around inside my head. Soda Breads, dishes with mince (bought another Josceline Dimbleby book yesterday) and all manner of cakes and pies.
This week I will buy a jar of capers.

Vegetarian Tonight

Spiced Chickpea Patties
Spiced Rice
Garlic and Coriander Naan
Mango Chutney
Natural Yoghurt



Yesterday I baked a small smoked bacon joint, glazing it with English mustard and Demerara sugar before cooking. Feeling in need of something wholesome and easy to cook I popped a couple of jacket potatoes in alongside the bacon and, in a saucepan, a few frozen sprouts.
Absolutely divine.
I did though enhance this most favourable of dishes with a dollop of tomato ketchup.
And if you think that's gruesome...For pudding I had Tapioca.

Retro/Vintage/Old

Tonight Mr Horsehound will be eating SPAM. In the blue and yellow can.

I don't know why this fine foodstuff gets so much stick. I think it's smashing.

You'll be relieved to hear though that from tomorrow onwards cooking in the bungalow will be back to normal.
Lentils.
Come Saturday I'm cooking duck.
Legs.

First Roast of the year

Leg of Pork with roasted parsnips, carrots and potatoes.
A garlic and rosemary stuffing, gravy and apple sauce.
For pudding something very light...Peaches and custard.

As I speak.....Soaking in 6 fl oz of hot tea are..... sultanas, a handful of cranberries, a few glace cherries and a cup of chopped dates . After a few hours I'll add flour, pinch of salt, brown sugar and eggs. This is a wonderful Teabread, and it's so easy to make. And I'm all for making things easy especially after Christmas.

I've been cooking a lot over the holiday.
Made a very nice Beef Cobbler and a Honeyed Lamb and Apple Casserole.
Both these dishes went down well with our guests. The Lamb Casserole is my favourite lamb dish.

I also made a Victorian style Rice Pudding yesterday, along with the full fat milk and evaporated milk (I'd run out of cream) I dropped in a handful of sultanas and dried chopped apricots and for extra warmth a sprinkling of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and Bay leaf. Which, I must say, surprised me. I managed to remember to fish it out before serving up bowlfuls of the creamy golden pudding.
It was good.

I'm looking forward to lots more cooking in 2015. And I will, as usual, write about it...