Rooting Around

Ok, I admit it - I am completely and utterly a 'winter person'; I prefer the clothes, the food, and feeling all cosy and warm indoors when it's howling a gale outside! I mentioned this in the office the other day and was met with horrified stares, but I'm sorry - give me skiing over surfing any day. And anyway, winter has Christmas which is surely the trump card?! 

Having said that, it's true that I am a southern softie living in London, where it never gets that cold. I realised this over the last couple of days while I was 'oop north', and let me tell you, they know what cold really means! With temperatures below freezing and holes in my gloves, I certainly wasn't extolling the delights of the colder months…I think the best description for my general demeanour was ‘total grumpus’. 

One thing that did cheer me up briefly was a delicious Thai dinner, with the highlight being a hot and sour chicken soup. Enough spice to make my tongue tingle, and the right balance of sour to make the whole thing really kick, it warmed me up from the inside out.

Now, I know Thailand isn’t exactly known for its chilly climate, but its dishes like these that get me excited about eating, and that’s what winter brings for me. It is time to say goodbye to light lunches, and hello to something a bit more robust….purely to keep our energy levels up of course ;-)

All I wanted while I was braving the arctic this week was a nice hearty dish to warm my cockles, and there is nothing better than a well spiced curry to do that. Last weekend I made a root vegetable curry which is from Abel & Cole's 2012 calendar of all places!

It’s a great way to use up bits and pieces which on their own look a pretty sad sight, which always gives me more satisfaction than it should…I think it comes from the same part of me that never fails to be astonished when I bake bread where a bit of flour, yeast, salt and water produces something glorious.

This is called a root curry but really you could throw in any veg you fancy; I used sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, and red onion. The recipe calls for you to roast the veg and make a sauce separately, then pour the sauce over the roasted veg and finish it off in the oven for a further 20 minutes. While it was in the oven I had a cheeky taste of the sauce and was thoroughly underwhelmed as it was a bit bland. But fear not friends, my disappointment was well and truly pushed to the side when I took the finished dish out of the oven. In baking the sauce you take out much of the moisture, and by doing so hugely intensify the flavours, which results in a truly delicious and satisfying meal. You can access the recipe at http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/roots-manoeuvre-curry

I topped it with a good dollop of crème fraiche and a generous helping of coriander and it was brrrrrr-illiant! (Sorry, I couldn’t help it)

Even better, I had half of the sauce left over and so the next day I poured it over a thick fillet of Pollack (most fish would work though) and some broccoli florets, and baked in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the fish was done. I’d say the sauce was even better the next day after the flavours had some time to mingle, so it’s well worth making more than you need the first time around.

As the winter months are drawing in, my salad-for-dinner days are behind me, no matter how delicious they were. Now is the time for hearty soups, stews, and spicy curries. Mmmm...my stomach is rumbling just thinking about them.

Back in the Saddle!

Well, this feels odd.

You may have noticed that my last post was in February 2011.

February.

2011!

That is outrageous. I'm not exactly sure where the time went, I could have sworn it hasn't been that long since I blogged. Mercifully, it hasn't been that long since I cooked or baked something blog-worthy, but somehow there have not been enough hours in the day to write about those kitchen adventures.

Let me update you on what has happened since February 2011 then; well, firstly I finished my final year at university - I've never been prouder than the day I handed in my dissertation (bound and looking all fancy) after all the tears that went in to it! So, I graduated and was lucky enough to make the permanent move to London. I now live in Putney, and work in Wimbledon. And somehow, whilst focusing on my third year work, then moving to London, then looking for a job, and then getting settled in to the job, this blog just fell by the wayside.

My biggest blog fan, my grandfather, has been most upset by this and hassled me incessantly for the first 6 months about updating the site from 'those damn prawns'! Well, here you go Dacu - a new post for you :-) 

I have recently re-started my Abel & Cole vegetable box delivery, which I thoroughly recommend to any foodie. It's great to receive a medley of different veg each week and be surprised and delighted by the often weird and wonderful produce you receive! It's a great incentive to try new recipes and discover new favourites too, so you can expect plenty of veg focused blog posts...not forgetting plenty of baking posts as well - I am only human after all!  

There have been too many recipes tried and tested over the last 21 months to update, so I'm starting fresh with something I made today; curried parsnip soup - with parsnips from this week's veg box :-)

This is a ludicrously simple recipe which always reminds me of my childhood when my Dad used to whip up a bowl of it in the colder winter months - when, of course, parsnips are at their best.

Really, there is little point in giving quantities or measurements here since it depends all on how many people you are serving, and how spicy you like it. As a guideline though, for one quite spicy serving I used:

200g parsnips (weight when peeled and diced)
1 tsp hot curry powder
1 tblsp olive oil
500ml vegetable stock

Simply peel and dice your parsnips, then toss in a pan with a little olive oil and curry powder to taste. Cover with the stock and simmer until the parsnips are tender, then blend.

I fried up some pancetta pieces and topped the soup off with this which was a nice addition, but you could also finish it with a swirl of yoghurt. 

Well, that's it from me for today, but I plan to post again sooner than in 21 months' time! 

Definitely feeling 'back in the saddle' :-) 

 

Borough Market Sea Bass and Chorizo

Last Saturday Mr. Colehill and I took a trip to Borough Market to have a little wander and hopefully stock up on some interesting and delicious morsels for the weekend, and we weren't disappointed. I have to admit that Borough Market really is one of my all time favourite places to spend my time, closely followed by the Wholefoods Market in High Street Kensington. I just love the abundance of weird and wonderful products that surround you as you amble through the winding paths through the market, and the gems that you stumble across when you're not sure what you're there to buy.

This time we knew we wanted some fish - yes, I admit it, we were completely drawn in by the Hugh's Fish Fight and Borough Market seemed the ideal place to pick up something wild and a bit different. The amount of choice was quite astonishing - I'm always impressed with the number of stalls and the amount of variety on each stall when I go there, and after perusing the counters we eventually settled on wild Sea Bass. It's a firm favourite and definitely worth a little extra expense, although having said that, I don't think eleven pounds is too bad for a whole fish.


The next couple of things we bought weren't on our list but they were really worth splashing out on: Soft goat's cheese, a lovely multi-grain loaf of bread and some baked delights - a ginormous and overwhelming chocolate brownie and an equally large and very full apple strudel. The cheese was nearly seven pounds, but my god was it worth it. I can't remember the name now but it was a sort of triangular shape with the point lopped off if you can imagine it, and a grey colour from the charcoal ash that it was covered in. Once you cut into it however you unearth the purest creamy white interior, beautiful against the ash and completely irresistible. We demolished an impressive amount of it with the multi-grain bread that afternoon, before moving on to the brownie and strudel which made me feel like someone out of Gulliver's Travels - they. were. huge. But hey, at least you feel like you're getting your money's worth when they're that size. The brownie was gorgeous but waaaaaay too sweet and rich for one person to eat the whole lot, luckily I had the human bin, aka Mr. Colehill with me, so that wasn't too much of an issue!


After our purchases we picked up some lunch - a beautifully tender pork belly and apple sauce baguette for Mr. Colehill, and a fragrant and creamy Thai Green Curry with chicken and seafood on white rice for me. It really was worth every penny, I got a generous amount of chicken which was thigh meat, full of flavour and juicy tenderness, as well as a giant prawn sitting proudly atop the mound of pale green sauce flecked with white rice, and a couple of rogue mussels waiting to be discovered as I made my way through it. It definitely inspired me to make my own Thai Green Curry next weekend, and I've already got my eye on the prawns I want for it from the Wholefoods Market, which is where we visited next.

Yes, it was a very food oriented shopping day - the best kind! So we made our way to Kensington from Borough Market and bought some Chorizo Picante from the deli counter, as well as a very large sack of sushi rice (a new obsession at Colehill Kitchen) and some other random dried goods in brown bags because we got over excited using the 'pour it yourself' funnels. Yes, we're that childish.

The result of a day's dedication to shopping was, among other things, this fish dish.


I baked the Bass pretty much plain (other than a little seasoning) in foil at 180 degrees for about 18 minutes, and while that was cooking I par boiled some new potatoes then tossed them in with the chorizo, which I had fried for a couple of minutes first until the oils were released a little. They cooked together for about 5 or 6 minutes until the firy red of the chorizo oil had covered and infused the potatoes. When that was done I transferred the potatoes and chorizo into a warm bowl and deglazed the pan with some white wine before adding a splash of cream and some of the juices from the baked fish right at the very end before serving.

Served with vibrant green beans, this was a really simple but special meal. I know that white fish with chorizo isn't exactly a groundbreaking combination, but it's a classic because it's just so damned delicious!! The slightly spicy flavour of the chorizo compliments the softer but still firm flavour of the Bass, which can also stand up to the saltiness in the meat. Alongside the waxy potatoes which give texture and soak up the salty liquor from the chorizo, and the slight crunch of the green beans, this dish was a real winner and I'll definitely make it again!

Stuffed Butternut Squash and White Chocolate and Strawberry Cupcakes

Well, I have had a goooood food weekend!!

It was a busy Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday I had some time to indulge my culinary desires, and decided to welcome the autumnal delights with a stuffed butternut squash. I can't tell you how much I love this dish, I look forward to October when the golden leaves which crunch and crackle as you stomp through them, and the crisp cool mornings also spell the beginning of a new food season, and one of the most exciting vegetables for me is butternut squash. It's soft sweet flesh is utterly comforting, and roasted and stuffed is a lovely start to Autumn. It's warming yet not overly stodgy, and works as a great accompaniment to a dish, as well as acting as the base for this particular recipe.

I sliced the squash in half, and scooped out the seeds as well as hollowing out some of the flesh to create a squash 'bowl' as it were, with a deep enough cavity to hold a decent amount of filling, but a thick enough wall (about 1.5cm) to support the filling and hold up during roasting.

Then I softened some onion, garlic and mushrooms in a pan and threw in some lardons until they were just cooked, and allowed to cool in a bowl. I then chopped up some of the squash into a fine mush (or as fine as you can get it!!), and added this to the onion mix, along with a handful of basmati rice, some mixed herbs, and salt and pepper. Mix all this together then spoon into the butternut squash.

Put both halves together and rub all over with some olive oil. Wrap in foil and place on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at about 180 degrees for about an hour and a quarter. Then unwrap the silver blanket and I served it with some grated cheese. Delicious!!

For dessert, we had vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate and cream cheese frosting topped with fresh strawberries. They were amazing!!

I made a basic sponge mixture for the cupcakes and for the frosting I melted 150g white chocolate and set aside to cool. In a separate bowl I beat 150g of cream cheese with 50g of soft butter and 5 tablespoons of icing sugar. Then add the white chocolate to the mixture and leave to cool and set slightly.

To be honest, as usual I was too impatient and tried to ice the cupcakes before the frosting had set a little, so it was still quite runny. Instead of scooping the frosting on the top of the cupcake, I hollowed out a little of the cupcake and filled it with the runny frosting before adding sliced strwaberries. It tasted amazing slightly warm but just didn't look quite as nice. Turns out patience really is a virtue. Wonder when I'll finally learn my lesson.

After about half an hour or so in the fridge, the frosting had set and was the perfect consistency for icing the cupcakes for a cleaner and more professional look. Totally indulgent and a perfect end to the weekend!!

Temporary Insanity

Boredom is a dangerous thing. When boredom strikes me, inevitably hunger strikes too, and this, my friends, is a dangerous situation to be in. If I were at home, and I found myself in the grip of immense boredom (knowing that hunger was not too far away), I could easily pop out for a walk, call a friend, have a long bubble bath, paint my nails…the list is endless. If, however, as I currently find myself, I am bored in an office, with only a computer to entertain me, the risks of online purchasing and browsing endless food websites are upon me. Amazon is the Devil in disguise.

I am working through the summer in various temp jobs, about 99% of which are reception work. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to have work, and, quite frankly, so is my bank balance, but these environments are hazardous to my purse and to my stomach. I’m keeping Mr. Amazon’s kids in school with the amount of money I spend on there. I’m obsessed with the River Cottage Handbooks at the moment, they are SO beautiful...one day I'll have the whole set...
As well as this, I spend all day browsing through food websites, food blogs, online recipes…I’ve even begun to search random ingredients on the BBC site to see what lovely recipes come up. All this browsing through recipes and mouth watering pictures means that I am RAVENOUS by the time I get home, armed with dozens of recipes I want to try!

Sooo, which one to make??? I decided to make chicken kievs from Something for the Weekend, with roasted broccoli and sweet potato on Friday (something indulgent to celebrate the end of the week, it has to be done!). They were a real success. The filling was full of flavour and the coating made a really crispy crunch when you cut into it. The recipe suggested tarragon but I used parsley which worked beautifully, it gave it a little more freshness against all the butter and the roasted vegetables. I didn't have any breadcrumbs to hand so cut some baguette into cubes (about a centimetre square) and I dried them out in a cool oven (about 100-120 degrees) to make them really really crispy, and then ground them up. I think this added to the crunchiness of the coating and would thoroughly recommend it if you find youself without any breadcrumbs in the freezer (it also means you don't have to plan ahead and buy bread to go stale a couple of days before!!). We had them with broccoli roasted with coriander, cumin and chilli (you must must must try this, I'm sure it will convert those who aren't brocolli fans!!), and roasted sweet potatoes. Yum.

Chicken Kievs
2 Chicken breasts
120g butter
2-3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tblsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 egg

2 tblsp flour

2-3 handfuls breadcrumbs

Oil for frying


Mix the butter, garlic, lemon juice, parley and salt and pepper in a bowl.
Cut a pocket in each chicken breast and stuff with th 2-3 spoonfuls of the filling.
Dip each breast in the flour, pat off, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs. (The recipe suggested patting off any excess breadcrumbs but I packed as many as I could on for an extra crispy texture!)
Fry in oil on each side until golden, then transfer to a baking tray and bake for 15-18mins and 180 degrees.

For the broccoli i threw the florets in a bowl with:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp chilli powder

Salt and pepper

and roast at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes

And the sweet potato I cut into wedges and tossed in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them for about half an hour.