July is dressed up and singing a tune

As I write I'm listening to Summer Breeze sung by the Isley Brothers. Makes me feel fine.

Salted coffee, pecan & lime rocky road

Lots of baking since my last blog entry. At the end of June I revisited a couple of lemon and lavender combination recipes - Bronte Aurell's blondies and Paul Hollywood's loaf cake. But an absolute triumph was Ottolenghi's salted coffee, pecan and lime rocky road. Oh yes. Make it. Make it soon. Make it often.

Now I'm listening to July by Mundy. Oh my my, July.

July is baking competition time. The baking competition is just one section of a local horticultural society's annual show. It took place last Saturday. In preparation, I made sticky gingerbread using Doreen Fulleylove's recipe (Country Fare published in 1972) on the previous Wednesday and set dried fruit soaking in chai for my tea brack which I baked on the Thursday evening.

Pistachio shortbread

I took a half day on the Friday and set to with my three remaining entries. A friend's sister ("Polly") was calling round to my house to collect something so I texted her to let her know I wouldn't be offering her any hospitality as I would be baking. Princess fingers baked, I started getting ready to make the lemon cake. The doorbell rang. It was my nextdoor neighbour and a tradesman with questions about a manhole and pipework. Aaargh! Then Polly arrived. I was distracted. I left out a couple of ingredients and didn't mix the batter according to the instructions. Then only half the cake came out of the baking tin! But the spouse urged me to have another go. I did. But first I made my biscuits: Ottolenghi's pistachio shortbread (Ottolenghi: The Cookbook).

So, how did I fare last Saturday? Four firsts (including a prize for the best exhibit in the baking section - the olive oil and lemon cake triumphed) and a second prize for the princess fingers. I spent my winnings on a bottle of champagne and lottery tickets (no winners there!). Especial thanks to the spouse for helping my to set up and for all his encouragement and for giving me the occasional mention in his own blog about his own creative activities.

Rapeseed oil, lemon & blackberry cake

You'd think I'd had enough baking but no! Even in the last week I've made a rapeseed oil, lemon and blackberry cake (Norfolk's Own Bookbook) for a baking event at work and today I made almond fudge crumbles in anticipation of the younger offspring's return from scout camp.

This blog originally started out in 2009 as a record of my progress through The Soup Book. And today I made Roopa Gulati's harissa and chickpea soup which I first made in November 2012. Many thanks (again) to the spouse for letting me use some of the harissa he made yesterday. Could you be loved?

That's enough for today.

Minnie

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup This recipe calls for canned beans (borlotti, flageolet or cannellini) and as I have been tidying and cleaning out our cupboards I've used cannellini beans. I have to mention that the younger offspring has done an impressive job on the cupboards. That's enough about him. Back to me and my soup! Other ingredients include onion, carrots, leek, garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree (I substituted sun-dried tomato paste as there was an open jar of it in the fridge), chicken stock (I had to use a cube as my home-made reserves have been used up) and spinach.When ready it's served with ciabatta bread, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. So it's quite a rich soup. We've just had the Tuscan bean soup for lunch. All enjoyed it. The adult males were particularly forthcoming in their praise. The spouse liked the "tomato-ey sharpness" and mused that ham stock should be considered as an alternative to chicken stock. Bees' Cheese and other recipes H

Lovage Soup

Lovage Soup Today I made lovage soup, the second recipe by Sophie Grigson in The Soup Book that I have used in the last four days. She introduces the recipe with these remarks: "If you don't grow this old-fashioned herb yourself, ask around among your gardening friends or head down to the nearest garden centre to see if they sell it. " As I mentioned in my last blog entry (18th May), lovage now features among the herbs in my front garden. As the spouse left the camera at home, I took some photographs. Parsley, sorrel and lovage in Minnie's garden. Rosemary, parsley and lovage in Minnie's garden. I had hoped to add chervil to my collection of herbs - there's a recipe for vegetable and chervil soup in The Soup Book - but "Young Stephen" wasn't able to source any for me. At least he tried. Just while I'm mentioning Stephen, I have to reveal that the spouse and the older offspring claim that he has been mention

Mulligatawny Manoeuvres

Mulligatawny I see it's only been six months since I last made mulligatawny. The first time was back in May 2011 when I followed Roopa Gulati's recipe in The Soup Book ; last September I used The Essential Asian Cookbook . Today I used Rick Stein's India , a Christmas present from the spouse. It's one of those luxurious recipe books with thick paper and beautiful, vibrantly colourful photos. We had all been impressed by Roopa's recipe, less so by the second book, so how would we fare today? Well, those two recipes both involved apple. Rick's did not, so I felt that this must be a more authentic recipe. If Anglo-Indian cooking has any authenticity these days. Still, Rick states that his recipe is on the menu at the Madras Club in Chennai. It involves making a spice paste first and then the soup. Ingredients: The paste called for coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and fresh coriander, curry and mint leave

Minnie's Soup Kitchen

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