Okay. So I haven't been a conscientious correspondent. I admit it but I am not making a new year's resolution about being a more consistent and regular blogger.
In the interests of catching up, here's an entry I started writing last October (three months ago!) and forgot about:
A few weeks ago a recipe for chicken with fennel and clementines in Yotam Ottolenghis' Jerusalem (2012) caught my eye. All I needed was Pernod or a similar aniseed-flavoured drink. Then, as if they'd guessed, the older offspring and his wife returned from Greece bearing ouzo for the younger offspring. I'm not sure how delighted he was with it. Let's just say he wasn't unwilling to let me have some for the chicken recipe. The spouse and I are trying out a new shopping regime: we're no longer driving the mile or so to the supermarket we've patronised for years. Instead we're popping over the road to the nearby German discount stores. While we're saving money, we're not always guaranteed to get the more unusual items we sometimes require. I needed fennel for the chicken recipe and neither of the big Germans had it in stock. The spouse was going into town and found the required bulb in a very smart shop in town. Then it was all systems go.
The resulting dish was very tasty and less fennel-y than expected, probably thanks to the orange juice and lemon juice.
Another savoury recipe that I have been eager to try is one found in Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food (1992). I like the idea of letting the younger offspring know you can make interesting cheap yet nourishing meals from ingredients in your store cupboard. This recipe called for an onion, garlic, chilli, a can of tomatoes, canned tuna, fresh herbs, and beans (I used borlotti). It wasn't too bad, a little bland perhaps.
The last time I got my hair cut I was chatting about cooking and baking with Mr G, one of my hairdressers. He loves to cook and his wife use to bake a lot until she realised she couldn't make a living at it. While we chatted I noticed a recipe in whichever magazine I was looking at, for Spanish-style roast chicken. I photographed the recipe and forgot about it. As it was my turn to make our Sunday dinner last weekend I printed out the recipe and had a go. I coated the chicken with oil and then rubbed it with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. A halved lemon was stuffed into the cavity and the chicken was roasted for about 35 minutes. While that was happening I quartered two onions, cut three red peppers into strips and sliced some big potatoes. I drizzled olive oil over the vegetables and gave them a good tossing. (No sniggering, please.) The secret ingredient was preserved lemons (the spouse's which he'd made a few weeks ago).
Now that's the older stuff out of the way.
The spouse and I have obtained several new cookery books since I first starting writing this blog but I still like to dip into our older books. Since my last blog entry in September I have used The Soup Book (Sophie Grigson, 2009) four times: I've remade pichelsteiner, Roopa Gulati's lamb broth, turkey broth, and minted pea and ham soup. Those last two helped use up the Christmas left-overs. And on that theme I'll be using Delia Smith's Christmas (1990) later today when I make celery and blue cheese soup.
Another old book I dug out recently was the late Keith Floyd's On Britain and Ireland (1988; our copy is signed by the author). The spouse and I were away in Co Sligo last October and bought half a haunch of venison. We stored it away in the freezer, fully intending to cook it for a dinner party at some time in the future. However, two days before Christmas I discovered that the freezer had become unplugged and the contents had defrosted. Fortunately, the venison was still cold and usable and Keith's borrowed recipe for pot roast venison saved the day. I set the haunch to marinate in red wine with diced carrots, parsnip, celery and pear. Two days after Christmas we had an emergency dinner party and the venison endeared itself to our guests. Yes, the pun was intended.
And where would I be without Nigella's Christmas (2008)? This old reliable has a place in my heart: her boozy trifle is beloved by my colleagues. I love her Christmas rocky road and her Christmas morning muffins always go down a treat. A new favourite is the Gorgeous and Pouting One's recipe for chicken and pea traybake from At My Table (2017). I started this blog entry with a chicken and alcohol recipe and I'll end in the same vein. Frozen peas, sliced leeks, chicken thighs, vermouth: simple and delicious.
Happy New Year!
Minnie
In the interests of catching up, here's an entry I started writing last October (three months ago!) and forgot about:
A few weeks ago a recipe for chicken with fennel and clementines in Yotam Ottolenghis' Jerusalem (2012) caught my eye. All I needed was Pernod or a similar aniseed-flavoured drink. Then, as if they'd guessed, the older offspring and his wife returned from Greece bearing ouzo for the younger offspring. I'm not sure how delighted he was with it. Let's just say he wasn't unwilling to let me have some for the chicken recipe. The spouse and I are trying out a new shopping regime: we're no longer driving the mile or so to the supermarket we've patronised for years. Instead we're popping over the road to the nearby German discount stores. While we're saving money, we're not always guaranteed to get the more unusual items we sometimes require. I needed fennel for the chicken recipe and neither of the big Germans had it in stock. The spouse was going into town and found the required bulb in a very smart shop in town. Then it was all systems go.
The resulting dish was very tasty and less fennel-y than expected, probably thanks to the orange juice and lemon juice.
Another savoury recipe that I have been eager to try is one found in Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food (1992). I like the idea of letting the younger offspring know you can make interesting cheap yet nourishing meals from ingredients in your store cupboard. This recipe called for an onion, garlic, chilli, a can of tomatoes, canned tuna, fresh herbs, and beans (I used borlotti). It wasn't too bad, a little bland perhaps.
The last time I got my hair cut I was chatting about cooking and baking with Mr G, one of my hairdressers. He loves to cook and his wife use to bake a lot until she realised she couldn't make a living at it. While we chatted I noticed a recipe in whichever magazine I was looking at, for Spanish-style roast chicken. I photographed the recipe and forgot about it. As it was my turn to make our Sunday dinner last weekend I printed out the recipe and had a go. I coated the chicken with oil and then rubbed it with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. A halved lemon was stuffed into the cavity and the chicken was roasted for about 35 minutes. While that was happening I quartered two onions, cut three red peppers into strips and sliced some big potatoes. I drizzled olive oil over the vegetables and gave them a good tossing. (No sniggering, please.) The secret ingredient was preserved lemons (the spouse's which he'd made a few weeks ago).
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| Turkey broth: recipe from The Soup Book |
The spouse and I have obtained several new cookery books since I first starting writing this blog but I still like to dip into our older books. Since my last blog entry in September I have used The Soup Book (Sophie Grigson, 2009) four times: I've remade pichelsteiner, Roopa Gulati's lamb broth, turkey broth, and minted pea and ham soup. Those last two helped use up the Christmas left-overs. And on that theme I'll be using Delia Smith's Christmas (1990) later today when I make celery and blue cheese soup.
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| Pot roast venison |
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| Nigella's chicken and pea traybake |
Happy New Year!
Minnie
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