YouFood

This really is so delicious, so healthy, gorgeous with a bit of couscous.

Heat:

1 tbsp olive oil

Add:

1 large onion, thinly sliced

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Add:

3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp turmeric 1 cinnamon stick

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Then add:

A pinch of cayenne pepper 1 can chopped tomatoes A pinch of salt 250ml chicken/fish/vegetable stock

Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Then add:

500g firm white fish fillets, cut into chunks

Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the fish is almost cooked through and tender. Add:

400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 tsp honey

Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with:

Fresh coriander leaves Flaked almonds

So so tasty!!

Dear Daughters and Sons,

Here's a quick and easy supper using big flat mushrooms, eggs, and bits you've got left in the salad drawer in your fridge. One was enough for me, and Dad had two. So this amount serves 2.

Love Mum xxx

3 large flat mushrooms

Remove and reserve the stalks. Put the mushrooms in an oven-proof dish, brush with

olive oil

sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 190C for about 20 minutes, till cooked. Meanwhile, finely chop

2 shallots or 1 small onion

and dice

the mushroom stalks

and something else, such as 1/2 a red or yellow pepper, a courgette...

Warm, in a smallish pan, a little

olive or rapeseed oil

and fry the vegetables until soft and lightly golden. You could also, at this point, add something like slivered sun-dried tomatoes, or a little canned corn. 

When the mushrooms are almost ready, beat 

4 eggs

then add them to the pan, add some seasoning and stir over a gentle heat until they are lightly scrambled.

Now you can stir in a chunk of peppered goats cream cheese, or some herbs like fennel, parsley or tarragon - again, whatever you have, if you have it.

Dear Son and Daughters,

Mmmm! Look at our lovely, comfort-food supper! A rich dark colour, and SO tasty. You can either use raw black beluga lentils (I've just ordered some from Real Foods, Edinburgh - remember?), or a sachet of cooked (marketed by Merchant Gourmet and available in supermarkets). Although I would use 250g raw lentils, I've put a 250g packet of cooked as an alternative as they're rather expensive. Or you could just forget it and use red lentils. Cheap, cheerful but not quite as tasty.

Love, Mum xxx

Peel and cut into chunks:

1 red onion

Warm 

a little oil (I use rapeseed)

in a saucepan and fry the onion, stirring now and then, till golden. Meanwhile peel and cut into eighths:

7 beetroots

Add to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add:

850 ml / 1.5 pint vegetable or chicken stock

2-4 carrots, cut into chunks

and simmer for 5 minutes. If you're using raw lentils, add here

250g black beluga lentils, or red lentils (or a sachet - see below)

along with all sorts of dark and mysterious things:

a sprinkle of fresh or dried thyme

a crushed clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground mace, or nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1-2 cm root ginger, pulped or grated

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

and simmer for 20 minutes. Add

a small bag of spinach, shredded if the leaves are big

bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Finally, if using a sachet of lentils, add

a 250g sachet of Merchant Gourmet black beluga lentils

Heat through and season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

BREADS

Cornbread (wheat free)

Wholemeal Seedy Bread

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

BREAKFASTS

Best Granola

Blueberry Bircher Muesli

Cornbread (wheat free)

Cornmeal Porridge with Sultanas

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

LUNCHES

Baba Ghanoush

Green Soup

Guacamole

Mixed Seed Butter

Reduced Fat Hummus

Spicy Fish and Bacon Chowder

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

SNACKS

Crunchy Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Fresh Popcorn

Savoury Spiced Nuts

Spiced Sweet Walnuts

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

STARTERS

Baba Ghanoush

Green Soup

Guacamole

Pea and Watercress Soup

Reduced Fat Hummus

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: BEEF

Rich Beef Stew with Parsley Dumplings

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: CHICKEN

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Chicken/Turkey and Butternut Curry

Middle Eastern Chicken and Apricot Stew

Quick and Yummy Paprika Chicken

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSE: DUCK

Blueberry Sauce for Roast Duck

Plum Sauce for Roast Duck

Roast Duck

Roast Duck with Pomegranate Gravy

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: FISH

Chinese Surf and Turf (pork and prawns)

Freya Loved this Salmon

Spicy Fish and Bacon Chowder

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: LAMB

Tagine of Lamb

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: PORK, HAM & BACON

Chinese Surf and Turf (pork and prawns)

Ham, Cheese and Pickle Pastries

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MAIN COURSES: VEGETARIAN

Beetroot and Goats Cheese Filo Parcels 

Beetroot Risotto 

Cheese and Spinach Filo Rolls

Puy Lentil and Butternut Curry

Saffron, Basil and Roasted Pepper Penne 

Sprouts in Heaven

Veggie Mexican Wraps

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

VEGETABLES & SALAD

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Honey, Rosemary and Chilli

Carrot and Coconut Salad

Giant Garlic Mushrooms

Spinach with Pine Nuts

Soy-Roasted Vegetables

Sprouts in Heaven (vegetarian)

Tasty Roast Butternut Squash

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

GRAINS

Quinoa Tabbouleh (or Bulgur Wheat) (vegetarian)

Saffron and Pine Nut Pilaf (vegetarian)

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

PUDDINGS

Avocado Ice-cream

Dark Chocolate Brioche Pudding (et al)

Mango Lime Sorbet

Mango Yogurt Ice

Pumpkin Pie

Sephardic Orange and Almond Cake

Spiced Sweet Walnuts

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

CAKES & BISCUITS

Chocolate Fairy Cakes...

...and their icing

Chunky Fruit Mince Pies

Crisp Cinnamon Star Biscuits

Let Them Eat Cake

Oaty Apricot and Cardamom Bars

Sephardic Orange and Almond Cake

Wholewheat Banana Bread

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

EXTRAS

Ras-el-Hanout spice mix

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

MENUS

A delicious Middle Eastern meal

Dinner Party Challenge

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

Hello Sis!

I'm a bread and butter pudding devotee. My favourite recipe has marmalade and mixed dried fruit (and brandy), but last Saturday I created a variation to suit the girlfriend. It's super-chocolatey and completely devilish. This is squidgy and delicious, best served hot with cream. (Having said that, leave half for cold leftovers.) If you want something with a little more fruity spice, I'll put my marmalade one on here as well.

First, make some sandwiches. Don't go overboard with the chocolate spread - there's more chocolate to come.

12 slices Brioche loaf, the sort of stuff you get on the pancake and muffin aisle.

Chocolate Spread

Cut into triangles and arrange in a baking dish. Don't be scared of using a smaller dish and layering up a bit. It'll just make a squidgier pudding.

For the batter, combine:

3 eggs

300ml milk, or more, if it doesn't look like covering the pudding when poured over.

100ml double cream

good pinch of nutmeg, mixed spice, or chilli powder if you're bold.

50g caster sugar, approx. You only need to make the batter taste a little sweet. I never measure quantities when I add them. This is hard!

pinch of salt

Beat the mixture together, make sure it's tasty, then pour over the sandwiches. If there's not enough liquid, gently pour in some more milk so you've only got the corners remaining above the surface. Leave to soak up for 30 mins.

Meanwhile...bash up

100g good, dark chocolate. Tesco does 70% chocolate for about a pound. The darker the better.

Hide the chocolate pieces down between the sandwiches and in little secret corners like you're preparing an Easter Egg hunt.

Finally, just before you put it in the oven at 180C for about 20 minutes (or until it's done to your desired crispy-squidginess and the egg has properly set), sprinkle

a little brown sugar

on the top.

This was so delicious. The pudding isn't too sweet, so you can really enjoy the chocolate for what it is. You uncover these little seams of molten goo as you dig your spoon around. And there's nutmeg to give the pudding some depth. It's good.

  BUT IF YOU WANT A DELICIOUS AND FRUITY ALTERNATIVE...

Use chunky marmalade in brown bread sandwiches, buttered on the outside. (Trust me.) Add a good dash of brandy to the batter with a little more sugar. Sprinkle any type of dried fruit you want between the sandwiches, but mixed peel and sultanas are best. Try not to leave too many on top as they can burn.

Or combine the two recipes for a jaunty chocolate-orange angle.

Or make it peanut butter and jelly flavour.

Or add chopped nuts.

Or use hot cross buns and make an Easter-themed one with Appley Dappley and cinnamon.

Mmmmm. Enjoy!

Dear family,

Jean and Peter came to supper last night (we had such a lovely evening with them!) We had avocado ice cream, which always causes a bit of a stir. It seems so unlikely that it would be nice, but it really is amazing - smooth, creamy and really delicious. So here's the recipe. Hope you enjoy making it, Jean.

Love, Mum x

Serves 6-8.

First make the custard. Beat together lightly:

4 eggs

110g caster sugar.

Heat

420ml milk

until just below boiling point, then pour slowly onto the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Rinse out the milk pan. Return the mixture to the milk pan and stir CONSTANTLY and very thoroughly over a gentle, gentle heat until the custard coats the back of the spoon. 

(We're normally advised to do this in a double saucepan, or in a bowl over a pan of water, but this takes so long, and provided you are very careful with the heat, and that you stir all the time, over the bottom and around the sides of the pan, and that you whip the pan off the heat at the slightest sign of curdling, you will be safe.)

Pour the custard into a bowl, stir in

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Allow the custard to cool completely, stirring frequently so that it doesn't form a skin. Then chill it well.

Mash together until smooth:

the flesh of 2 ripe medium-sized avocados

60g caster sugar

a squeeze of lime juice.

Mix this into the custard, then either churn in an ice-cream maker, or pour into a plastic box, freeze to a mush, whisk well, then freeze until firm. 

Remember to soften the ice-cream before serving it: remove it from the freezer and leave at room temperature for about half an hour.

This is for Jenny. From Mum. x

Serves 6

Put in a small pan:

150g caster sugar

300 ml water

Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes, until syrupy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Peel and de-stone

1 beautifully ripe mango

and blend it in the food processor with

juice of 2-3 limes (to taste)

zest of 1 lime

Blend in the cold sugar syrup.

If you're lucky enough to have an ice-cream maker, churn the mixture and freeze as normal. Otherwise, pour the mixture into a plastic container and freeze until frozen about 3 cm in from the edges. Stir it up vigorously with a fork, then put back in the freezer till frozen.

Leave the sorbet out of the freezer for about 30 minutes before serving, to allow it to soften. Serve alone, or perhaps with little crisp ginger biscuits. 

Dear Little Daughter,

So here is the menu we put together, sitting in that cafe basement yesterday:

Pea and Watercress Soup

Corn bread

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Beetroot Risotto

Giant garlic mushrooms

Leafy salad with avocado

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

bought sorbet (owing to time issues!)

Sweet Spiced Walnuts

Can I come too?

Dear Little Daughter and Little Daughter's Boyfriend,

I always make a time-plan when cooking for a dinner party. It saves you getting in a fluster. So... guests arriving at 8, serving first course at 8.30? Here goes.

TWO EVENINGS BEFORE:

Shop!

THE EVENING BEFORE:

Make the Sweet Spiced Walnuts

Prepare your salad dressing

You could also:

          make the soup

ON THE EVENING, AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME FROM WORK:

Chill/open the wine

If you didn't do it last night: make the soup and djjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj it

Grate the beetroots

Make the Beetroot Risotto, cook until its HALF done. Don't add the cheese or parsley

Mix the dry ingredients for the Cornbread, and the wet ones, but don't combine them

Prepare the tin for the Cornbread

Assemble the mushrooms

Set the table

Think through all the serving dishes you'll need

COUNTDOWN TO SERVING:

7.40     Mix the salad leaves but don't add the avocado

            You can halve and stone the avocados and leave, cut side down, on the chopping board

7.45     Heat oven to 190C

7.53!   Mix the Cornbread and put it in the tin...

7.55     Put the Cornbread in the oven

            Put the soup bowls to warm, and the other plates and dishes

8.00     Greet guests! Relax (if only briefly)

8.20     Warm the soup

            Get the Beetroot Risotto cooking again, gently

8.25     Get the Cornbread out of the oven, cut into serving pieces

            Put the mushrooms in the oven

8.30     Ladle out and garnish the soup. Serve Soup and Cornbread

8.35     Hop up and stir the Risotto, and take it off the heat if its done

8.45-50 Get the mushrooms out of the oven

            Add sliced avocados and dressing to the salad

            Finish the Risotto with cheese and parsley

           Transfer the sorbet from the freezer to the fridge

I tried this out at lunch time today and it was delicious! It's incredibly simple - just the flavours of the vegetables themselves really. But they work beautifully together, peppery and sweet. The portions are quite small but big enough. Use white bowls, if you have them, and warm them first. Serves 4.

Heat in a medium saucepan

a small splosh of olive oil

and fry

1 onion, finely chopped

until soft and slightly golden. Chuck in

 1 x 75g bag watercress

350g frozen peas

400ml chicken stock (made with a gluten-free stock cube, e.g. Kallo)

100ml milk.

Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Get your stick blender and djjjjjjjjj until smooth. Taste and re-season with a little salt, if necessary, and plenty of black pepper. Reheat gently before serving. Ladle into warmed bowls and plop a good teaspoonful of 

half fat creme fraiche

We tried this for breakfast this morning, with cottage cheese and jam. It was really good - moist, light and tasty. Watch how you do the last-minute mixing: Americans know how to do this as they do it all the time, but we're not used to it. The cornmeal (maize meal) you use should be fine, but not cornmeal flour. I couldn't find any fine cornmeal, so I put the coarser, polenta-type cornmeal in the coffee grinder. Serves 4

Weigh out

240g fine yellow cornmeal (or the coarser, polenta type, buzzed in the coffee grinder)

then put 60 g of it into a small mixing bowl, and the rest into a large mixing bowl. To the SMALL bowl, stir in:

85ml boiling water

2 teaspoons runny honey

and leave to stand. This will make a cornmeal mush.

To the LARGE bowl, add:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free type)

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Stir with a spatula until there are no little white lumps. Prepare your tin: grease and line a 7 inch diameter round cake tin, or a large loaf tin, or something similar. Heat the oven to 190C.

To the cornmeal mush, stir in:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 egg, beaten

200ml low fat plain yogurt

Yum yum yum! But oh dear, you really will need a new grater for this (especially since I bent yours on my apple last weekend), unless you can find a friendly neighbour with a food mixer...

Serves 4

Peel and grate (preferably using a food mixer)

a bunch of beetroots (= about 500g beetroots).

In a large frying pan, heat

a splosh of olive oil

and fry

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

until soft. Add

300g risotto rice

and stir briefly before adding the grated beetroot. Stir briefly. Season with

salt and pepper

then continue to cook and stir over a medium heat, gradually adding the liquids (below), a little at a time, for about 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked. 

300ml white wine

about 1 litre hot vegetable stock

At the last minute, add

50g grated Parmesan, or 225g goats cream cheese.

Taste, and adjust the seasoning.

You might want to darken the flavour with a little Vecon or yeast extract, and/or brighten it with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Stir in 

plenty of chopped fresh parsley