You may remember, a few weeks ago, I gave you a recipe from The Son-in-law, Ben, as a guest contributor.  Well, not to be outdone, his wife, my youngest daughter, Alice, has asked to do one (or two) now. She’s decided to give you a little Valentine Special – and a day ahead so you can get ready to spoil yourself!

Over to you, Alice:

Comfort food when you need it most.

This is a Valentine’s Day recipe with a difference. It’s comfort food for one, because not everyone’s Valentine’s Day will be filled with chocolates and roses. It can be a hard day for many people and when you’re feeling low, it’s tough to motivate yourself but it’s important that you do! Do something nice for yourself today. Light a candle (the one you bought but have been saving for a ‘special occasion’) read your book (give yourself time to read that extra chapter) or take yourself off on a stroll (walking that route you never take because although it’s beautiful, it always takes a little bit too long) And most importantly, cook something unctuous and delicious (a recipe that requires a bit of time and patience).

Mushroom risotto

• 1 handful of chestnut mushrooms
• OPTIONAL dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 sticks celery – finely diced – and keep the leaves for garnish
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 200g risotto rice
• Splash of white wine (save a glass for yourself)
• 1 pint stock (chicken/vegetable, whatever takes your fancy)
• Parmesan cheese
• Knob of butter (cold, to be stirred in right at the end)
• OPTIONAL glug of Worcestershire sauce or mushroom ketchup

Make your stock and pop the porcini mushrooms in, if you have them, and keep it warm. Fry the onion, garlic and celery in a large saucepan with a little bit of butter and olive oil until soft (ideally ten minutes, very low heat). Pour the risotto rice in and, stirring often, let the rice soak up some of the oil and butter. Once the rice starts to stick a bit, pour in the white wine, let that bubble away as the rice soaks it up before slowly adding a ladle-full of stock in. Continue this way, allowing the rice to soak up the liquid, between each ladle full, until the rice is soft but still a little bit chewy and moist. You’re almost teasingly feeding it liquid ladle-full by ladle-full – just as it has drunk up one, the next goes in.Take it off the heat once all the stock has been used, and grate in the parmesan, stirring it round so it melts into the risotto. Finally, add some seasoning and a lump of cold butter and let it ooze in and cover the pan for a few impatient minutes. It should still just be moist – my Husband (who Mum would call The Son-in-Law) tells me the Italians spoon it onto a plate and jiggle the plate around in circular motions to allow the risotto to rest in an even flat disc, so it must still retain some moisture and ooziness to do this. Scatter the celery leaves on top as a garnish – it’s tasty, nutritious and shouldn’t be wasted!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That’s a lot of risotto, and Ailsa normally does smaller portions. Well, it’s deliberate – we’re going to be creative with half of it tomorrow! So eat half, then leave the rest to cool on the side. Once it’s cooled, put it in the fridge (important – don’t rush the cooling process, this is where rice can form spores and become a bit troublesome when re-heating). Then the next day, this makes for a rather indulgent but delicious lunch – not to mention fun to make!

Alice’s Leftover Risotto Arancini

 Beautiful, crispy, oozy, cheese-stuffed rugby-ball shaped snacks, with a blue cheese dipping sauce that takes seconds to make.

• 100g of the above risotto, fridge cold
• Vegetable oil – enough to get an inch up your saucepan
• Mozzarella cheese – you can get individual bags of this in most supermarkets – cut into 1cm cubes.
• Panko breadcrumbs – big supermarkets do them, look in the Japanese / Asian section – they are lighter and larger flakes than usual breadcrumbs.
• 2 eggs
• Blue cheese for the dipping sauce
• Crème fraiche for the dipping sauce

Start by heating the oil in a good pan. It won’t look like enough to totally deep fry the arancini balls, but that’s to save oil – you fry them one way, then turn them over half way through. Shape the rice into small balls using your hands (it can help to wet them with water first) – they should be around the size of a large egg. Poke a single cube of mozzarella into the middle, and re-form the rice-ball around it, so that the mozzarella is snug inside. Repeat until you’ve used all the rice. Beat the two eggs in a bowl, and pour out a large handful of panko breadcrumbs into a wide shallow dish, adding a generous sprinkling of good salt. Once the oil is hot enough to satisfyingly hiss as it turns a breadcrumb light brown (rather than scorching it, or not reacting at all), we can get to work. Take each rice-ball, and roll it in the beaten egg first, then into the panko breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Once they are all coated in crumbs, use a slotted metal spoon to lower each one into the waiting oil, turning the heat up or down depending on how vociferously they hiss and sizzle on entry. Watch them carefully (it’s hard not to) – after around a minute, gently turn the first one a little to check the colour underneath. If it’s a beautiful golden tan brown, they’re ready to turn. Ideally turn them in order they went into the oil, but nobody’s judging. Once they are evenly brown throughout – sometimes it helps to carefully splash the oil over them as they cook, like chefs do with foaming butter on steaks in a pan – remove them with the slotted spoon, nestling them on some kitchen paper towel to let some of the oil drain away. As they sit there getting comfortable, crumble some blue cheese into a few spoonfuls of crème fraiche and put it in a little bowl suitable for dipping. It can help to microwave the cheese for 30 seconds so it mixes easier with the crème fraiche but it’s not essential. When ready to eat, squeeze a little lemon over the arancini – place them on a bed of dressed rocket if you have the energy – then reward yourself for being so resourceful with leftovers by dipping one of the hot golden rice-balls in the blue cheese dip. Notice that the mozzarella has gone molten in the middle, the rice is soft and warm, and the outer crust is crisp and salty.

Don’t do anything else for the rest of the day.

Love from Alice xx

 

 

As I write this, Storm Ciara is hitting Britain with high winds and lashing rain and the last few sunny days are forgotten as we batten down the hatches again!  Pookie is sat by the fire, the hens are snug in their coop and The Husband disappeared into his warm office, only to reappear for coffee and sustenance as its obviously too wild to go fishing! So it’s back to comfort food – but still want healthy. And what could be better than carrots – the unappreciated gold amongst vegetables?  Too often presented as a side dish of extraordinary dullness, they can be pepped up with herbs, lemon juice and butter – or made into any of the below recipes. (We are very lucky living in a productive rural area but even our farmers have battled with the winter rains – so much so that our immediate one has given up trying to get his tractor into one carrot field and abandoned it to we yokels to pick as we need!)

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 -2 cloves of garlic
• 1 dessertspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon each chilli flakes, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin
• 2 -3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
•  80g red lentils
• 500ml vegetable stock

Melt the butter in a saucepan and gently fry the onion, ginger and spices and cook until soft.  Add carrots, lentils and stock and slowly bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes until tender. Serve, with toasted sourdough (or below), in a bowl with a swirl of yogurt and mint for garnish.

Quick Carrot and Walnut Bread

• 350g plain flour  
• 150g wholemeal flour 
• 1 teasp salt 
• 2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda  
• 150g carrots, peeled and grated
• walnut or pieces a handful, toasted
• 300ml Greek yoghurt
• 125ml semi-skimmed milk 

Heat oven to 230c/fan 210/gas 8. Mix the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda, then stir in the carrot, walnuts and yoghurt, followed by enough of the milk to make a soft, quite sticky dough. Tip onto a floured surface and form a flat ball, put on a baking sheet, slash the top and bake for 30 minutes until risen and cooked. It’ll sound hollow when you tap it.

And for something sweet – Carrot Muffins (makes 6)

• 75g margarine
• 125g carrots
• 100g sugar
• 100g Self raising flour
• 3/4teasp cinnamon
• 1teasp baking powder
• 1large egg
• 60g sultanas
• 25g nuts

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6/fan 180C. Melt the margarine in the microwave. Top and tail, then peel and grate the carrots. Combine the carrots, sugar and margarine in a bowl. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder. Beat the egg in a small bowl and then add to the mixture. Also mix in the nuts and sultanas. Line a muffin tray with 6 muffin cases and divide the mixture equally between them. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool – and either enjoy them as they are on mix a little cream cheese and icing sugar together as a topping.

I KNOW the above are for more than ONE, but on this occasion you cannot really make soup for one; the bread can be sliced and frozen to be taken out as needed – and the muffins – do you really need an excuse to make 6 (although, obviously you can also freeze them)? Part of your 5 a day, I say!

No, the Husband and I aren’t sitting by sea, in hot sunshine, nibbling on tapas and sipping wine, thinking “Shall I have a swim before a snooze – or after?” We wish!  We are, however, thinking of it and when to go and how to get there whilst we look out of the windows at another wet, drizzly day (dreich, as is said in Scotland).  This got me thinking of glorious summer food, salad and tapas, all the lovely nibbly bits you can be served with in any of the Mediterranean countries. And this led me to thinking that, sometimes, when you are on your own, cooking a big meal for one is just a complete faff, if you are not in the mood – and tapas could be the answer! Make a couple of the recipes below, add some olives, some parma ham and salami, a glass of wine and pull up a chair (back to the window so you can’t see out!) and imagine the sea lapping, sand in your toes, soft guitar serenading . . .  you’re there, aren’t you?

First make some Labna – put a piece of muslin (or thin old teatowel) over a bowl and secure with an elastic band. Add 2 cups of greek yogurt and leave to drip through overnight.  You will be left with half the quantity and a little ball of white yogurt cheese.  You can mould it into little balls and leave them to dry out for 48 hours in the fridge then serve with a drizzle olive oil combined with some harissa (buy it in a jar found with the spices in the supermarket). Or you can make it into some interesting dips to serve with pitta bread, toast fingers or tortilla chips:

a) beat with crushed garlic (to taste), some finely chopped mint and a drizzle of olive oil  b) beat with crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon harissa and finely chopped coriander and serve in a bowl with salt and pepper and a drizzle of honey   c) beat with crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt and pepper. Fold in finely chopped dried apricots and sprinkle with ground pistachios to serve

Grissini (thin breadsticks) wrapped in smoked salmon  – mix 50g cream cheese with chopped dill and lemon zest and season. Spread some of the mixture onto 3/4 of the length of each stick and wrap thin strips of smoked salmon

 

Garlic prawns. Preheat oven to 250oC. Combine 40g melted butter and 3 fl oz olive oil and put into an ovenproof pot.  Add 2 cloves crushed garlic. Put in the oven for 10mins until mixture is bubbling.  Add (however many you can eat!) raw prawns and another garlic clove and return to the oven till cooked.  Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices!

 

On a personal note, The Husband and I would like to tell you of another celebration this weekend.  Our very special friends, Ralph (Brom) and his wife Pat are celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary, 26th January.  Forty years ago today it was neither haggis nor noodles on their mind but wedding cake and champagne and we would like to wish them all the best (and their amazing family) and much love for the next 40 years (by which time the Brompton family will probably have taken over the whole of Loughborough)!

This weekend – yesterday 25th January – saw two anniversaries, both of which are celebrated world wide. Burns Night with bagpipes, haggis and neeps and Chinese New Year with dragons, dim sum and fireworks. Apparently, this year is the Year of the Rat – and Robbie Burns has been described as an original love rat, having a very spicy love life! Thus, this week’s recipes are incorporating Scotland, China and spice – it’s up to you whether you want to keep them as partners or split them up and put haggis with the dessert and pineapple fritters with the salmon.  Such is the variety of life.

Salmon and Noodles

• 1- 2 Scottish salmon fillets, with skin left on
• 1 heaped tablespoon hoisin sauce (from a jar or bottle)
• 75g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 70g medium egg noodles
• 100g long-stemmed broccoli, trimmed
• freshly ground black pepper
• dark soy sauce  / thinly sliced spring onions, to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and line a small, shallow ovenproof dish with kitchen foil. Place the salmon fillets into the dish, skin-side down, and brush generously with the hoisin sauce. Make sure the fillets are placed at least 5cm/2in apart from each other. Scatter the cherry tomatoes around them. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the noodles. Half-fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the noodles, return to the boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring to separate the strands. Add the broccoli and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide the noodles and broccoli between four warmed plates. Top with the salmon fillets and scatter with the cherry tomatoes. Season with pepper and serve sprinkled with a little soy sauce and spring onions, if using.

Now for the dessert : Cranachan – a delicous mix of raspberries, cream, whisky, honey and toasted oats.  What’s not to like?

• 50 grams porridge oats
• small pot of double cream
• 2 – 3 tablespoons honey to taste
• 2 tablespspoons whisky (I personally hate whisky but somehow can take it here!)
• raspberries – fresh or frozen

Heat a heavy based frying pan up and toast the oats until nutty and pale brown (I sometimes add a little demerara sugar so they caramelize but you do have to keep moving them around!). Put to one side to cool. Whip the cream till soft peaks and fold in the honey and whisky. Layer up the cream, rapsberries and oats and put in the fridge till needed. (Keep some of the oats back to scatter on top as you serve so they are still crunchy)

 

 

 

It is now two years since I started writing this blog – and this was the first recipe – http://www.ailsacooks4one.com/2018/01/24/first-recipe/ ! We’ve come a long way since then (although I hope you still make this most favourite breakfast from time to time) – at least 104 recipes as sometimes I posted 2 recipes on the weekly blog.  Haven’t you done well?  So much so that to celebrate your culinary expertise I thought you should ask someone to dinner and give you a recipe for two! It’s not any harder than for one – you can show off your skills – and you can enjoy sharing (even the washing -up!)

EASY CHICKEN PHO

• 1 white onion, halved
• 4cm fresh root ginger, thickly sliced
• 800ml chicken stock (a cube will do)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 4 cloves
• 2 star anise
• half a cinnamon stick
• small bunch of coriander
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoon palm sugar (brown will do)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Heat a dry heavy-based frying pan until very hot.  Char the onion and ginger for 4 minutes each side. Put the stock in a saucepan and add the onion and ginger, spices and coriander stalks (reserving the leaves) and bring to the boil.  Add the thighs and cook for 15 minutes.  Lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon and cut into bite sized slices.  Strain the stock into a bowl, discard the solids and return to the pan.  Add salt to taste, the sugar, fish sauce and chicken pieces.

To serve: 50g cooked rice noodles/2 large handfuls of beansprouts/1 red onion, finely sliced/leftover coriander leaves/basil and mint leaves, finely chopped/1 red chilli, chopped/juice of half a lime.  Put the noodles in bowl and ladle over hot stock and chicken. Sprinkle over the bean sprouts, red onion, herbs, chilli and lime.

And to follow?  A recipe from my son-in-law, Ben.  He’s always wanted to be a guest contributor and I thought this one of his complements the chicken perfectly!

CHEAT’S ICE CREAM (in that you don’t need an ice cream maker!)

• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 tub mascarpone
• 1 tin condensed milk
• juice of 2 lemons
• Maple syrup
• a pinch of salt

Whisk all of the above together, taste.  If not lemony/sweet enough add more lemon/syrup.  Whisk 2 egg whites separately and fold into the mix.  Freeze.               Quote: “Comes out real smooth, soft and delish”

Of course, the above will serve more than two – but you now have some sitting there in your freezer for “one” times!

PS Let me know if you would like a Ailsacooks4Two as a monthly extra – you really shouldn’t let all your efforts go to waste now!

It’s been a busy week in our household – in fact, a busy couple of months with 8 birthdays, Christmas and New Year since the beginning of November!  It’s been great to get out of dusting, though, as all you do is exchange the different cards and cover it all up! It was my birthday on Friday and the Husband and I had a lovely couple of days in London visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum and taking the Clipper boat up the Thames to Greenwich to the Cutty Sark and Maritime Museum. For once, we had a beautiful day and the sun shone – and John decided London wasn’t so bad after all (as long as it is Greenwich!)

It’s very easy when you are busy like this to not be taking too much care of yourself and think the reason you are a bit on the tired side is because you haven’t been taking it easy – but it could be you are not getting enough of essential vitamins and B12 is one of the ones the body can’t produce by itself.  Its vital for creating red blood cells and to release energy from food – and without it may leave you feeling tired and weak. Happily, we don’t have to find too much of it to get a daily dose and can be found in eggs, fish, cheese, milk products – and Marmite! And the following 2 recipes, of course!

Baked Haddock Risotto (we’ve made risotto before but this is a baked one so constant stirring isn’t required, leaving you free to do the dusting – or read a book!)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced (you can swap for a leek if you prefer)
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 140g arborio rice
• 100ml white wine (and a glass for the cook!)
• 1/2 litre vegetable stock (a cube will do)
• 150g thick cut cavolo nero, (an Italian dark green cabbage), thick stems discarded
• 120g haddock (I prefer smoked, but it’s up to you – both work well)
• 1/2 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
• 50g parmesan cheese, finely grated

Put the oven on at 180oC.  Using an openproof pan, fry the onion (or leek) and garlic in the oil for 3 – 4 minutes, until starting to soften.  Add the rice and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.  Pour in the wine and simmer until mostly evaporated and add the stock . Bring to simmer, cover and put in the oven for about 30 minutes. Stir in the cavolo and nestle the fish on top. Cover and return to the oven for another 15 minutes until the haddock is cooked. Break up the fish with a fork and stir through the rice.  Season and stir in the lemon zest and the cheese, serving with lemon wedges.  For an additional hit of B12, you can also add a poached egg on top.

As it’s obviously not easy to just buy a little of Cavolo Nero, I thought you might also like this additional recipe of a very easy soup.

• 1 tablespoon oilive oil
• 1 small onion (or leek)
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
•  a bay leaf
• 1 -2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 litre of stock, chicken or vegetable (a cube will do)
• cavolo nero, torn and tough stalks discarded

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion or leek, garlic, chilli and bay leaf and sweat over a low heat for 15 = 20 minutes.  Add the potatoes and stock.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the cabbage and simmer until just cooked.  Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, extra chilli flakes if liked and a shaving of parmesan.

We Scots call New Year’s Eve – 31 December – Hogmanay – the big night that marks the arrival of the new year. Its origins reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Vikings with wild parties in late December. The Husband and I went for a quiet one this year and had a meal at our favourite Thai restaurant and home (a bit of a change from when I was in my teens and we used to work out whose house we should make for the last one to have breakfast!). However you spent yours, I hope 2020 brings for you good health and much happiness.

We have had a wonderful Christmas, spread over a few days, with family – and (obviously) too much food!  I absolutely love the Holiday and all the cooking (daughter, Alice and son-in-law, Ben, cooked up a storm on Saturday night, though) and now all I want to eat is something fresh and clean and sharp – and this salad has it all. It’s all about the sourness. The combination of lemon and sumac really packs a punch and wakes up your tasting!

Fattoush salad –

• 50ml olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• ½ garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon sumac (a sour-tasting ground spice)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pittabread, torn into small pieces
• 4 plum tomatos, seeds removed, quartered
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled, cut into 2in batons
• 1/4 green pepper, cut into strips
• 4 radishes, sliced
• 1 small shallot, sliced
• small handful rocket leaves
• 1/2 little gem lettuce
• handful fresh mintleaves

For the dressing, place the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, crushed garlic and sumac into a bowl and whisk together to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (You may not need all the dressing for this recipe, so set the remainder aside in the fridge for up to a week). For the salad, place the torn pitta, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, radishes, shallot, rocket leaves, Little Gem lettuce leaves and mint leaves into a large bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. To serve, pour the dressing, to taste, over the salad and gently mix together to coat the salad evenly.

PS Hetty hen continues to make good progress and is back with her friends, just a little limp to show for her trouble

And it’s a MEOW for 2020 from Pookie 

And just to prove it happens to everyone and no one can always be totally organised  – I’ve run out of time to post a Christmas recipe or two!

I would just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy the time with all the people you are with – and, if on your own, I wish you peace and love from this family – and Pookie! xxx

 

Yesterday, I (hopefully) made a new friend.  I very nearly didn’t go with The Husband when he went to trim some trees for someone he knew – but I am so glad I did! It’s very easy to get caught up in the busyness of the Season and take time out.  In fact, we were talking about time on Sunday.  Thirty years ago, with 3 children, I worked full time, not getting home till 6.00, but every night I still produced a 2 course meal on the table for 7.00 and also did the paperwork and invoicing for my (then) husband’s business. I’ve come to the conclusion, that you can make time for what you really want to (which is why I am writing this at 6.00am before going out for the day) whether it be hobbies (time for reading is a necessity), sport, COOKING and friendships. I make a lot of my Christmas presents and always hope that the recipients will realise that in the time of making I was thinking of them so this week I thought I would give you a few ideas of edible gifts so you, too, can enjoy the giving!

My Best Friend Sandra’s Tablet (Scottish Fudge)

• 150ml evaporated milk
• 150ml water
• 75g butter
• 450g granulated sugar
• 1/4 teasp vanilla essence

Put the milk, water, butter and sugar into a heavy saucepan and heat through slowly until the sugar has dissolved. Then, boil steadily for 10- 15 minutes, stirring constantly so that the tablet doesn’t stick. After 10 minutes or so, test by dropping a little into a cold glass of water.  If it forms a tiny blob, remove from the heat,  Add the vanilla and cool slightly – then get rid of any angst by beating it hard until it starts to crystalise and thicken.  Pour into a buttered dish and cut into squares when set.

Raspberry, gin and tonic Syrup

• 800g frozen raspberries
• 150g icing sugar
• Juice 1½ lemons
• 500ml tonic water
• 10 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 6-7 tbsp gin

Put the raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over a low-medium heat and cook until the raspberries have broken down and are well combined. Push the raspberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Rinse out the pan to get rid of any remaining seeds, then pour the purée back into the pan with the tonic water and juniper berries (discard the seeds). Reduce the purée for 15-20 minutes over a medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until syrupy. Add the gin and stir to combine. Leave to cool before packaging into sterilised jars or bottle

Lemon and Cranberry Shortbread