Another very  wet week – and yesterday was the greyest one of all – truly dreicht (as we say in Scotland).  Cold, no light and deeply dismal. All I wanted when I got home was to sit by the fire and eat something hot and comforting.  And I wanted it straight-a-way – no messing around in the kitchen waiting – and this fits it all.  I make no apologies for much of it out of a can but sometimes needs must – and it all came together beautifully – and still healthily!

½ red onion, roughly diced
400g can mixed beans, drained
200g sweetcorn frozen sweetcorn
400g can chopped tomatoes
1tsp ground cumin
2tsp smoked paprika
25ml single cream or crème fraiche           chopped coriander

Fry the onion in a pan in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for a 2-3 mins until soft. Add the beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, cumin, 1tsp of the paprika and some black pepper. Stir, then simmer for about 15 mins until the soup has thickened. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of cream or crème fraiche and chopped coriander.

ADD a QUESILLADA!

Take 2 soft corn tortillas.  Lay one down and cover with some cooled fried onions, cooked spinach and cheese (I use a cheddar with chilli pieces but you can use whatever you have plus some chilli if you like).  Lay the other on top and sort of squash together.  Put a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan and when hot put in the tortilla sandwich and cook both sides for about a minute each, so the cheese is all squishy.  Take out, slice and use to dip into your soup.

And to follow – anything with custard.  Try a baked apple (score the skin lightly around the middle, core and stuff with mincemeat and bake for about 30 minutes at 180oC).  Or stew some apples and make a crisp topping with breadcrumbs fried in butter with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Or just have a bowl of custard!

Pookie isn’t impressed with this weather, either – she reckons cuddled up on the sofa is definitely the place to be!

My youngest daughter, Alice, has just berated me for not including her absolute favourite comfort food in my previous blog about potatoes!  So just for her . . . .

Milly Molly Mandy was a series of books written in the late 1920’s about a little girl who lived with her parents, her grandparents and uncle and aunt in a little house with a white picket fence. She had lots of adventures with her friends Billy and Susan – and her mother used to make for dinner baked potatoes with cheese.  The books were Alice’s favourite when she was small and remains her comfort food even thought she is now 30! I am now doing the same for my granddaughters so another generation can enjoy – and I read the books to them whilst they are eating!

Milly Molly Mandy Potatoes

Bake a potato (you can actually do this in the microwave as it will go under the grill or into an oven to finish) .  Scoop out the middle and mash with LOTS of butter and cheese and season and pile back into the skins.  Grill or put back into the oven till golden. Serve with absolutely anything!

Potatoes – you can do so much with them – boil them, roast them, bake them, mash them – even make cakes with them, both savoury and sweet!  The ultimate comfort food  – so in a week when the view from our garden got us thinking we were by the sea and the poor hens are paddling  (I’ve just rescued 4 battery hens to join the clan from life in a shed but they may not be too sure about this mud business yet!) I thought I would give you some suggestions for something new to do with them.

Black Pudding and Cheese Hash Browns (this does make 4 but you can freeze them – impossible to half an egg white!)

• 500g potatoes           1 teasp chopped chives     1 teasp chopped parsley
• 1 egg white               4 slices black pudding       125g cheese

Boil potatoes in their skins till just soft. Grate them into a bowl and mix in the chopped herbs. Add a pinch of salt to the egg white, beat lightly with a fork to loosen and mix with the grated potato. Divide mixture into four. Pat out each one into a circle slight larger than the pudding. Put a slice of pudding in the middle topped with a slice of cheese. Fold and shape the potatoes over the stuffing so it is fully enclosed. Deep or shallow fry until golden. Top with a poached egg to serve.

Baked Potato with Smoked Haddock and Mustard

• 1 large baking potato                 150g smoked haddock       100 ml double cream
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard      chopped parsley

Put the smoked haddock in a shallow baking dish. Season the cream with mustard and parsley and a little salt and pepper and pour over the haddock. Bake in the same oven as the potato – about 20 mins. Break open the potato and scrape into a bowl and return the empty skins to the oven to crisp. Mash potato with the cream from the haddock. Flake the fish and stir into the creamed potato. Pile back into the skins and place briefly under the grill to brown.

Warm potato, spinach and parmesan salad 

• 2500g waxy potatoes                                      2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• juice of a lemon
• 1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard           6 tablespoons olive oil
• lump of parmesan                                          4 rashers streaky bacon
• 3 – 4 handfuls of spinach leaves

Lower the potatoes into boiling water and cook till tender. Drain and slice thickly. Whizz the vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil with 2 heaped tablespoons of grated parmesan. Fry the bacon till crisp and cut into small strips Put the spinach in a bowl and the warm potatoes and bacon and toss lightly in the dressing.

Home by the Sea last week!

When I was little, living in Scotland, my father used to make porridge with oatmeal, water and salt.  I hated it – grey, tasteless, gloopy stuff, I thought.  Forty years later The Husband (he wasn’t then ) took me to his place his France.  He offered to make me porridge which obviously I declined.  He persisted and as is the way of new romances when you are trying to please and not be the one who won’t try anything, I gave in.  And loved it!  Jumbo oats and milk, a little demerara sugar, it was a completely different dish (it could have been France, the weather, swimming in the lake and the fireflies at night – but I like to think it was the love with which it was made as well as its taste!). I have eaten it since every single morning – even in hot weather – for the last 20 years!

A week or so ago, a friend made me the above – it’s a SPURTLE and is used to stir the porridge when it’s cooking so I thought this week we could look at this excellent breakfast dish and see who else I could convert!

Porridge is made from oats which is one of the most natural and healthiest foods around. Naturally low in calories, they have many health benefits – lowering cholesterol, a number of necessary vitamins and because they have a high content of complex carbohydrates and soluble fibre, they release energy slowly. A bowl of porridge for breakfast should provide you with all the energy you need until lunch time.

I prefer to use JUMBO OATS – they are really not much more expensive than ordinary and well worth it! Some people, soak them overnight but I like a little bit of bite – and anyway whilst its cooking I can make the coffee and toast to go with it!  I put a handful of oats to a pan, add a cup of milk and put on a slow heat. (For a different taste, put the oats in the pan and dry roast them till slightly brown – the kitchen will smell amazing and the porridge will taste toasty).

The fun part is what you serve it with – demerara sugar for a bit of crunch; soft brown for a caramelly flavour. And do add a twist of salt – it makes all the difference.  You could also choose honey or syrup to sweeten – and, of course, raisins or any other dried fruit or any poached or pureed fresh fruit. By trial, the other day I made a carrot cake porridge (trust me!). I had made a cake the day before and thought I would just try the different spices on it – a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg each and a few raisins.  I even grated a little carrot over it!  And it definitely kept me going all day!

And for those of you who would rather eat breakfast on the run try these –

The Best Oaty Biscuits
4oz Oats, 3oz golden caster sugar, 2oz self raising flour, 3oz unsalted butter
½ tsp baking powder, 2 egg yolks.
Cream all the ingredients together and work the dough by hand until smooth. Grease and flour 2 baking sheets and split the dough into 8 well spaced pieces on each. Bake at 180oC for 15 to 20 minutes until coloured. Use a palette knife to slide them onto a wire rack to cool.
PS Waste not want not : Whisk the egg whites with a dollop of crème fraiche and a couple of grinds of black pepper to make the best omelette you ever tasted!

Do you know that if you click “follow” in the right hand corner of this website, a copy of the week’s recipes will drop nicely into your inbox without even having to think!

What a week we have had weatherwise! Everything from brilliant sunshine to monsoon! The poor hens have either been ankle deep (do hens have ankles?) in mud or lying on their side, wing lifted, sunbathing. Lots of gardening, tidying up for the winter, in between the mega showers.  I’ve still got some beetroot and carrots growing and my late raspberries constantly please me when I find some hiding away. I have also, been tidying up my wardrobe and reluctantly putting away light summer dress and sandals.  I am still sticking to my guns over bare legs yet (that is definitely giving in!) as long as The Husband wears his shorts!

So whilst in need of some comfort food for the Autumnal weather, I still want to hang on to the idea of summer and this recipe, I think, encaptures both.  Think Mediterranean, hot sun and lemons – but also comfort in a casserole, warm and welcoming when you come in from the cold.

Sausages, with Lemony Potatoes

•  3 – 4 meaty sausages – I prefer Toulouse ones but use your own favourite
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
•  1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• about 400g small waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• pared zest and juice 1/2 lemon (Zest all but wrap the half you don’t use in clingfilm and the 1/2 juice into an ice cube and freeze – ready for when you want to make this again!)
•  2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (again, if you buy a whole packet, chop it all and freeze the rest for another time)
• salt and pepper

Put the oven on to 180oC.  Heat a little of the oil in casserole dish.  Add the sausages and fry until nicely browned all over.  Lift out and set aside.  Add the onion, garlic (and fennel if using) and another slug of oil to the casserole and fry until soft and golden.  Stir in the potatoes, sausages, lemon zest and juice, bay leaves, half the chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Pour over any remaining oil along with 80ml water, cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes or so until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley before serving.

Sunshine on a Plate – Orange Salad 

• 1 – 2 oranges
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon orange flower water (keeps for ages and I am sure we will use again!)
• cinnamon                           pomegranate seeds

Peel the oranges, taking as much of the pith off as you can. Turn on to their side and thinly slice. Sprinkle with icing sugar and flower water, cover and put in the fridge for about an hour.  Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and the pomegranate seeds to serve, with cream or cream fraiche – or a lemon ice cream  (scroll back through the recipes as I gave you a recipe a few months ago).

I think we have to accept that Summer is over and Autumn, with all its gilded colours is with us. I actually love all the different seasons and never regret the passing on as we do different things in them and I look forward to the changes.  One of the things I like is that in Autumn and Winter we have friends for Sunday lunch more often.  In the Spring, there is lots of gardening and the Summer brings days out so we tend to eat in the evening.  Thus, I started thinking of whether people cooking for one are missing out, thinking it wasn’t worth the effort – and what to do with the leftovers which there would inevitably be? Obviously, you are worth it – so buy the meat of your choice from a friendly butcher who will cut it to the size you want/need – and for chicken, you could roast a poussin (a small chicken). Enjoy the making – you may even now have a Sunday lunch when you know what you can do with the leftovers!

Leftover Patties

• 3 -4 leftover roast potatoes, roughly chopped
• 100g leftover Sunday lunch vegetables (carrots, swede, broccoli, cabbage etc), roughly chopped
• 75g leftover roast meat, shredded
• 1/2 tsp horseradish (or mustard)
• 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oil (for frying)
• 1/2 tbsp plain flour
• Fried or poached eggs, to serve

In a large bowl slightly mash the potatoes with a fork and add the vegetables. Stir in the roast meat, horseradish (or mustard), rosemary and season. Divide the mixture into 4 and mold into cake-like shapes. Chill for 5-10 minutes. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat with the oil. Toss the cakes into the flour, shaking off any excess and fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden. Serve hot with a fried or poached egg and a little brown sauce.

Leftover Chicken Wraps

I started this blog to, hopefully, get people back in the kitchen, enjoying the planning, shopping, cooking and, of course, eating of good food.  It was never meant to be about quickness, ease or even cheapness (working on a little of what you fancy does you good!) but all about the happiness of creating.  However, even I who love being in the kitchen, sometimes want food that’s prepared quickly so I can be off doing something else! It’s a really busy time of the year in the garden with trimming and pruning and tidying for the winter so I want to be outside as much as possible. We have had a few fox hits this year and I’m reduced to just 2 hens – who are complete pets now not just egg producers – but I will only let them out of their pen if I am also in the garden. I have thought of getting some more but they seem very happy together, following me around and sunbathing in the sun in between showers. So today’s recipes are going slightly against the grain in that they do really need minimum time spent preparing (using store cupboard ingredients so not even much shopping!) – but will still give fill you up when you come in.

CRAB LINGUINE 

• 100g linguine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoon creme fraiche
• 100g tin white crabmeat, drained
• handful of spinach or rocket
• zest of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts.

Cook the linguine in boiling water. Drain – but keep a little of the cooking liquid. Heat the olive oil in a pan.  Add the garlic and cook gently to soften – don’t brown.  Stir in the creme fraiche, spinach/rocket leaves and lemon zest and gently heat through. Tip in the cooked pasta and the drained water to help the sauce coat the pasta. Season, stir and serve topped with pine nuts.

FISH WITH PEAS AND LETTUCE

• 1 little gem lettuce, shredded (you can use up that lettuce lurking in the fridge you forget about for this!)
• 2 spring onions, thickly sliced
• handful frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 140g boneless white fish fillet
• 1 tablespoon creme fraiche

Mix together the lettuce, spring onions and peas in a microwave proof dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sit the fish on top, spoon over the crème fraiche and season.  Cover with cling film and pierce.  Microwave for 6 – 8 minute until the fish is cooked.  Lift off the fish and give the lettuce and peas a good stir.  Spoon on to a plate and serve with the fish. You could also add fresh prawns to cook, cooked prawns at the end and/or a little grated cheese.

And to finish  . . . Honeyed Almond figs

Cut 2 ripe figs in half.  Spoon over 2 tablespoons greek yogurt and drizzle with 1 tablespoon runny honey.  Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and a few flaked, toasted almonds.

Heat butter in a large frying pan. Add shallots, leek and garlic, then gently fry for 7 mins until softened. Increase the heat, add mushrooms, then cook for 10 mins, stirring, until the juices have evaporated and the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the mustard and crème fraîche, then season well. Cook for a further 2 mins then stir in the chopped tarragon. Preheat the grill. Spoon the hot pâté on to toast, garnish with the extra tarragon, then serve with salad leaves.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stupidscottishwalk

This week, my daughter, Alice, her husband, Ben and four friends ( Will, (another) Will, Alex and Jenn are walking the The West Highland Way, a linear long distance footpath in Scotland. It is 154 km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands to raise money for a charity for children. They are walking it in 5 days instead of the usual 7 which means an average of 21 miles a day.  Yesterday apparently proved very hard as there was practically no footpath and they ended up, after 12 hours, walking it in the dark with headlamps! I am so unbelievably proud of all of them that this week’s recipe is especially for Alice – one of her favourite soups, which I am sure she would love to find at the end of a cold and wet day.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 stick celery (don’t worry about the rest – wrap in tin foil and put in the fridge – it will keep for ages there!)
• 1 small leek
• 1 small potato
• 1 knob butter (how big is a knob?  As big or small as you love butter)
• 1/2 litre chicken or vegetable stock (from a stock cube will do)
• 1/2 head broccoli
• 50g (ish) stilton, crumbled

Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and then add finely chopped onion. Cook on a medium heat until soft. Add a splash of water if the onion starts to catch.Add 1 sliced celery stick, 1 sliced leek, 1 diced small potato and a knob of butter. Stir until melted, then cover with a lid. Allow to sweat for 5 minutes then remove the lid. Pour in chicken or vegetable stock and add any chunky bits of stalk from the broccoli. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Add the rest of the roughly chopped broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in 140g crumbled stilton, allowing a few lumps to remain. Season with black pepper and serve.

And, because you will probably have some broccoli and stilton left over – something to do with them!

Chinese broccoli

• 1 dessertspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/2 head of broccoli, cut into florets        50g frozen peas
• 1 dessertspoon soy sauce   1/2 teaspoon honey    1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• To make the dressing, mix the soy, honey and sesame oil together. Mix the seeds together. Boil the broccoli and peas for 2 mins, then drain. Tip the broccoli and peas back in the pan, pour half the dressing and half the seeds over, and shake for a few secs. Serve sprinkled with the rest of the dressing and seeds.

Roast squash and blue cheese

• 2 tbsp olive oil    1 small butternut squash    50g stilton
• Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Heat the oven to 200°/180°C fan/ gas 6. Put the oil in a large, shallow baking tray or casserole and put in the oven to heat up. Deseed and chop the squash into 1.5cm pieces. When the oil is very hot, add the squash, season and roast for around 1 hour, turning once or twice, until the squash pieces are deep golden and slightly charred. Crumble over the stilton, then return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Sprinkle over the parsley, and some salt, then squeeze over a drizzle of lemon juice and serve hot or warm.

Below is a picture of the brave walkers – and a link to their charity if you would be so kind!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stupidscottishwalk