Monthly Archives: March 2019

Rhubarb Gin

We all need cheering up on a Monday and the thought of making Rhubarb Gin to drink at the weekend (ok Sunday) does just that for me!  Ridiculously pink and tasting fresh and springlike this makes for a fabulously different  gin and tonic or a twist on a spritz when topped with Prosecco (or soda water if you are feeling more virtuous or have to drive).  My favourite way to use it though is in a rhubarb martini.   I mix equal parts of the rhubarb gin and juices from roasted rhubarb (see TIPS below) and serve it over ice sharpened with a little lemon juice to taste – I use a good squeeze per glass.  I then eat the roasted rhubarb the next day with yoghurt and granola.  So really you can argue that making rhubarb gin is an essential part of your healthy eating regime! But should you prefer not to roast rhubarb or want to make a few rhubarb martinis you can use the rhubarb syrup recipe (again see TIPS below) as a substitute, again using lemon juice when mixing to taste.

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Beef Bhuna

I think that smell has more power than any other of the senses to bring back memories.  The spicy sweet smells of this bhuna are my own personal time capsule back to a time when I was at college and living in a London bedsit.   Lilly, who lived in one of the bedsits below me, used to make bhuna weekly.  I’d not smelt anything at all like it.  I think it is the fenugreek seeds in the bhuna that gives it that beguiling maple syrup curried smell.  Give  this curry a go and let me know what you think it smells of and to create memories of your own.  I think that it’s a special dish.

To start this curry off you toast the spices and then grind them to a coarse powder in either a pestle and mortar or a grinder (in my case a repurposed coffee grinder that I keep especially for this – unless you like curry spiced coffee!)

You don’t have to make this curry with beef.  Chicken, lamb, butternut squash (or any robust vegetable) all work instead   Traditionally it’s quite a dry curry that majors on tomatoes, ginger and garlic but I like to add extra tomatoes so it’s slightly more liquid as that way you don’t have to watch it so much in the final cooking   It’s in that last cooking that the flavour develops so leave the final seasoning right to the end.  I add some yoghurt or Creme fraiche at this stage too which is totally my own take – I find it balances the flavours out to my personal taste but please add or not depending on your taste. Continue reading →

Banana Pancakes

Very soft and fluffy and with the banana taste rounding them out rather than whacking you in the face, these banana pancakes were a great hit for Sunday breakfast this weekend.  They would be a great alternative for pancake day if you aren’t confident about making (and flipping) the traditional sort that you serve with sugar and lemon.  I have to admit that I am guilty of panicking when it comes to traditional pancakes and always make them in advance in case of on the spot disasters.  But these banana pancakes – no problem!

Pancakes and Maple Syrup

I wasn’t sure that I’d like banana pancakes as I am not a great cooked banana fan though I am a recent convert to Banana and Chocolate Chip Loaf but I like these rather a lot.  You can make them vegan (see recipe below) without any problems so that’s brilliant news if you have people with different dietary needs in your house.  I am firmly of the opinion food should bring us together and not drive us apart.  But hey, we are talking about pancakes here so i will keep this light!

If you want to vary this recipe try adding in some chocolate chips or blueberries to the batter, or add some spices – a half teaspoon of cinnamon, cardamom or ginger would be great here. As for the toppings though I love maple syrup, try golden syrup, peanut butter, almond butter, or your favorite fresh fruit all of which would also make yummy toppings

A quick thank you here to my lovely friend Hannah Colville who gave me a masterclass at the beginning of the year in how to make American Pancakes of which these are a type of.  She is an amazing baker and still in her early teens.   Thank you Hannah!

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Italian Salad with Olives, Parmesan and Basil

I make this salad a lot.  The basil, parmesan  and olives infuse into the balsamic and olive oil in a way that brings everything alive, and every mouthful you take gives different little flavour explosions depending on how much of which ingredient you have scooped up on your fork.  It’s brilliant with so many things such as the Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Potatoes, Thyme and Garlic in my last post but also alongside any simply cooked main such as steak (cauliflower steak included), chicken, fish, pies etc etc.  I even love it alongside a bolognese, vegan or otherwise.   Actually, if I am honest, I just like this salad – a lot!  I think it’s all those Unami flavours. Continue reading →

Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Potatoes, Thyme and Garlic

I love a roast on a Sunday.  I love a long dog walk on a Sunday.   Or catching up on all the things I’d promised myself I would do during the week – like pottering in the garden or reading the Sunday newspapers with a large cup of coffee.   Unfortunately producing a roast and doing any of these things usually doesn’t make for a relaxing day.  Enter the solution – Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb.  Particularly appropriate this St David’s Day weekend but delicious any time.   The lamb sits on a layer of garlicky potatoes and onions (though you could substitute thickly sliced leeks if you want to go all out for the Welsh theme) which absorb all the lambs cooking juice and fill the house with the most amazing appetising smells. It cooks for 4-5 hours leaving you plenty of time to do other things (see all of the above) whilst it gently cooks in your oven.   It’s a dish that looks after itself, is flexible if your walk takes an hour longer than you thought (or you diverted by the pub) and any leftovers can be turned into dishes for the week ahead – for example Monday Pie.  The meat ends up so soft when it finishes cooking you can pull the bones out with your hands!  It’s practically the lamb equivalent of pulled pork!

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