Sweetcorn Relish

We had an American themed tea tonight, in honour of that election! Made fantastic apple pie, home made burgers (see Pete’s burger) wedge chips, and worked on a new recipe for a sweetcorn relish… thankfully it was delicious, strong tasting, but complemented the robust flavour of the burger. Very well priced this, for 4 good sized jars, I used about three quarters of a bag of frozen sweetcorn, and some bits and bobs from the bottom of the fridge...

Ingredients

500g sweetcorn (I used frozen, or you could use 10 cobs)
16floz vinegar (I used a mix of red wine vinegar and a drop or two of malt.. what's in your cupboard?)
2 sticks of celery, very finely chopped
half a cabbage, very finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
three quarters of a cup of sugar
1 and half tbs mustard (I used a ready made, with chilli)
1 chilli (optional)
1 tbs salt
2 tsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with water.

Method

Mix vegetables together, add remaining ingredients (except the cornflour) and cook until corn is tender, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cornflour, stir and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal. Makes about 2 and half pints..

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Haricot bean and mutton stew

Our butcher is supplying mutton again. They explained there hasn’t been a call for it in the last few years.…that’s until recent credit crunch times. This is recipe is delicious, Tunisian in flavour and slow cooked so the meat is really tender. Lovely served with rice, and lemon wedges.

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 onions, chopped
3 tbs olive oil or veg oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
750g (1 and half lb) mutton
500g (1lb) haricot beans, soaked over night
500g (1lb) tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or tinned)
1-2 tsp sugar or to taste
juice of one lemon
half tsp harissa
2 tsp of cinnamon or cumin or mix of both
salt and pepper

Method

Fry the onions in oil until golden, add the garlic and when it begins to colour add the meat and brown it all over, stirring. Then add the drained beans and tomatoes, add the sugar and cover with water. Simmer for 2-3 hours, until the meat and beans are very tender, adding salt and pepper and lemon juice just before serving.


Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Upside-down apple tart

I’m rather annoyed I missed apple day to post this one on! http://www.commonground.org.uk being a big fan of English Apples, and any excuse them. This recipe does just that, and being homemade, it can easily be made egg-free, dairy free- and lets face it there are not many egg-free, dairy free puddings around. Cooking puddings yourself also saves money, and is very satisfying!

This one is a vegan adaptation of the Upside-down apple tart, with orange and oatmeal pastry, from ‘The Almost Vegetarian Cookbook’ (sums me up nicely) by Josceline Dimbleby

The tart can be made in advance, kept in the tin and reheated (good for parties then) The cardamom, honey and orange give a lovely flavour…

Ingredients

125g (4oz) plain flour
50g (2oz) fine oatmeal
75g (3oz) caster sugar
half tsp salt
125g (4oz) dairy free marg
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1-2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
750g (1 and half 1lb) apples
4tbs lemon juice
2 tbs fine-cut orange marmalade
2 tbs clear honey
seeds of 4-5 cardamon pods, ground finely

method

to make pastry, put the flour, oatmeal, caster sugar and salt into a food processor and whiz just once to mix. Add the marg to the flour mixture to the food processor and whiz again briefly, just until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Add the finely grated orange zest and with the motor running, pour in enough orange juice, whizzing very briefly, for the dough to begin to stick together. Pat the pastry into a ball, cover it with clingfilm and leave in the fridge to chill whilst you prepare the apples..

Smear the base and sides of a 19-20cm (7 and half to 8 inc sandwich tin with a little marg (don’t use a tin with a loose base) and preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200oC/400oF. Peel the apples and. Slice the apples in half and using a very sharp knife, cut out the cores. Slice the apples thinly in half moon slices, putting the slices into a bowl and sprinkling them immediately with lemon juice as you cut them to prevent them discolouring. Put the marmalade and honey into a bowl with the ground cardamon seeds, stir together and spread the mixture over the bottom of the buttered sandwich tin. Next arrange the apple slices neatly overlapping in the tin.

Take the pastry from the fridge and using a well floured rolling pin, roll it out very lightly on a floured board the size of the cake tin.
Carefully roll back the pastry over the rolling pin and place it on top of the apples in the tin. If pastry should break at all, don’t worry, simply press it together. Press the overlapping pastry edge down into the sides of the tin and pierce two holes in the top to allow the steam to escape.

Cook the tart in the centre of the preheated oven for 25mins, then turn down to gas mark 3/160oC/325oF for 30mins. Finally, turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the tart in the oven for a further 10-15 mins.

To serve: slide a knife around the edges of the tin and carefully turn the tart out on a flat serving plate. Serve tart warm with dairy free custard or cream…

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Girdle scones (egg, dairy free)

Sunday morning, if I have time, I do like to rustle up some goodies to eat. This week I was experimenting making a vegan version of the classic girdle scone. It went down very easily, especially with a good coating of jam or honey. (If you want the traditional ingredients, just swap dairy free ingredients to butter and milk)

Ingredients
10oz/275g self-raising flour
1-2 oz/ 25g-50g dairy free marg
half tsp salt
soya milk

method

sift flour and salt, rub in marg. Add milk and mix to a soft dough. Place on a floured surface, kneed very lightly and roll out to quarter inch thickness. Cut into triangles and place on a greased and floured moderately hot girdle or heavy based frying pan. When scones are risen slightly and brown, turn them and cook on the other side. Roll on Sunday.

Illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Kofta Curry

More delicious ‘ways with mince’... this is a lovely alternative to a Friday night take away curry. Spicy as you want it, depending on the strength of your chilli. We served it with rice, which worked well. You could equally have it with nan or chapatti, and left overs in a sandwich!

Ingredients

3 onions, sliced
2 gloves garlic
2 green chillies (more or less depending on your taste)
3.5 cm (1 and half inch) piece root ginger
25g (1oz) each coriander and mint leaves
2 tsp salt
500g (1lb) minced beef
4 tbs oil
1 tsp each of chilli powder and ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs water
25g (1oz) tomato puree, diluted in 300ml (half pint) water
mint leaves to garnish

method

put 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 chillies, 1 cm piece ginger, herbs and half the salt into a food processor and work into a paste.

Mix with the minced beef, roll into walnut size balls and fry lightly in 3 tbs oil. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the remaining onions and fry until golden. Crush the remaining garlic and chop the remaining ginger.. Add to the pan with the chilli powder, cumin, ground coriander and the water. Fry stirring for 2 minutes, for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and remaining salt. Simmer for 10 mins. Gently add the meat balls in to the pan and simmer for 30 mins. Garnish with mint to serve.

Illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Half a lamb

On Friday my little boy and I picked up our ‘half a lamb’ from our local farm, ‘Cold Harbour Farm’ We feasted on the liver for Saturday lunch, and had curry on Sunday. The rest has gone in the freezer. If you have an opportunity to buy a half or whole (if you have a big freezer and family) I can highly recommend it. The taste is wonderful, quality meat, couldn’t be more local (no air miles) and very economical. Our half was £40, (a whole would have cost £70) and will keep us going for ages…

If your in the area, contact the very friendly and helpful Jenny Hallam tel 07890 889830 Cold Harbour Farm, New Mills, High Peak.

Today’s illustration, Lamb © 2008 Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Crab-apple Jelly

Next to the Quince Tree (see Quince Chutney) was a small bag full of crab-apple windfalls, fantastic free food! I brought a jelly strainer last week, what a difference it makes, just load it up, then let it drip through over night- simple!
This Jelly is from Jimmy Doherty’s book ‘A Taste of the Country’ It’s the first time I’ve made it, very sharp and sweet at the same time… should go well on toast or with pork…

Ingredients

About 2kg/4 and half lb crab apples
granulated or preserving sugar

method

Wash and chop the crab apples. Put them into a preserving pan with just enough water to cover (about 1 litre/1 and three quarter pints) Bring to the boil slowly, then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally, breaking up the fruit to release the pectin.

After an hour, pour or ladle the fruit and juice into a scalded jelly-bag and allow the juice to drip through for several hours. Measure the strained juice and our it back into a clean preserving pan. For each 565ml or 1 pint of juice add 450g or 1lb of sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Boil until setting point is reached – about 10 to 15 mins. When the jelly is ready, take the pan off the heat, remove the scum from the surface, and quickly pour into sterilized jars –this jelly sets very fast.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Quince chutney

Last week on a walk I found a quince tree, with loads of windfalls, so with a rucksack full I ambled home. I first cooked with quinces a couple of years ago, and didn’t have much luck with them, they where just to hard. So this time, I placed them on the window sill for a week to turn from light green to the riper yellow colour. Then cut them into smaller chunks, time-consuming but worth it, as the resulting chutney is delicious, and no problems this time with hard quince.

I used the following recipe, from www.hungrybrowser.com

8 cups peeled, cored diced quinces
3 oranges thinly sliced
3 cups of brown sugar
1 and half cups honeymead or white wine vinegar (I used a combination of white wine vinegar and malt, and its worked very well)
1 cup sultanas
quarter cup finely chopped preserved ginger (I only had fresh in, which worked very well)
1 cup of raisins
1 medium onion finely chopped
quarter cup yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
half tsp ground cloves
half tsp ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic crushed
juice and zest of 1 lemon

method

combine all ingredients, except ginger with 1 and half cups of water in a large non-reactive saucepan. Simmer for 45 mins. Add ginger, cool five mins, spoon into hot sterilised jars and seal while hot. Keeps 12 months in a cool dark place (the last lot of Quince chutney I made, I kept for 2 years… and was fine when I opened it!) Refrigerate after opening.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Egg free chocolate cake

An absolute delight this one, its rich, dark and very chocolaty. You would never guess that its egg free and dairy free! Just a bit more washing up to do, but always worth it…

ingredients
650ml (22fl oz) boiling water
115g (4oz) creamed coconut
50g (2oz) cocoa powder
400g (14oz) self-raising flour
1 x tsp baking powder
large pinch of salt
225g (8oz) light soft brown sugar
200ml (7 fl oz) sunflower oil
a couple of handfuls of desiccated coconut (optional)
dark chocolate broken into chunks (optional)


method
Pour the boiling water over the coconut and stir until it dissolves. Cool
Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix with the sugar. Make a well in the middle, then pour the oil and coconut mix. Beat everything together to make a smooth batter. Add a handful of desiccated coconut if you like it, and break up a handful of dark chocolate and add chunks. mix.

Pour the mix into a greased and lined 3 pint loaf tin, and if you like coconut, sprinkle another handful of desiccated coconut over the top.. and bake at 180o/350oF/gas mark 4 for 1 and a quarter hours (unless you have a really knackered oven like me, in which case it maybe half an hour longer!) You will know its ready when its well risen and just firm to the touch. (the first time I baked this it was slightly underdone, and was more like a hot pudding, it was delicious with custard/cream/icecream!) Leave to cool in the tin, for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

An ancient illustration, found in an old sketch book © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Leek and Potato soup

A delicious soup, rich and creamy, a real comforter. This one is a ‘Tom Norrington-Davies, from his great book ‘cupboard love’. I swapped all the dairy ingredients for soya equivalents, which worked very well, the milk curdles a bit (but it is prone to in the dairy version to) but mix it all in and problem resolved.

Ingredients (for 4-6 people you need)

3-4 leeks (about 400g untrimmed weight)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
200ml milk
2 large, floury potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp salk
300ml water
2 springs of tarragon, stripped from the stalk and chopped, or half tsp of dried version

method

use as much of the leeks as you can. Trim away only the very roughest part of the green top and the little beard of the root and outermost layer if necessary. Leeks can be muddy, and the easiest way to wash them is after you have sliced them up. Just put the slices in a colander and run them under a tap. It doesn’t matter if they break up a bit.

The soup is very straightforward. Braise the leeks and garlic in the milk over a gentle heat until soft, then add the potatoes. Don’t worry if the leeks appear to curdle the milk, the soup will come back together. Add the salt and about half the water. Simmer gently until the potatoes are about to fall apart, then add the remaining water. Bring to the simmering point and mash gently. If you want to use the tarragon, add it just before serving. If the soup seems thick, loosen it with more milk or water, then check the seasoning.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Rice pudding

A taste of childhood… but actually better than I remember! It’s so easy to make, lovely with cows milk or soya milk. Try different flavourings and extra’s such as adding raisons, or almonds, or using it as a bed for poached fruit. There are many variations on the rice pudding recipes, but this is a great one to start with…

Ingredients

200g (7oz) Italian risotto or pudding rice or sticky rice
350ml (12oz) water
up to 1 litre (1 three quarter pints) milk (or soya)
175g (6oz) sugar or to taste
zest of half a lemon (optional)
vanilla essence (optional)

method

put the rice in a large pot with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for about 5-6mins, or until the water is absorbed. Keep an eye on it, and stir so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add half to three quarters of the milk, bring to the boil and simmer on a very low heat for 30-40 mins, or until the rice is very soft and the milk almost absorbed (if this happens to quickly add the rest of the milk) stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick. Stir in the sugar and the lemon zest and a vanilla essence to taste. Cook for a few mins longer. Serve hot or cold.

Illustration © Lois Blackburn please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Pork sausage with lentils

My other half made this variation of an Italian recipe tonight and I have to add it here, its delicious and cheap and cheerful! Its inspired by Gennaro Contaldo’s recipe Zampone con lenticchie, but replaced Italian sausage with locally produced pork sausages..

Ingredients

350g puy lentils
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 large potato, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
3 whole garlic gloves, crushed
4 tbs olive oil
about 1.5 litres veg stock
pork sausages (we used 6 from our fantastic local butcher)

method

wash the lentils. Drain and place in large pan with carrots, courgette, potato, celery, parsley, garlic and olive oil. Pour in enough stock to cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 mins, or until the lentils are soft and the dish has a stew like consistency.

Meanwhile, fry the sausage until coloured, chop it up, and add to the stew for the last 10mins or so of cooking. This way the sausage gives even more flavour to the stew.

Remove from the heat, and serve with seasonal green veg. (we used steamed cabbage which was lovely)

Illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Sloe gin season

I made my first batch last year, delicious stuff…(once I was sure that I was picking proper sloe berries, and not some poisonous berry) It’s a sweet drink and seems quite strong, you can drink it neat or with some tonic and ice. I’ve heard about recipes with almonds, which sounds lovely, maybe I’ll try that this year....

Ingredients

450g/1lb sloes
170g/6oz sugar
1 bottle of gin
2 empty bottles (recycle your own, or buy from supplier such as Lakeland Ltd)


method

Choose ripe sloes and wash, dry and prick them. The best ones are supposed to be picked after the first frost- If you can’t wait, stick them in the freezer for a few days…
Fill the bottles halfway up with fruit and sugar and top up with the gin. Cork well and store for 3 months or much longer. (so if you do now, in time for Christmas) shake it occasionally. When your ready to drink it, strain the gin through muslin into a clean bottle.

Illustration © Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Spiced Brandy

A new challenge for me, a egg free Christmas Cake.. well I’ve made a start, I found this recipe for Spiced Brandy on http://piginthekitchen.blogspot.com/ which I will be feeding the cake with.. Ok, maybe Brandy isn’t the most economical item in my shopping list, but I think its worth every penny, a Christmas Cake without booze is a sorry thing.. and the cake will last and feed lots of hungry people.. trouble is it tastes so good, it might not last long enough for the cake!

ingredients

500ml Brandy
3-4 star anise
2-3 mace blades
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla pod
1-2 tsps of sugar

method

To make the spiced brandy, put 500ml of brandy into a saucepan. Add the star anise, the mace blades, the cinnamon sticks. Split the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds into the brandy and then add the split pod. Heat it slowly and let it bubble for about a minute. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When completely cold pour it into a bottle / preserving jar and push all the spices in as well. You may have to cut the star anise in half to get it through the neck of a bottle, but not to worry. You now have brandy to make the cake, feed the cake and to swig at stressful moments of the Yuletide Season. You can remove the spices after about a month, or leave them in for a very spicy drink.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn. www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Fruit pie

Pies = a little bit of heaven


And at this time of the year, can cost next to nothing. With blackberries to pick and apples in season to scrumpy (or ask nicely for from a friendly neighbour)
Here’s a recipe for you to play with what ever fruit is in session… blackberry and apple like me, or apple, raisins and cinnamon or rhubarb and lemon…. The list goes on..

Ingredients

6oz short crust pastry (make your own for economy, or cheat like me and get it out of the freezer)
1 and half lb of fresh fruit
4 oz sugar

method

place the fruit in a pie dish with sugar spread on each layer, finish with a layer of fruit piled high in the middle, add a little water, cover with pastry.
Bake just above centre in a hot oven (425o-450oF) gas mark 6-7 for 15 mins, then lower the temp a little for about 20mins until the fruit is cooked. Dredge with sugar and serve hot or cold… with custard, with icecream, with cream, with a cup of tea, the choose is yours.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn. www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Boston Baked Beans

Love my beans, this is a delicious, tasty mix with bacon/pork slices… this is when I wish I had an old fashioned stove to cook it slowly all day…

Ingredients

1 lb haricot beans, washed and soaked overnight
8oz sliced pork (or thick sliced bacon)
2 tsp salt
1 tbs brown sugar
quarter cup of dark molasses or treacle
half tsp dry mustard
half tsp Worcestershire sauce

method

Drain the beans, cover with fresh water and cook covered with a lid until beans are tender. Turn beans into pot, press the pork on top of the beans. Mix the salt, brown sugar, molasses or treacle, mustard, Worcestershire sauce. Add 1 cup of boiling water and pour over the beans. Add additional water and cover beans. Cover and bake in slow oven (250o-300oF, Gas Mark 1-2) for 6 – 8 hours adding additional water to keep beans just covered. Uncover during the last 30 mins to brown pork and beans.

Blackberry jam

Everyone seems to have enjoyed the sunshine at the weekend, and been out picking blackberries, so I’ve been frustrated by significantly fewer around… still have one or two more secret spots to try.. got to get a stock in the freezer for winter crumbles…

Here’s a recipe I followed earlier this week for the cost of the sugar and lemon, a significant amount of delicious jam….

2 lb blackberries
2 lb sugar
juice of 1 lemon

method

warm the sugar for 1-2 mins, add the blackberries. Once liquid is forming, turn the heat up, and bring to the boil. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Skim the froth off. Boil until setting point is reached 105oC /220oF (about 6- 7 mins)
Pour into clean sterilised pots.

Today's illustration © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Moussaka

Tried this recipe out this evening, and can highly recommend it. Its another from Claudia Roden’s ‘The Book of Jewish Food’, and makes a pleasant change from the usual recipe. Without any dairy products, it is a lighter and fresher tasting moussaka.

Ingredients (serves 8)

1kg (2lb) aubergines, cut into thin slices
salt
oil for frying
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1kg (2lb) minced lamb or beef
1 and half tsp cinnamon
half tsp allspice
pepper
2 tbs tomato puree
a bunch of flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
750g (1 and half lb) tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar or more (optional)

method

sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and leave them for about an hour, then rinse and dry them on a tea towel or kitchen paper. Fry in very hot oil very briefly, turning them over once, so that they are only lightly browned all over and don’t have to much time to absorb too much oil, drain on layers of kitchen paper, and cover with more to get rid of any excess oil.

Fry the onions in 2 tbs of oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic and fry till aroma rises. Add the minced meat, cinnamon, allspice, salt and plenty of pepper. Crush the meat and mix well until it changes colour. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 10 mins, then stir in the parsley.

Assemble the moussaka in a baking dish. Arrange a layer of fried aubergine slices at the bottom. Cover with a layer of tomato slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spread the minced meat filling on top. Cover with a second layer of aubergin and tomato slices. Bake uncovered for 30-40 mins at 350oF/180oC/gas mark 4.

Variations
- courgettes maybe used instead of aubergines.
- Another favourite is potato moussaka, use layers of thinly sliced new potatoes about 1kg (2lb) instead of the aubergines. It will need longer cooking.

Today’s illustration, © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Yellow split pea soup with Frankfurters

This very tasty recipe is from Claudia Roden’s fantastic ‘The Book of Jewish Food’. Although, I might disappoint Claudia by using ‘Pork Frankfurters’… (but they were a tasty, bargin treat from Aldi)

Claudia suggests that you can use dry white haricot or butter beans or red or yellow lentils- none of which I’ve tried, so if you do, please let me know the results.. The quantities here serve 10, and demand a very big pot…

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 tbs light veg oil
500g (1lb) yellow split peas, soaked overnight
3 litres (5 and half pints) chicken or beef stock (I used 2 litres of veg stock, which was lovely)
a bunch of celery leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
350g (12 oz) skinless frankfurters or wurst sausages, sliced
juice of half lemon or more to taste.

Method

In a very large pan, gently fry the onion and carrots in the oil until they soften. Add the drained split peas and about two-thirds of the stock, and bring to the boil. Remove the scum, add the celery leaves and simmer, covered on a very low heat for about an hour, or until the peas are soft.
Liquidize the soup. Add salt and pepper, the bay leaves and the rest of the stock (if you need it, choice the consistency you like) cook for half an hour longer. Add the sausages and lemon juice, and cook a few mins more. Serve very hot.

Today’s illustration ‘yellow split peas’ mono print, © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Flapjack

Flapjacks are so easy, tasty, filling and of course economical..Here’s a good basic recipe for you to try. If you fancy you can add extra’s, and loose the orange rind..I like a few spoons on mince meat (if you have any lurking at the back of the fridge like me- left over from last Christmas! Its still in date I promise) or dried fruit, such as apricots or dates, just cook them lightly in a bit of water or fruit juice, then add in a layer or just mix with the rest of the ingredients.. don’t be tempted to overcook flapjacks, they’ll turn crisp and dry and loose their chewy texture.

Ingredients for around 18
1 cup of unsalted butter (or marg)
Finely grated rind of large orange
Two thirds cup of golden syrup
Half a cup of light muscovado sugar (brown)
3 and quarter cups of oats

method

1.preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of a 28 x 20cm /11 x 8inc shallow baking tin, with baking parchment
2. put the butter, orange rind, syrup and sugar in a large pan and heat gently until the butter has melted.
3. add the oats to the pan and stir thoroughly, tip the mixture into the tin and spread to an even layer
4. bake for 15-20 mins, until colouring at the edges, it will be soft in the tin, but hardens when cool. Leave in tin to cool
5. lift the flapjack out of the tin in one piece and cut into your choice of shape.

Today’s illustration ‘Tala measuring jug’ © Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

thriftysomething

A funny article about thrifty stylish eating…’How to be a thriftysomething’ by Polly Vernon, for The Observer, Sunday Sept 21st.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/21/foodanddrink4

Basic vinaigrette

Those ready made vinaigrettes are sooo expensive when you look at the raw ingredients, plus if you make it yourself, you get to recycle that old jam jar (or go and purchase a lovely purpose made dressing container) and you can adapt it to your own taste, a little bit more mustard? Any more garlic? Or add honey, or try different oils…. Up to you

Ingredients (makes about half a cup)

4-6 tbs olive oil or sunflower (or mix of both)
1 tbs wine or cider vinegar
1 tbs lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper


method

mix all the ingredients in your chosen lidded container and shake well.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Porridge of sorts

I love hot porridge, everyone has their own way (my dad’s a proper Scot adding salt!) Its fantastic economical food, really filling and good for you. If you haven’t tried a cold variety, you maybe pleasantly surprised. All you need to do is get yourself organised the night before, then grab the bowl out of the fridge in the morning.. and add toppings of your choice…

Ingredients
Porridge oats
Water or milk, or soya milk or even apple juice (I use plain old tap water)
Raisins or other dried fruit (optional)

Method
Mix in a bowl porridge oats with the liquid of your choice, I make it to a slightly runny porridge consistency. The oats will soak up the liquid overnight, so play around with quantities to suit you… you can always add extra milk/cream in the morning.. I like to add raisins or other dried fruit, such as apricots to the mix, they will plump up during the night, and add extra sweetness to the porridge. Put into the fridge overnight.

In the morning take your bowl out, give it a stir, add more liquid if you like, then whatever topping you fancy. You could add some grated apple, banana, fresh fruit, jam, cream. My favourite quickly dry frying some flaked almonds and adding those, with some soya cream if I have any open in the fridge….

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Love Food Hate Waste

My Friend Fred just gave me a link to this fantastic website,

"Every year in the UK we throw away one third of all the food we buy – most of which could be eaten. Love Food Hate Waste is a campaign from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) that provides tasty recipes and top tips that helps us cut back on wasting food."

A great site, I like the Portion calcualator, (although my other half might be frightened by the reduced portions on his plate) and lots of good advice and ideas...

Rich tomato sauce

Pete’s favourite tomato sauce, you can use it with pasta, or meatballs, lasagne, etc etc. its simplicity itself, but rich and tasty. Keep an eye out at your food suppliers for offers on tins of tomatoes, if your anything like me you’ll never have enough in your larder.

3 tins chopped tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
4 good slugs of olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium heat, throw the garlic in, let it sizzle for a minute, (be careful not to brown/burn it) throw in your tins of tomatoes, and stir until it comes to the boil. Turn it down to a simmer, and allow to reduce slowly. (about 45 mins) the sauce will be really thick and rich. Add plenty of seasoning to taste.

Today’s illustration ‘tomato’ © Lois Blackburn. Please go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more examples.

Spiced lentil soup with coconut

Red lentils are fantastic, very economical to buy, full of iron (great for adolescents, menstruating or pregnant women) provide slow-burning complex carbs, high levels of proteins, vit B1 and minerals.. This recipe is an unusual twist on a lentil soup, having a mix of the sweet pepper flavour & ginger, spicy chilli and creamy coconut. Great for a autumn day. This is inspired by a recipe in Sarah Brown’s Vegetarian Cookbook.

Ingredients

Half cup of red split lentils (soaked for 10mins in hot water, then drained)
1 tbs oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
half tsp chilli powder
half tsp grated gingerroot
quarter tsp grated nutmeg
1 medium red pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 medium green pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 and a quarter cups of veg stock
2 and half cups of coconut milk (you can used creamed coconut to make it, blended with water)
salt and pepper

serves 4-6

method

1. heat the oil in large heavy bottomed saucepan and gently fry the onion and spices for 3-4mins
2. add the peppers and lentils and continue to fry for 4-5mins, stirring now and again
3. pour in the stock, bring to a boil the simmer gently covered for 10 mins
4. stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer covered for 35-40 mins, let it cool for a few mins
5. puree the soup, season then re-heat if necessary

today’s illustration ‘peppers’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more examples

Rabbit stew

I love rabbit, but sadly have only eaten it in Restaurants in Italy. I’ve tried lots of different ways of cooking it myself, some trying to recreate those meditation flavours, others (like the following recipe) following a more traditional English method… I’ve been told at my local butcher that rabbit is available in months with an R in! Rabbit is good value meat, and a source of high quality protein and its leaner than beef, pork and chicken meat.

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (ask your butcher to divide it up into small joints)
quarter of a pound of streaky bacon
1 pint of stock
1 glass of red wine
2 oz of butter
1 and half oz of flour
18 button onions or shallots, peeled
a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf)
2 cloves
6 peppercorns
salt and pepper to taste

method:

1. cut the bacon into small pieces, heat the oil in a pan and fry the bacon and onions until browned, remove to a plate.
2. Add the rabbit to the pan, and when its got a little colour sprinkle in the flour, continue to fry until the rabbit and flour have a good colour.
3. Put the onion and bacon back in the pan, add the hot stock, bouquet garni, cloves peppercorns and salt to taste, cover closely and cook gently for about an hour, or until the rabbit is tender (I like my rabbit after a few hours for a long, slow cook)
4. About 15 mins before serving add the wine.

Today’s illustration rabbits, © Lois Blackburn please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more images

Cream of Split Pea Soup

I made this delicious nutritious, credit crunch beating, soup for lunch today. I used green split peas, you could equally use yellow split peas or even red lentils. Today I made double the quantity, to put half in the freezer for another day….

Half cup of yellow or green split peas.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbs sunflower oil
1 large potato diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
3- 4 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken if you choose)
salt and pepper
serves 4-6

method

1. soak the peas in hot water for an hour and drain
2. in a large heavy bottom pan, fry onion and garlic gently in the oil for 3-4mins
3. add the potato, celery, split peas, caraway and cook for another 5-6 mins stirring occasionally
4. put in the bay leaf and most of the stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer covered for 40mins. Remove the bay leaf and let soup cool for a few mins.
5. Puree in a blender, adding more stock if soup is too thick. Season, reheat and serve.

(This is a variation of a recipe from Sarah Browns Vegetarian Cookbook)

todays illustration © lois Blackburn please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Blackberry and apple crumble

Last night I made another blackberry and apple crumble, a staple of this time of year. It seems impossible to go out for a walk right now, without coming home laden with blackberries. I’ve just had a neighbour offer me apples from their tree to, so I’m sorted! My crumbles are all different, depending on what ingredients I have at hand, I recommend you do the same… see whats in your store cupboard, what around for free, and then experiment. Here is a basic recipe for you to play with:

Ingredients (filling)
3 large Bramley apples (or whatever you can get hold of for free)
150g caster sugar
pinch of cinnamon
a good punnet of blackberries

topping
50g/2oz butter or marg (butter crumbles are lovely, but marg works just fine)
110g/4oz plain flour (or I like a mix of flour and oats)
55g/2oz caster sugar
seeds such as linseed or flaked almonds (optional)

method
1. preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6
2. peel, core and cut apples into slices of chunks
3. add a splash of water to a pan, the sugar and cinnamon and gently sauté the apples until slightly cooked
4. add the blackberries to the apples and stir gently
5. to make the topping, lightly rub butter or marg into the flour (or flour oat mix) add the sugar an rub into crumbs.
6. spoon the apples and blackberries into a shallow, ovenproof dish, sprinkle over crumb mixture
7. cover with seed or flaked almonds if desired
8. place in the oven for about 20-30 mins or until light golden brown.
9. serve with icecream, or cream or yogurt or custard!

It freezes well, allowing you to take advantage of the glut of fruit.

Today’s illustration ‘blackberries’ © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Pork sausages with lemon potatoes and bay leaves

We have a wonderful butcher in our local town, they must have at least 20 varieties of sausages there, from Blackpudding and pork to Cumberland, to spicy beef, to garlic and herb, delicious. If you haven’t checked your local butcher out recently, do try, hopefully they to will have a range of delicious sausages, along with regional specialities. Its worth spending a bit more on quality butchers sausages, our local ones, have less fat, no water (that supermarkets add to meat for extra weight) and taste fantastic. Your still looking at a very economical meal… this is a delicious way to add a bit of sophistication to your bangers!

Ingredients:

450g of pork chipolatas (or other good quality pork sausages)
4 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
750g small waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered
zest and juice of half a lemon
4 fresh bay leaves
2 tbs chopped parsley
salt and fresh black pepper

method:

Preheat the oven to 180oC /Gas Mark 4. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Add the sausages and fry until nicely browned all over. Lift onto a plate and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and another tbs of oil to the casserole and fry until soft and lightly golden. Stir in the potatoes, sausages, lemon zest and juice, bay leaves, half the chopped parsley, half tsp salt and black pepper. Pour over the rest of the oil along with 120ml water, cover tightly with lid and back for 30-40 mins until the potatoes are tender. Remove the lemon zest and sprinkle with the rest of the parsley before serving.

Todays illustration is pig © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Bread and Butter Pudding

And while we’re on bread puddings, I thought I better add my old favourite (sadly not anymore, with all those eggs and milk and butter) here’s the basic to play around with to your hearts content. Leave it as it is, or add marmalade, or apricot jam, or slides of orange, or pieces of chocolate, or……

Ingredients:
5 or 6 thin slices of bread and butter
1 pint of milk
2 eggs
1 dessert spoon of sugar
sultanas, currents, or candied lemon

method:
cut of the crusts and divide each slice into 4 squares, arrange them in layers in a well-greased pie dish and sprinkle each layer with sultanas or whatever is being used. Beat the eggs, and the add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then mix in the milk and pour gently over the bread, which should only half fill the dish. Let it stand at least an hour for the bread to soak, then bake in a moderately cool oven for nearly 1 hour.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 people

Today’s illustration ‘toast’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk to see more work.

Bread pudding

A friend of mine just asked if I have a recipe for bread pudding, although I have made lots of bread and butter puddings in my life, I’ve never made a bread pudding. Curious to find out more, I turned to my trusty “Mrs Beeton’s Everyday Cookery’ (an absolute gem of a cookery book and the basis for many an economical delicious dish) and here follows the recipe…. A great way of using up any remnants of bread..

Bread pudding, baked.

Ingredients:
8oz of stale bread
4oz of raisins or currents
2oz of finely shredded suet (you can get vegi versions of suet, or I’m guessing you could use butter)
2oz of sugar
1 egg
a little milk
a good pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Break the bread into small pieces, cover them with cold water, soak for half an hour, then strain and squeeze dry. Beat out all the lumps with a fork, and stir in the sugar, suet, raisins, nutmeg and mix well. Add the egg, previously beaten, and as much milk as necessary to make the mixture moist enough to drop readily from the spoon. Pour into a greased pie-dish and bake gently for about 1 hour. When done, turn out on to a dish, and dredge well with sugar. Sufficient for about 5 or 6 people.

Today’s illustration ‘toast’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk to see more work.

Herring in oats (with bacon if you fancy)

A Scottish classic this, and one of my Dad’s favourites, the flavour and texture of the oats mixes beautifully with the oily flesh of the herring, the bacon (if used) adds another dimension with its salty crisp consistency. Herring is a very reasonable priced fish, and really good for you. Their high in healthy Omega- 3 fatty acids, and are a source of Vit D. Serve with bread and butter and a salad.

Serves 2

2 herring, filleted
salt and ground black pepper
100g of medium oatmeal, or if you don’t have good old porridge oats
1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 rashers of streaky bacon (if using) cut into small pieces

Spread the oats onto a plate, season well, then coat both sides of the herring by pressing the fish into the mix. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil then fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and keep warm. Then lay the coated herring into the pan, flesh side down, fry for a minute, then turn over and fry for one or two mins more, or until the oatmeal is golden. Serve straight away with the bacon.

Todays illustration, fish net © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more examples

Hedgerow Jam

Around here there is an unending supply of blackberries at this time of the year, some of the other ingredients in this jam are a bit harder to forage, but I found enough last year to make this recipe, (you can always exchange ingredients if you have more of one and less of another) we’re about to eat the last jar from last years batch! Lovely spooned onto hot Porrage….

This fantastic virtually ‘free food’ recipe is from the ‘Women’s Institute, Jams, Pickles & Chutneys’ by Midge Thomas

225g (8oz) rose hips
225g (8oz) haws
225g (8oz) rowan berries
225g (8oz) sloes
450g (1lb) crab apples
450g (1lb) blackberries
450g (1lb) elderberries
115g (4oz) hazelnuts, chopped
900 g (2lb) sugar, plus the weight of the fruit pulp

1. wash and clean all the fruit well. Put the rose hips, haws, rowan berries, sloes and crab apples in a large preserving pan and add water to cover. Cook until all the fruit is tender- about 1 hour
2. sieve the fruits and weigh the resulting pulp. Put the pulp back into the washed preserved pan and add the blackberries, elderberries and chopped nuts. Simmer for about 15mins
3. add the 900g (2lb) of sugar plus as much extra sugar as the weight of the pulp. Cook over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and then boil rapidly until the setting point is reached. Remove any scum
4. pour into cooled, sterilised jars, seal and label.

Todays illustration, rosehips and hedgerow jam, pen and ink © Lois Blackburn, please go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Baba ghanoush (aubergine and Tahini dip)

This is a delicious vegetarian dip, that you can serve with pita bread, salads, and particularly good accompaniment to falafel. If your not keen Tahini, or just want a change, you can use mayonnaise in the mix instead. Although out of season aubergine are not that cheap, this recipe makes a large bowl full, so you can be generous with portions, and compared with shop brought its economical… plus you can adjust it to your tastes.. a little bit more garlic?

1 large aubergine
3 tbs Tahini (sesame paste)
juice of 1 lemon
salthttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbs finely chopped parsley (flat-leaved if possible)

Prick the aubergine with a knife or fork, and cook in a hot oven (if your oven is on for another recipe, this is a good way of saving energy- cook up more than one dish at a time) or under the grill, or over a flame till it’s very soft inside and blackened on the outside. Peel and chop the flesh, and mashhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif in a colander, letting the juices run out. Beat the Tahini with a tbs of water and the lemon juice, then beat with the pureed aubergine. Add salt and pepper and garnish with the parsley.

todays illustration, aubergine, tahini and lemon line drawing © Lois Blackburn. To view more go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk

‘Ma-po’ dofu (tofu) beef

Another fantastic recipe from Ching-He Huang’s fantastic new book ‘Chinese Food made Easy’ every one a winner. This one uses minced beef (brought from the butcher, an economical buy, and some dofu (tofu) which is reasonable, especially if purchased from a Chinese Store…..

serves 4 to share

300g/11oz minced beef or pork
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbs groundnut oil
2 garlic gloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tbs chilli bean sauce
400g/14oz firm fresh dofu (tofu) cut into 1 inc chunks
200ml/7fl oz hot beef stock
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbs cornflour blended with 2 tbs cold water
2 large spring onions, sliced
sea salt and ground white pepper
cooked jasmine rice

For the marinade

1tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

1. Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl and stir to combine. Add the minced meat and leave to marinate for 10 mins.
2. heat a wok over a high heat. Add the minced meat and cook until browned, then transfer to a bowl and put to one side.
3. Put the Sichuan peppercorns into a small pan and dry roast until fragrant, then remove from the heat and crush into a pestle and mortar. Reheat the wok and add the groundnut oil. Stir-fry half the crushed Sichuan peppercorns to release their aroma, then stir in the garlic, ginger, chilli and chilli bean sauce. Add the minced meat and dofu and stir-fry gently for 2 mins.
4. add the hot stock and bring to the boil, then season to taste with the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add the blended cornflour and stir to thicken. Stir in the spring onions. Sprinkle on the remaining crushed Sichuan peppercorns, and serve with rice.
Todays illustration ‘sesame oil’ © Lois Blackburn go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

China Town

Yesterday I had a treat, a visit to China Town, Manchester. We had a large lunch (2 x courses and China tea for £4.50 a head!) and then a shopping trip to the Wing Fat Supermarket. www.wing-fat.co.uk what a joy. Row after row of exciting, sometimes exotic, delicious goodies, and so cheap compared with standard supermarkets. I ended up with 3 bags full including a huge bag of fried bean curd for £1.46 a giant bag of Pak Choi for £1.71 and a big pack of Tofu for just £1.05… now I’ve just got to get the wok out and start cooking…

Today’s illustration is ‘sweets’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more examples

economical cooking tips

Make yourself a cup of tea, sit down, and think of the best tips for creating economical, tasty, ethical food…..what can you add?

1. free food: what’s in your hedgerow? Right now the whinberries and raspberries are out, the blackberries will be there for the picking come the weekend… then its mushrooms, elderberries, crab apples, sloe berries etc etc
2. shop local, shop seasonal: You know the stuff, use your local butcher, they (should) know where the meat is from, and give you tips on the most economical cuts of meat… for example right now, my favourite neck of lamb or lambs liver…..
3. buy in bulk: that is for goods that have a good shelf life, like tins, some cereals etc. Have you anywhere you can buy without all the packaging?
4. make it yourself! Yep home cooked food often is cheaper… and you can always make double, freeze half and have a ‘fast food’ meal another day
5. enjoy pulses: those beans, lentils, dried peas, so healthy, so tasty, so cheap..
6. use those leftovers: bubble and squeak anyone?
7. grow your own: hopefully you’ll be having more sun in your back yard than we did this year…
8. swaps: made too much blackberry jam, maybe there’s someone out there whose made too much tomato chutney? One of my neighbours came round last month with a handful of rhubarb… exchanges ensued.
9. use specialist shops: if you can access them use your local Chinese/Afro Caribbean/Indian…shop, for herbs and spices, for all the specialist ingredients… I’m off to China Town tomorrow.
10. use the co-op: the most ethically friendly supermarket around, and very well priced to. Check out their fantastic range of Fairtrade goods.
11. invest in a three tiered steamer: it’s a healthy way of cooking, and saves on the gas/electric to!

Focaccia bread

Focacini (small Focaccia breads)

When the cost of bread in the shops, just keeps rising, why not save a few pennies and make your own? Its economical, (if you save money by buying olive oil in bulk) you can add experiment adding extra’s to your own taste, (such as sun dried tomatoes or herbs) one of my sisters just brought me some ‘Zahatar’ seasoning, (brought in Israel) which I used in the dough and sprinkled on top, tastes delicious.. and great therapy making the dough. All you need now is a good bottle of wine and some tasty cheese, or butter beans in tomato sauce, or humus, or roasted veg or….

200ml/7fl oz cup lukewarm water
75ml /3fl oz olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 and half tsp salt
1 and half tsp sugar
2 tsp dried oregano (or Zahatar if you can get it!)
450 g /16 oz / 3 cups very strong white flour
2 and half tsp instant or fast acting dried yeast.

Makes 4 small or 1 large


Pour the water and the olive oil into the breadmaker bucket, followed by the salt, sugar and herbs. Cover with the flour and sprinkle the yeast over. Set the breadmaker to the dough programme. When the cycle is complete, turn the dough onto a floured board and kneed until smooth. Divide the dough into four and pull out/roll the dough into round of about 1cm thick. Place them on a greased baking sheets and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to prove until doubled in size. Use your fingers to make dimples on top of the dough. Brush with olive oil and (and you can add more herbs at this stage such as rosemary)
Bake in pre-heated oven 200oC /400oF /Gas mark 6 for 10- 15 mins. Transfer to cooling rack, and brush with more olive oil whilst still warm.

Todays illustration cheese and wine © Lois Blackburn. For more go to

Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce

(Gigandes Plaki)

Lovely beans indeed, think a huge boil full of giant baked beans, with lots of extra flavour. They work beautifully at room temperature. If you can source some dried butter beans, this is a very economical dish indeed, and all the family will love it! This is adapted from Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes….

500 g butter beans, soaked overnight
250 ml olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic gloves, finely chopped
1kg ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped, or 2 x 400g cans of chopped toms
1 tbs tomato puree
1 tsp sweet paprika
a good pinch of ground allspice
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tbs chopped dill (I like a bit more…)
2 tbs chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Drain, rinse the beans, then cook them in a pan with enough water to cover them by about 5 cm. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until soft. This could be 45- 1 half hour depending on age of beans and how long you’ve soaked them. Watch them to make sure they don’t get to soft.
Meanwhile, heat 150ml of olive oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic, cook till soft not browned. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, allspice and bay leaves and simmer for about 25 mins, until sauce has thickened. Remove and discard bay leaves, transfer to a food processor and blend to a smooth sauce. Return to the pan, add salt and pepper. Drain the beans, keep hold of the cooking liquor, add the beans to the sauce, with about 150ml of cooking liquor, with salt to taste. Simmer for another 30 mins. Stir in remaining olive oil, dill and parsley and serve at room temp.

Today’s illustration ‘tomato’ silk/batik painting © lois Blackburn, please go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more..

chicken stock

A great way of making sure nothing goes to waste with your chicken (free range if poss, or at least ‘freedom food’) A good chicken stock, will transform other dishes, whether it’s a soup, a risotto or …. I use the left over carcass, and even through in the bones from the plate, nothing wasted! Here are some ideas for you to play with:

1 onion
1 carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 leek
chicken carcass
bay leaf, sprig of herbs in season
2 litres/3 and half pints water

chop the veg into chunks, put all the ingredients into a large pan, cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover. Remove any scum formed. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Strain, cool, then remove any fat that’s formed on the surface. Freeze (I like to put it in a range of different size containers, then you can defrost small amounts when required) or put into the fridge and use within 3 days.

todays illustration 'freerange chicken' silk/batik painting for more examples go to

Pete's Burger

Lovely home made burgers, you see what’s going into them, and maybe more importantly what nasty stuff isn’t in it….

Finally chop up about 4 shallots and 2 cloves of garlic, and some fresh parsley. Mix with about a 1 pound of good quality minced beef, (get it from your local butcher, so you can see what your getting!) season to taste. Best to leave the mixture in the bowl for a couple of hours or over night, so the flavours all mix together…

Shape into burger size patties, enough for 4 people. Throw on a really hot griddle, (or Barbie) 2 or 3 minutes each side.

Serve with salad, in a bun to your choice, a homemade sweetcorn relish, tomato sauce or mustard…. with a good portion of potato wedges. I just fancy one right now!

todays illustration is 'bullock' a monoprint. To see more of my illustrations go to

whinberry, (whinberry, bilberry) muffins

Oh what beauties we found on our walk today. Dark blue/purple plump little berries, also known as Black Whortleberry, Burren Myrtle, Dyeberry, Huckleberry, Whortleberry...free food, great fun to pick, all the children helped, eat and dyed their fingers pinky purple. Here's a recipe to show them off..

makes 8

115g/4oz/1 cup plain flour
15ml/1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
65g/2half oz/half cup of soft light brown sugar
1 egg
175ml/6fl oz/3quarter cup milk
45ml/3 tbsp veg oil
10ml/2tsp ground cinnamon
150g/5oz/1 and quarter cups whinberries

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas mark 5. Grease eight (or more) muffin tins.
2. with an electric mixer, beat together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, milk, veg oil and cinnamon until smooth.
3. fold the whinberries into the flour mix
4. spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, filling them about two thirds full. Bake for 25 mins, or till golden brown
5. leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer the buns to wire rack to cool completely.

Todays illustration is 'whinberry'© Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk

intolerance

well I knew I had a problem with certain foods, (a long list of symptoms) but I always thought wheat was the main problem, with a slight reaction to dairy... well the results came back today from yorktest and it turns out that I am reactive to dairy, egg whites and kidney beans! So NO more boiled eggs, omletes, eggs benidict, no more merange, diary icecream, no more lovely cakes and 100 varieties of cheeses. But YES to pasta, and bread and flapjacks... and a chance to experiement with loads new eggless, diary free recipes.... lots to get used to.

Todays illustration is 'eggs'© Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk

listen again

A couple of radio programmes that I would highly recommend, ‘Our Food, Our Future, yesterday was episode 2, examining the global food crisis and its impact on Britain. “We are radically changing the way we shop, cook and eat as food prices rise. However, this is not necessarily all bad news.” You can find out more about the programme and listen again by following a "http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ourfoodourfuture

Another programme to keep your ear out for is ‘The Food Programme’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme.shtml all sorts of subjects are discussed, this week its all about Lamb (I purchase my half lamb from a wonderful local farmer, the Goytside Farm, New Mills… fantastic)

Todays illustration is 'radio'© Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Shirl's Loverly lentils

I've just received this recipe from one of my 'foodie' friends, sounds lovely, I’ll be trying it out soon…thanks again Shirley...

“As promised my recipe for lentil soup is coming up - Proper comfort food, it seems to be loved by all children who eat it.”

Shirl's Loverly lentils
splash of olive oil
1 leek or onion
4 or 5 medium potatoes
2 or 3 carrots
2 sticks celery
Handful green beans (fresh or frozen)
Cup of peas (fresh or frozen)
8oz red lentils (rinsed in cold water)
1 and 3/4 pints stock made with 2 teasp marigold swiss vegetable vegan bouillon powder (the reduced salt one in purple container is best)

I use a cast iron casserole dish to cook this soup on the hob, but any large pot with tightly fitting lid should be ok. You can alter combination of veg or increase amount of lentils - just keep the same ratio of lentils to stock.

Chop all veg into chunks of whatever size you like. Warm olive oil in saucepan and gently fry leek / onion. Throw in rest of veg and sweat for few minutes with lid on. Add lentils and stock. Give it all a stir and put the lid back on. Cook over a medium heat for 25-30 mins. Stir at regular intervals to stop it sticking to bottom. The final soup is rich thick and gloopy with soft chunks in it. Serve on its own or with fresh bread.


ps. todays illustration is red lentils, a monoprint © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Meringue

Its got to be one of the sweetist, cheapest pudding bases....For that Eton Mess, or for Pavlova, or with icecream, or.....

2 egg whites
100grams golden caster sugar
quarter teaspoon of baking powder

Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150 degrees C
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks.
Beat into the egg whites the sugar a tbs at a time, whisking for 30sec between each spoonful.
Add the baking powder, whisk until consistency of shaving foam.
Spoon, pipe or use a spatula to spread the meringue mix onto the baking sheet.
Bob the meringue mix into the oven and immediately turn the oven down to gas mark 1 or 140 degrees C.
Bake for 2 hours, don’t be tempted to open the oven after the 2 hours, but instead turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside it, until the oven and it are completely cool. (easiest just to leave it overnight)
You should end up with a delicious, sweet meringue, crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle.