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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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