Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves, Ricotta and Pecan Nuts from Sally Clarke: 30 Ingredients

It's book review time and 30 Ingredients by Sally Clarke is a real treat, chef style food explained in clear and simple recipes for you to make at home.

About the book
30 Ingredients encapsulates Sally's innovative and uncomplicated approach to food  At its heart lies her simple concept of cooking with the freshest and best, produce the vision that has ensured Sally's success for the last thirty years.  Sally's philosophy is simple: fresh in-season ingredients used not only to suit every plate but also to please the eye. Sally has chosen a handful of recipes for each of her favourite 30 ingredients,



About the author
It is 30 years since Sally Clarke founded her now legendary Notting Hill restaurant Clarke's and become the pioneer of seasonal fine dining in British cuisine.  To celebrate this significant anniversary, the award-winning chef, restaurateur and author has now written and irresistible cookery book, 30 Ingredients.

The Ingredients and the Recipes
1. Apricot - this is one of my favourites too and I'll definitely be making Apricots baked with vanilla, cinnamon and lavender.
2. Asparagus - always popular in its season and Asparagus risotto with spelt, goat cheese and Prosecco is bound to prove popular too.
3. Aubergine - Sally prefers the paler aubergines/eggplants but the purple ones will do just as well in her Baba Ganoush and Caponata recipes.
4.. Basil - that tarts of summer in a herb features in a surprising Basil ice ream with sugared basil leaves, lemon and black pepper wafers.
5. Beetroot - another of my faves, that rich sweet earthy flavour will blend perfectly with the carrots in Baked beetroot and carrots with new season garlic.
6. Broad Bean - best picked fresh from the garden and a real star in the recipe for Cracked wheat salad with broad beans, courgettes and peas.
7. Cep - these flavourful fungi are served finely sliced with Parmesan, lemon. olive oil and parsley toasts a simple dish that I can almost taste.
8. Cherry - bursting with sweet juice, cherries go well with many flavours but just so well with chocolate that your mouth will be watering at Sally's Dark Chocolate souffle cake with Kirsch and cherries.
9. Chicory - not a vegetable I have cooked with but I do like the sound of a Chicory Tarte Tatin.
10. Clementine - my favourite of the easy peel oranges and as they start to come into the shops soon, I will be serving the Salad of clementines, feta, pine nuts and pomegranate dressing.
11. Cobnuts - I've tried cobnuts once, their availability tends to be localised to the south east of England, worth sourcing them to make the Cobnut salad with figs and peaches or, I guess, substituting the more common hazelnuts.
12. Fennel- Not everyone likes the aniseed overtones in a lovely Florence Fennel, I love it,  and Sea bass baked with potato and fennel sounds heavenly to me.
13. Fig - I'm beginning to think that Sally has been looking at my list of favourite foods!  Fig is certainly a favourite of mine and every recipe in this section sounds good to me, Figs with balsamic vinegar, chives blossoms and shaved Parmesan served with Spiced seeded flat bread sounds like a feast to me.
14. Landcress - this is a new one on me, and Sally does admit that it is not so easy to find, it is more peppery than watercress and she suggests that it is used with care. Crab Cakes with Landcress, Chilli, Creme Fraiche and Lime is bound to pack a punch, just what I like.
15. Leeks - a little more available, Sally uses leeks at every stage of their growth for different types of recipe. Smoked Haddock and Leek Pasties would be great as a starter or to eat on a picnic.
16. Lemon and Lime - two for the price of one here, so I'm going to give you two recipes too.  Lemon and Lime Icecream sounds delicious as does Lemon and brown sugar shortbread.
17. Olive - I would eat olives everyday if I could and I would love to eat the gutsy Black olive tapenade toasts with anchovies and capers, a taste explosion!
18. Blood Orange - also known as Ruby Oranges, always lovely and sweet, a Salad of Blood Oranges, Beetroot and Pomegranate would be well worth making and eating.
19. Pea - another star vegetable and one that I love in soup.  Sally's Chilled pea soup with mint, spring onion and yoghurt sounds like a real treat.
20. Peach - Cheers! Sally has whizzed up a White Peach Bellini for our delight.
21. Pine Nut - of course without pine nuts there would be no Pesto but Sally also brings us Sicilian-style ricotta and pin nut torta.
22. Potato - so versatile, the perfect ingredient and Sally shows us how to make perfect roast potatoes, the epitome of potato deliciousness.
23. Quince - I once managed to get some quince from a neighbour's tree but conditions for good quince do not seem to have returned.  If you can get hold of some then Sally's Quince and Rosemary Tarte Tatin sounds worth making.
24. Raspberry - nothing beats raspberries, that combination of sweet and sharp and bursting with deep pink juice.  Sally creates a Raspberry Jelly which also contains blackcurrants and strawberries creating a lovely red fruit jelly.
25.Rocket - Sally comments on the dramatic rise in popularity of rocket and extols it's peppery virtues, which are beautifully shown off in her recipe for Rocket wrapped in rare roasted beef, with mustard mayonnaise on toast.
26.Sage - the herb that just cries out for some pork!  Sally does not disappoint and her Pork, Onion and Sage Pie is on my list to make.
27. Squash and Pumpkin - those colourful gourds are so versatile, it's nearly the time of year when pumpkins are in abundance and a plate full of this rustic Spiced Pumpkin, Tomato and Chickpea Stew would go down a treat on a cooler day.
28.Strawberry- in season there is nothing quite like the taste of a strawberry and they herald the start of summer proper to me. Sally treats the strawberries simply but adds layers of flavour in her Strawberry Cannoli recipe, these are not tube shaped cannoli, more like little baskets to scoop up the ricotta and strawberries before popping in your mouth.
29. Sweetcorn - in this chapter Sally creates a Baked Sweetcorn and Polenta Pudding with Ricotta, maybe it's because we are heading towards autumn and winter that I find this so attractive, comfort food with a difference.
30. and finally Tomato - imagine that smell of ripe tomatoes straight off the vine, combined with sweet nectarines, feta and onions and decorated with nasturtium, marigold and rocket blossoms, that's one of the ways that Sally showcases tomatoes in Tomato Salad with Nectarines and Feta

So there we are, 30 ingredients and, although I have only picked out one recipe per ingredient, there are at least two and sometimes three for each.



Who is it for?
I would say this is a book for people with a passion for food who want to make the most of every ingredient they use.  Although  the 30 ingredients are all vegetables, fruits, herbs and nuts , this is not a vegetarian cookbook, there are non-meat recipes, as well as those with meat, fish and poultry. It would make a beautiful gift for anyone who loves to cook.

Pros
The photographs are stunning, there is not a photo for every recipe, but the quality of the photos is very high.  The whole book is beautifully produced and could sit quite happily on that 'coffee table' to be picked up and oohed and aahed over. Each ingredient is given a page of text, which is easy to read and the recipes are clear and well written with a couple of paragraphs of 'story' where appropriate.

Cons
It's quite a big book, however it does stay open so you can read the recipes - hurrah! At £25 it's not cheap but I think this is justified by the quality of the production and the excellence of the recipes.

The Verdict
Add it to your wish list for birthday or Christmas, then you too can spend hours drooling over the exciting recipe ideas and the beautiful pictures.


Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves, Ricotta and Pecan Nuts
Serves 6

1.5kg sweet potatoes
2tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp light olive oil
100g butter, plus a little extra for buttering the dish
1 bunch sage, small leaves picked, large leaves chopped finely
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a cream
salt
50g pecans, medium-finely chopped
250g ricotta or fresh goat cheese

Peel the sweet potatoes and place in a large pan of boiling slated water, cover and simmer until tender to the centre. Drain in a colander and when cool enough to handle, cut roughly into smallish pieces.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over a medium heat until they are fragrant - do not allow to burn. Crush using a pestle and mortar or in a spice grinder.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil and half the butter in a pan until foaming.  Fry the small sage leaves until crisp (though not too dark), remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.  Add the remaining butter to the pan and add the ground cumin, chopped chilli and chopped sage, and cook until fragrant (approximately one minute).  Remove from the heat, add the garlic and stir well.

Place the sweet potato in a large bowl and beat with a hand whisk or electric whisk until smooth (I put the sweet potato through the potato ricer). Little by little add almost all the seasoned butter ingredients until well amalgamated.  Add salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 175C
Brush an oven-proof dish with butter and spoon the potato mash in, levelling the top a little. Drizzle over any remaining melted butter and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and scatter the pecans with crumbled ricotta or goat cheese on the top, and continue to bake for a further 3-4 minutes or until piping hot.

Garnish with fried sage leaves and serve alongside a crisp green and bitter leaf salad or with roasted pork, turkey or chicken.

You really need to add lots of chopped sage for the flavour to come through, hard to judge 'a bunch' and I probably underplayed it, will be trying again with more sage.  Pecans and sweet potatoes is a marriage made in heaven though and the cumin and chilli add a nice spicy lift without overpowering the sweet potato. 

Sally Clarke: 30 Ingredients
Published by Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers
RRP Hardback £25

Labels: 30 Ingredients, book review, cookbook review, pecan nuts, review, ricotta, sage, Sally Clarke, Sweet Potato

posted by Janice @ 19:42 4 Comments

Chillies and Chocolate in Fife - Part One

So where do you think Claire, Foodie Quine, and I are posing?  Are we on a cruise the Med or the Norwegian Fjords?   Well, no actually, we are in the Kingdom of Fife in Scotland on a Chilli-Chocolate Food Trip with Welcome to Fife. More about where this sunny photo was taken in part two.


We started our chilli-chocolate tour of Fife in Ceres and travelled a few miles to visit Chillilicious, Scotland's first chilli farm.  I met with Patricia Galfskiy at the chilli farm where she and her daughter have developed this family run food and art venture cretaing homemade chilli food and gift items. The  new visitor's centre provided an opportunity to taste some of the Chilli chutney that Patricia makes, I tried them all, well it would be rude not to, and they were all very good.  Most memorable for me was the Monkey Punch Chilli Chutney which contains banana, kiwi, lime and jalapeno chillies.  I loved this combination of flavours really unusual.

 Possibly my favourite thing in the Chillilicous shop was the Pimento Ginger Beer.  I love ginger beer and this has the most amazing chilli kick, right at the back of your throat, a must for all chilli lovers.


We then moved on to the chilli tunnel  where you can pick your own chillies or buy plants.  Chillilicious grow approximately 4,000 chilli plants per ear and their speciality is the wide and varied range of rare and super-hot chillies, growing between 50-75 different varieties every year.  Last year the talk of the chilli world was the Carolina Reaper and this year it's all about the Chocolate Bhutlah, both of these chillies are grown at Chillilicious.


These are the chillies that I picked, unfortunately I can't remember the name of them all.  What I did learn is that the more crinkly the chilli, the hotter is going to be!  I'm hoping to cook up some recipes with these chillies soon.



Sophie had made a tray of Chocolate Chilli Truffles for us to try and she cut them and coated with cocoa powder, the chilli heat was subtle although I have to say that Sophie kindly gave us some to take away and when I tried them again at home, I felt that there was more heat, it may have been that my palate had been blunted by too much chocolate and whisky!


Behind the chocolate boutique there is a quirky cafe, The Cocoa Tree Cafe.  Here you can enjoy a relaxed lunch, coffee, afternoon tea or one of those gorgeous hot chocolate drinks.  There is plenty of reading material in the cafe, some of it under the glass on the table tops, but also a range of chocolate themed books to read.  The staff were delightful and it is clear that Sophie's passion and high standards pervade the whole establishment.  I would highly recommend a visit to the cafe and chocolate boutique.

Coming in part two of Chillies and Chocolate in Fife - Seafood and Gin! 

Disclaimer: I was the guest of Welcome to Fife and I'd like to thank them and the host organisations  who made this a truly memorable trip.

Labels: chilli, Chillilicious, chocolate, chutney, Drinking Chocolate, Fife, Laphroig, liqueur, Pittenweem, review, The Cocoa Tree Cafe, truffles, Welcome to Fife, whisky

posted by Janice @ 07:00 10 Comments

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook Review and a Giveaway

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy Riolo is not so much a diet cook book as a way of life, unleashing the power of one of the world's healthiest diets. It integrates the latest research and clinical findings with 100 delicious, authentic, easy recipes and Mediterranean lifestyle tips while dispelling any myths and misinformation. Gluten free variations of recipes are also included.

About the Author
AMY RIOLO is an award-winning author, chef, television personality, cuisine and culture expert
and educator. She is a Culinary Advisor for The Mediterranean Food Alliance and her work has
appeared in numerous print media including USA Today, Cooking Light, The Washington Post, The
Wall Street Journal and CNN.com. Amy’s most recent book, The Mediterranean Diabetes
Cookbook, won the 2011 Nautilus Book Award. She also won the World Gourmand Award for
"Best Arab Cuisine Book" in the United States for her book Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture
(Hippocrene Books). She is also the author of a noted culinary/cultural blog amyriolo.blogspot.com

The Review
Introduction and Welcome to the Mediterranean Diet
As I said this isn't just a recipe book, Amy Riolo gives a comprehensive introduction to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. with the science behind the diet and how the lifestyle is as important as the actual food. Using the Mediterranean Pyramid as a guide, Amy gets to the core of the Mediterranean lifestyle, and explains what is eaten, when to eat it, and why. Each recipe in The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook contains a cultural tip from the Mediterranean region. Fun historical facts, legend, and lore, as well as nutritional information accompany each recipe.

Each recipe chapter begins with a useful introductory essay on the appropriate foodstuffs. Here are a few of my favourite recipes by chapter:

Plant Based Foods - the foundation of the Mediterranean diet
Wholegrains: Gooey Mediterranean-Style Cornbread which contains sundried tomatoes and mozzarella; North African Spice-Dusted Sweet Potatoes; Libyan Lamb Couscous and Turkish Eggplant and Herbed Rice Pilaf.
Fruits: Apricot and Orange Blossom Pudding with Pistachios; Roasted Plums with Basil-Yogurt Cream.
Vegetables: Quick Italian Pickles; Provencal Bistro Carrot Salad; Lebanese Fattoush
Legumes and Nuts: Herb Infused Falafel Pomegranate, Roasted Red Pepper, and Walnut Dip and Moroccan Harira Soup
Olive Oil: Kale and Almond Pesto Sauce, Olive Oil cured Eggplant; Provencal Herb Tapenade and Sweet Olive Oil, Cherry and Almond Cake

Fish and Seafood - the bounty of the Mediterranean sea
Sicilian Swordfish Bundles; Citrus Marinated Salmon with Fennel Cream and Sizzling Rosemary Shrimp over Polenta.

Dairy and Poultry - Farm fresh flavors
Dairy: Herb Marinated Mozzarella, Cypriot Greengrocer's Salad with Feta (see recipe below);
Poultry: Chicken Skillet-Style Shwarma with Tahini Sauce; Jerusalem-Style Chicken with Rice, Golden Raisins, and Pine Nuts.

Meat and Sweets - Mediterranean Indulgences
Southern Italian Goat and Herb Stew; Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Corsican-Style, Almond-Stuffed Figs in Chocolate Sauce, Sweet Carrot and Cardamom Torte.

Mediterranean Cooking Basics covers everything you need to know about how to choose and cook the staples of the Mediterranean diet such as beans, polenta and stock.

The Mediterranean Pantry is an alphabetical list of ingredients used in the book with information about what it is, where it comes from and how it is used in cooking.

Who is it for? This is an ideal book for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet and is looking for information and recipes to help them achieve and sustain a healthful way of life.  It's also for anyone who loves good food, never mind whether it's healthy, as there are lots of really mouthwatering recipes.

Pros
Lots of good healthy recipes, plenty for vegetarians and vegans too.  I loved the comprehensive introductory chapter information and the Mediterranean Traditions with each recipe.

Cons
The only thing I would say is that the book doesn't stay open very well, so you need a book stand or have to bend back the spine, which would break it (I simply can't bear to do that!).

The Verdict
This would be a useful book to have in your collection if you would like to understand more about eating well.  The recipes are easily achievable, although I have to say that they are more attractive to eat in the summer when we have a chance of at least some more Mediterranean weather, than in the cold days of winter when comfort food is more attractive.

The Recipe

CYPRIOT GREENGROCER'S SALAD WITH FETA /CHORIATIKI SALATA
serves 6

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 baby (Persian) cucumber, or 1/3 English cucumber, slice thinly on the diagonal
1/4 lb (115g) feta, cubed or crumbled
1/4 cup Greek Olives, pitted
1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
1 small green bell pepper, cut into rings
3 tablespoons (45ml) red wine vinegar or lemon juice
unrefined sea salt or salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil (preferably unfiltered)

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl.  add the tomatoes and cucumber, and toss to combine.
Scatter the feta, olives, onion and pepper over the top in an attractive pattern.  Pour wine vinegar or lemon juice into a small bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking vigorously.  Once the dressing is emulsified, pour it over the salad and serve immediately.


The Ultimate Mediterranean  Diet Cookbook
by Amy Riolo
Published by Fair Winds Press
RRP £14.99 Paperback


I have one copy of The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook to GIVEAWAY

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Labels: cookbook, Diet, feta, giveaway, Healthy, olives, recipe, review, salad, The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, win

posted by Janice @ 22:53 120 Comments

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade and a Giveaway

I thought quinoa was going to be the grain that finally defeated me.  I have tried to cook with it several times and never managed to get rid of the soapy taste.  When I saw this recipe in "At home in the wholefood kitchen- celebrating the art of eating well" I thought I'd give it another chance and I'm so glad that I did as this recipe for Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade was packed with flavours and none of them were soap!


The Blurb
With her love of whole food and expertise as a chef, Amy Chaplin has written a book to entice everyone to eat well every meal, every day. She provides all the know how for creating delicious, healthy dishes based on unprocessed, unrefined food - from the basics of good eating to preparing seasonal feasts all year round.

About the Author: Amy Chaplin has worked as a vegetarian chef for over twenty years. She is the former executive chef of New York’s renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, a recipe developer, a teacher, and a private chef whose clients include Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler. Amy’s delicious vegan and vegetarian cuisine has appeared in numerous publications, including Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, the Guardian, the Vegetarian Times, Oprah magazine and the Washington Post. A native of Australia, over the last two decades Chaplin has worked as a chef in Amsterdam, London, Sydney, and New York. She currently resides in New York City. Find more of her original recipes at amychaplin.com.

What's in the book?
This is a large book and something of a wholefood primer.  My own introduction to wholefoods came about in the late 1970s and it was Gail Duff who influenced my interest in whole and healthy foods.  Amy Chaplin had the benefit of growing up on a community farm by parents who cooked and ate the food that they grew there. After Amy's introduction and biography, you move on to The Pantry, which for Amy includes vegetables and fruits that sit out on the kitchen worktop. Amy introduces us to whole grains, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, superfoods such as goji berries and help seeds; oils, vinegars, seasoning and condiments.  But it doesn't stop there, we learn about seaweeds, spices, pantry vegetables and a feast of ingredients for the fridge and freezer.  Natural sweeteners, bottled and canned items and I doubt if the pantry door will close!

Amy then gives us a run down on equipment we should aim to have in our kitchen, although she does recommend slowly collecting good-quality pans to last a lifetime.  Two luxury items are included which Amy uses daily, a pressure cooker and a Vitamix blender.

Cooking from the Pantry, this section is divided into Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds and Roasting Vegetables.  Before you start cooking any of the recipes, each chapter has detailed instructions on how to prepare and the ingredients. Here are a few of the recipes I liked: Simple Quinoa (this was the basic recipe I followed for the featured recipe), Lemony Marinated Lentils sounds delicious, Tamari Toasted Seeds are bound to be a hit for snacking or sprinkling on salads.  The Roasted Vegetables are prepared with coconut oil and fresh herbs.

Pantry Recipes takes these basics a little further with a range of creative dishes such as Steamed Greens with zesty flaxseed dressing, Wholewheat fettucine with kale, caramelised onions and marinated goat's cheese, Dijon mustard marinated tempeh and garlic tamari-braised tofu. There are some really great Make-Ahead Condiments including the harissa, I made for my recipe, tahini sauce and toasted almond butter.

We are just about half way through 'At home in the whole food kitchen' and we are just starting with breakfast.  I wouldn't refuse spelt almond waffles, blackberry cornmeal muffins or pumpkin bread with toasted walnut cinnamon swirl or coconut and quinoa pancakes.

Soup is easy to make and easy to keep healthy and whole food, I really must make pea and courgette (zuchinni) soup with dill.  Miso soup was one of our 70's stand bys, Amy makes a hearty winter miso soup with adzuki beans, squash and ginger and I love the sound of the luscious spicy carrot soup with Kaffir lime leaves and coconut.

Salads doesn't herbed spelt berry salad with peas and feta sound good?  As does shaved fennel beetroot salad with blood orange and crushed hazelnuts and, of  course, the quinoa with roasted summer vegtables and harissa marinade (recipe below).

Everyone loves snacks, nibbles and drinks and this chapter doesn't disappoint, rustic pea spread, roasted red pepper macadamia pate, black sesame rice crackers and to wash it down rhubarb rose infusion or turmeric lemonade.

We are by no means finished yet, Whole Meals serves up dill roasted plum tomato tart with pine nut crust, tempeh portobello burgers, butternut squash lasagne with wholewheat noodles and sage tofu ricotta and heirloom bean bourguignon with celeriac mash.

Desserts can be whole food too, there is a range of tarts including fresh peach with walnut crust, coconut custard tart with toasted coconut crust, date pistachio praline tart and dark chocolate truffle tart with Brazil nut crust. Other sweet treats include apricot coconut bars, pistachio sultana cookies with cardamom and earl grey fruit cake.

At home in the whole food kitchen  finishes with a little essay on tea, in all it's forms, Amy's thoughts on cleansing and healing with whole foods, some guidelines and menu suggestions and finally why we should eat organic foods.


Who is it for?
This book would suit both the novice whole foodie and experienced vegetarian and vegan cooks.  The extensive information about ingredients, and how to prepare them, is well written and, so far, the recipes have worked for me.  The recipes themselves are interesting and varied, with some rather different combinations of ingredients to satisfy the most adventurous cook.

Pros
Well written recipes including instructions on how to prepare various pantry ingredients.  Lots of well styled clear photographs.

Cons
It is a big heavy tome of a book, certainly not for reading in bed!  When I first looked at the recipes I was a bit put off by some of the ingredients, but on closer inspection most are easily available and there are only a few that I would struggle to source.

The Verdict
If you want to eat more healthily or simply explore some different recipes, then this is a great place to start.  You will learn the how and why of whole foods as well as having recipes to follow, allowing you to create your own healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes.  I was so impressed by the recipe, not only was the quinoa perfectly cooked, the harissa was the best I've ever tasted with the combination of the ingredients making a fabulous meal.


Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade
Serves 4 - 6

2 courgettes (zucchinis), roll cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
2 red peppers (capsicums), deseeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
300g (10 1/2 oz/2cups) cherry tomatoes, large ones cut in half
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
1 red onion cut into 1.2 com (1/2 in) wedges
720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa, cooled (see below)
80ml (3fl oz/1/2 cup) homemade harissa (see below)
40g (1 1/2 oz/1 cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
140g (5oz) goat's milk feta, drained and crumbled
Olives, to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark.  Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Place courgette (zucchini), peppers (capsicum) and cherry tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt.  Divide vegetables between baking trays and spread out in a single layer.  Roast for 25 minutes.  Gently stir vegetables, rotate trays and roast 10 minutes more or until browning, Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Warm remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add red onion and saute for 5 minutes. Lower heat a little and cook for 15 minutes longer, stirring every minute or so, until soft and caramelised.  Stir in a pinch of salt remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl, fluff with a fork, add harissa and mix well.  Add roasted vegetables, caramelised onions and parsley; toss gently to combine and season to taste with additional salt. Crumble feta over top and serve garnished with olives.


Harissa
Makes about 80ml (3fl oz/1/3 cup)

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp sea salt
 60ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Warm a small to medium frying pan over medium heat.  Add cumin, coriander and caraway seeds, toast seeds, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes or until fragrant.  Transfer to an electric spice grinder and grind until fine.  Place ground spices in a bowl then add paprika, cayenne, garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice.  Stir until smooth.  Store in a  sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to two months, or as mentioned above leave out the lemon for storing indefinitely.

Simple Quinoa
Makes 720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa

170g (6oz/1 cup) quinoa
240ml (8fl oz/ 1 cup) filtered water, plus more for soaking
pinch of sea salt

Wash and soak the quinoa in at least 720ml (24fl oz /3 cups) water for 8 to 24 hours.  Drain and rinse the quinoa.  Place in a 2 litre (3 1/2 pint) pan and add filtered water and salt.  Bring to the boil over high heat, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 - 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.  Once cool, quinoa can be stored n the fridge for up to  four days.

At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen Celebrating the Art of Eating Well by Amy Chaplin

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Labels: amy chaplin, at home in the whole food kitchen, cook, cookbook review, Harissa, quinoa, review, roasted vegetables, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian, whole food

posted by Janice @ 20:26 98 Comments

Bloomsbury Bookshelf Round Up

Sophie and The Sibyl by Patricia Dunker
Published by Bloomsbury
Hardback £16.99
eBook £14.99

The blurb
A Victorian Romance, in which the Reader will be transported to 1870s Berlin, to meet George Eliot, observe her relationship with her publisher, and learn of the surprising and knotty entanglements of Our Hero Max
The Duncker brothers, Max and Wolfgang, own a thriving publishing business.  When Max’s fondness for gambling and brothels gets out of hand, the older, wiser Wolfgang sends him to Homburg, to dance attendance on a special celebrity author – the enigmatic Sibyl, otherwise known as George Eliot.  The most feted writer in Europe has scandalised English society by living with a married man, the biographer and philosopher George Henry Lewes, and the couple are enjoying a rapturous welcome in liberal Berlin.  As enthralling and intelligent as her books, the Sibyl soon has Max bewitched.
But Wolfgang has an ulterior motive for the trip: to find Max a wife, in the daughter of a family friend, Countess Sophie von Hahn.  At first, Max is lured by Sophie’s beauty and his affectionate memories of their shared childhood.  But Sophie proves to be nothing like the vision of angelic domesticity he was expecting. Mischievous, wilful and daring, she gambles recklessly and rides horses like a man.  Furthermore, as George Eliot’s most ardent fan, she is determined to meet her idol.
Both Sophie and the Sibyl have Max in thrall and he is soon out of his depth, torn between his worship of these two unconventional women – whose eventual meeting will have unexpected and gloriously amusing consequences.

From a virtuoso musician by the name of Herr Klesmer to a talented painter called Meyrick, the pages of Sophie and the Sibyl are peopled with characters and scenes the Reader may recognise from the works of Eliot herself.  Embodying the spirit of the age, it explores the issues of the day: Darwinian ideas, education for women, the arts and artistry, reputation and celebrity – as well as the role of the narrator in fiction.  Portraying the author-publisher relationship with wonderful subtlety and humour, it confirms Patricia Duncker’s reputation as a writer’s writer. Playful, audacious and as dazzlingly witty as its protagonists, Sophie and the Sibyl is a literary masterpiece from the author of Hallucinating Foucault and James.

My thoughts
I very nearly gave up on this book.  I found part I rather dull, not in the least bit funny or gripping as described by the reviewers in the press release.  However I did persevere and part II was much better and definitely worth hanging on for.  This is an odd little book, to me the characters were rather one dimensional, as if the author didn't really know them and was standing behind a glass window watching them but not really hearing or understanding their nature.  What it did do was pique my interest in George Eliot and her novels. She is not an author I have read and I feel that I probably should, so if nothing else this book may widen my knowledge of Victorian literature!


The Pleasure of Reading, Edited by Antiona Fraser, preface by Victoria Gray
Published by Bloomsbury
Paperback £9.99

The blurb
In this delightful collection forty acclaimed writers explain what first made them interested in literature, what inspired them to read and what makes them continue to do so. First published in 1992 in hardback only, original contributors include Margaret Atwood, J.G. Ballard, Melvyn Bragg, A.s. ByaS, Caroll Ann Duffy, Simon Gray, Germaine Greer, Doris Lessing Tom Stoppard, Sue Townsend and Jeanette Winterson. The new edition also includes essays from five new writers, Emily Berry, Kamila Shamsie Rory Stewart, Katie Waldegrave and Tom Wells.

Royalties generated from this project will to go to Give a Book a charity set up in 2011 that seeks to get books to places where they will be of particular benefit.  Give a Book works in conjunction with Age UK, Prison Reading Groups, Maggie's Centres which help people affect by cancer and various schools and literacy projects such as Beanstalk, where many pupils have never had a boo of their own in their lives.

My thoughts
This is an interesting book, not surprisingly a lot of the authors have read and been influenced by the same books and authors.  What I enjoyed were the stories told by the contributors about why the books they chose were important to them.  I'm sure if you read this book then, like me, you will start to think about the books which have influenced you, books which punctuate chapters in your life.  As a child I devoured books of all kinds, the Enid Blyton section in the local library was my treasure trove.  At 12 I discovered The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart in the school library and my adult reading career had begun, inevitably I found Jane Austen totally enchanting and her books are amongst the few that I have re-read, along with  Doris Lessing's Martha Quest, another key novel in my reading journey.  Like the contributors to The Pleasure of Reading, I could go on, and would find it just as difficult as they have done to limit my choices.  A great reminder of just how important reading can be in developing an enquiring mind.



The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Published by Bloomsbury
Hardback £12.99
eBook £10.99

The Blurb
In 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. But he has worse fears than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, which has just received a threat for what could be the largest-scale Fenian bombing in history.

When the watch saves Thaniel's life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori – a kind, lonely immigrant who sweeps him into a new world of clockwork and music. Although Mori seems harmless at first, a chain of unexpected slips soon proves that he must be hiding something.

Meanwhile, Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library dressed as a man. A theoretical physicist, she is desperate to prove the existence of the luminiferous ether before her mother can force her to marry.

As the lives of these three characters become entwined, events spiral out of control until Thaniel is torn between loyalties, futures and opposing geniuses.

My thoughts
What an interesting novel.  I enjoyed reading this combination of historical novel and fantasy thriller.  The characters are intriguing, Thaniel is a sort of everyman to the mysterious Mori and blue stocking Grace.  Throw in the dandified Matsumoto and add some Japanese nationalism to the Fenian bombing and it makes for a rarified mxiture, you are never quite sure what is going to happen next! The final chapters are pure thriller and keep you glued to the page to find out what happened, who dunnit and why, all round a very good read.

Labels: Antonia Fraser, Bloomsbury Publishing, book review, Natasha Pulley, Patricia Dunker, review, Sophie and the Sibyl, The Pleasure of Reading, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

posted by Janice @ 20:01 0 Comments

Roasted Carrot Hummus and the One Pot Gourmet Gardener Review

I can't recommend this Roasted Carrot Hummus highly enough, it is so good.
It's one of the recipes in the One-Pot Gourmet Gardener by Cinead McTernan, delicious container recipes to grow together and cook together.  If you have been following my blog then you'll know that I'm growing vegetables in containers this year, so this book is right up my street.



Author CINEAD McTERNAN is a horticulturally trained writer and gardening editor of The Simple Things magazine. She was previously editor of The Edible Garden magazine and worked on The English Garden and BBC Gardeners’ World magazines. Her previous book Kitchen Garden Experts was published by Frances Lincoln in 2014.

Award-winning photographer JASON INGRAM has worked on numerous garden and food magazines. His published books include The Ethicurean Cookbook and Kitchen Garden Experts

The Blurb
With these exciting container recipes, you can grow all the ingredients you need for a single dish in a single pot. One-Pot Gourmet Gardener presents 25 carefully devised container recipes grouped into soups and salads, delicious main courses, handy picnics, quick suppers and divine drinks and puddings, including gazpacho, garden pizza, ratatouille, smoothies, sauces and tarts. Each one-pot recipe provides every step from sowing to serving. And after being guided through an introductory masterclass on how to grow crops in pots, readers will have the confidence and skills to devise their own one-pot recipes. With a little planning you can prepare the food for a one-pot celebration, when you sow the crops in spring!

My thoughts
The concept of this book is simple, plant up a container with a variety of herb and vegetable plants, then when they have grown, you are ready to make the recipe.  All of this is explained in the Introduction which tells you how to get started and encourages everyone with even the smallest patio balcony or roof garden to give growing your own a go. Everything from choosing a pot, tools and equipment to compost, positioning your pot, watering, pests and diseases, harvesting and storage is covered at the start of the book .

The Recipes
For each recipe there is a 'Grow Me' section and an 'Eat Me' section.  Here are some of the recipes which I found attractive:  Courgette and Fennel Tart, Hummus Three Ways (including Carrot Hummus), Honey and Thyme Blackberries with Thyme Shortbreads. Kale and Celery Soup, Rainbow Chard Pesto, Radish and Shallot Pickle and Pimms Jelly.

Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to grow vegetables in containers, but also cooks who would like to try making something a bit different with produce.  Whether you grow your own vegetables or not, you can still enjoy the produce from farmers markets or greengrocers or even the supermarket.

Pros
Everything you need to learn how to grow vegetables and herbs in containers.  A variety of interesting, well written recipes, good photographs and clear instructions for sowing and growing.

Cons
For those of us living a bit further north, some of the containers would be unlikely to thrive.  I know this because I have been gardening for many years, however not everyone would be aware that tomatoes and aubergines are unlikely to thrive outside in Scotland and might be disappointed, especially in a summer like this one, where even my courgettes have failed to thrive. Some information on regional differences would have been helpful.

The Verdict
A fun book which would be a good gift for a gardening cook or a cooking gardener! The containers looks as attractive as containers of flowers with the variety of plants really complementing each other. As you will see below, I was impressed by the Carrot Hummus, and I'm sure many of the other recipes will be well worth making too.


Roasted Carrot Hummus
200g/7oz carrots
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 x 440g/15oz tin cooked chickpeas
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 heaped tsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
2. Place the carrots on a baking sheet, drizzle with oilive il an season. Roast in the oven until soft - about 30 minutes.
3. When the carrots have cooked, place them adn the remainder of the ingredients into amixer and blitz until blended and smooth. Spoon into a bowl and level to remove any air pockets.
4. Serve immediately, with warm pitta bread, or cover with a film of olive oil to preserve it and store in the refrigerator. 

Labels: Carrot Hummus, Container gardening, cookbook review, gardening, grow your own, hummus, One Pot Gourmet Gardener, review, Roasted Carrot, vegetables carrots

posted by Janice @ 20:27 17 Comments

Salmon, Coffee, a Lazy Arm and Golden Kiwis on my Kitchen Table

Big Fish Brand Salmon Fillets  are frozen salmon fillet marinated with a variety of fantastic flavours: Piri Piri, Lemon and Pepper, Sweet Chilli. Garden Mint, Eastern Thai, Sticky Maple, BBQ Sauce.  They come in packs of two fillets and cost £5,89 per pack.

We really enjoyed every single flavour, the fillets are ideal for a quick dinner to pull out of the freezer.  They have become a Friday night staple in our house and I will definitely be buying them in future.  I think the price point is right too, as two salmon fillets without any flavouring can be around £4.00.
Rating 10/10


Ooh I love a gadget, have you noticed? The Lazy Arm is designed to give you a helping hand, it's a flexible Smartphone holder can be clipped onto most surfaces. Perfect for watching cooking techniques on YouTube, read online recipes from your favourite blogs or websites or simply listening to music and making hands free calls, 

Labels: Big Fish. salmon, coffee, Kiwi Fruit, Lazy Arm, Nespresso, phone holder, Pixie, review, Sungold, Zespri

posted by Janice @ 21:41 14 Comments

Sensational Strawberry Pavlova and 'How Baking Works' Review

I've been making pavlova for many years and didn't think I had much to learn about making this meringue based dessert. WRONG!  You see I've been reading How Baking Works (and what to do when it doesn't) by James Morton.  I'm sure you remember James Morton from the Great British Bake Off, this young medical student (now qualified) has taken his medical scientific mind and applied it to the science of baking.


So what is in the book?  It starts by telling us 'How This Works', James promises no flowery language everything simple and direct.  The book is designed to explain to you how to make the basics of baking, with some recipe suggestions but with the intention that, once mastered, you will go on to make your own variations.

Forebake is an excellent primer for baking well.  A list of ingredients with full explanation of their contribution to the bake and how best to use them.  There is also a list of essential equipment which won't scare you off as it really is pretty basic.

The Basics takes you through techniques and staples, reducing the fear factor of Creme Patissiere, Creme Anglaise,  Creme Brulee, Frangipane and Caramel, including how to save crystallised caramel.  Melting chocolate is demystified and chocolate ganache couldn't be easier.  Three different types of buttercream to fill those lovely cakes, marizpan, crumble topping and even jam and curd making.  Each one described carefully and simply with step by step instructions.

So now we are really ready to start baking each chapter starts with some basic instructions and lots of reasons why you need to do certain things, I do like to know why, don't you?
The detailed notes on the variations will help you make changes to your recipes without risking disaster.  If things still go wrong, James is ready with a list of troubleshooting tips.

This is the pattern for CAKE, SPONGE, BROWNIE, MUFFINS, TORTE, BISCUIT, SHORT, SWEET, CHOUX PUFF, MERINGUE and  MACARON. Following the whys and wherefores are the recipes.

And here are some of the recipes that took my fancy: Celeriac Cake with Strawberries and Cream, Wee Sponges with Passion Fruit Curd and Italian Meringue, Macadamia and Raspberry Blondies, Yoghurt Muffins, Squidgy Gingerbread Muffins, Torta Caprese, Chocolate Orange Cookies, Iced Rings, Mushroom and Thyme Tart with Poached Egg, Cherry Bakewell , Frangipane Fruit Tart, Choux Divorces, Eccles Cakes, Kiwi Pavlova (I made it with strawberry instead!) Mango, Raspberry and Pistachio Roulade and Caramel Macarons.

Who is it for? When I first started to read this book, I thought it was a book for baking geeks, who look at baking as a science rather than an art and who need to know every little detail before they start to bake. Well it would suit that type of baker, but to be honest, I think everyone who bakes would benefit from reading How Baking Works and I do mean READ.  It was only when I sat down to read the book that it all came together for me and I could see what James was trying to achieve.

Pros: One of the things I really liked about this book was just how clearly you could hear James' voice.  Perhaps that was easier because I watch GBBO avidly, however the style is informal, the language is quite clearly James' own.

Cons: There are less recipes than you usually get in a cook book this size, but as explained at the beginning that's because the real purpose is to teach you to understand how each type of bake works.

The Verdict:  This book should be on the shelf of every wannabe baker and also of those of us who have been baking successfully for years but didn't know quite why we were successful!  I will certainly branch out a little more using the knowledge I've gained from reading How Baking Works.






James Morton's Kiwi Pavlova 
and Janice's Strawberry Lemon Curd variation
makes one sizeable spectacle

4 medium egg whites
200g caster sugar
1 pint double cream
caster sugar and vanilla extract, to taste
6 kiwi fruits

1. First, preheat your oven to 120C/100C fan/Gas 1/2.
2. Into a large clean bowl (not plastic or silicone), place the egg whites.  They should be free of any trace of yolk - if there is any remaining, use a soon to coop it out and use a torch or the light on your phone to make sure there is none left.
3. Using an electric whisk or stand mixer on the highest speak available, whisk the whites until light, fluffy and stiff.  When they're not getting any bigger, start adding the caster sugar, a teaspoon at a time, still whisking on the highest speed.  When it's all incorporated, keep whisking for a bit longer before setting aside.
4. Use a wee touch of the meringue to stick a sheet of baking paper to a baking tray.  Then, scoop your meringue into one massive circular blob.  Try to make it thinner in the middle and thicker towards the edges.  A thicker crust is required because so much of the centre will become soggy when laden with cream.
5. Bake your meringue for approximately 2 hours - I like a bit of beige (even brown) on my Pavlova. Leave it to cool on the tray.


6. Whip the cream by hand in a cold bowl until just coagulated, adding sugar and vanilla to taste.  Peel and slice the kiwi fruits.
7. Scoop about the cream on top of the meringue disc and spread it around.  Add about a third of the kiwi fruits then cover completely with another layer of cream and top with the rest of the fruit.  Preferably in a big pile.  Keep in the fridge and serve over the course of the following day.

To make the strawberry variation use 1 punnet of strawberries, hull and half them. Mix 3 tbsp lemon curd into the whipped cream or use good quality Greek yogurt.  Put all the  cream or yogurt mixture onto the pavlova and place the strawberry halves on top in circles.  Dust with a little icing sugar.

I've always added cornflour and vinegar to my pavlova to create the marshmallowy texture inside the crisp shell, but this recipe did all that without any additives and was just fabulous and will be the ONLY way I will make pavlova in future.


As James would say of the pavlova of his childhood: " There would be an attempt to slice it, but then it would simply be scraped from it's tray and shovelled into a bowl, just as it should be"

How Baking Works by James Morton
Photography by Andy Sewell

Here are some other Pavlova variations you might like to try:
Mini Chocolate and Rhubarb Pavlovas - Tin and Thyme
Banana Pavlova with Chocolate Fudge Sauce - Farmersgirl Kitchen 
Chocolate Berry Pavlova - Farmersgirl Kitchen 
Strawberry and Creme Fraiche Pavlova -Lancashire Food
Diamond Jubilee Pavlova - Fab Food 4 All

I'm adding this to Dom's Simply Eggcellent Linky at Belleau Kitchen as there would be no pavlova without eggs!

Not forgetting Simple and in Season over at Ren Behan/Food for those wonderful seasonal strawberries.

And Bake of the Week, I'm not quite sure how Helen at Casa Costello manages to keep this weekly linky going, but she does and it's a source of lots of amazing bakes so please do visit.

Labels: cake, GBBO, Great British Bake Off, How Baking Works, James Morton, meringue, pavlova, review, Strawberry Pavlova

posted by Janice @ 09:35 25 Comments