French Onion Soup

The French are famous for their culinary expertise - fine dining restaurants with kitchens run by flamboyant and egotistical chefs, the food served at perfectly made tables. 

I love french cuisine but i've never been one for the classic white tableclothed restaurant, I'm too messy an eater. So while scoffing a bowl of French onion soup, splattering lovely broth around the bowl it got me thinking, something didn't add up. French cooking and loose sloppy onions, white tablecloths and uncontrollable mess, how did this unsophisticated dish become part of such a refined cuisine?
 
It appears that this beautifully rich and indulgent soup was not part of classic French cooking but in the 18th Century was typical peasant food, for the lower classes, made from just a few easily accessible and cheap ingredients. 

The dish shows just how naturally skilled in the art of cooking the French nation is, if even the most poor, down trodden and desperate of their nation had to struggle by on something so god damn delicious
    

Ingredients - Serves 4

1kg brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g butter
Tbsp dried thyme
Tsp granulated sugar
1.5 litres of beef stock
1/2 tsp of Marmite (optional)
Small glass of dry white wine
2 tbsp brandy 

For the croutons - 
French baguette
Gruyere cheese 
 

• Melt the butter in a large pan.
• Add the onions and fry on high for approx 10 mins.
• Add the garlic and thyme and continue to fry for 5 mins before turning the heat down to medium.
• Cook slowly for approx 30 mins until the onions are browned and looking rich and sticky
• Pour over the wine and stir to release all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add the stock and Marmite, if using, and bring to the boil.
• Turn down to allow to simmer, lidless, for around an hour.
• Stir through the brandy once the soup has reduced and is nice and rich and cook for another few minutes
• Slice the baguette into approx 1 and a half inch slices and grill on one side until lightly browned.
• Turn the bread over, top with a little cheese and pepper and grill until the cheese is melted and golden.
• Serve the soup in bowls topped with a couple of gruyere croutons.  

Pumpkin Pie

Two firsts for Halloween this year. My first solo pumpkin carving and a first attemt at a pumpkin pie, neither of which ended up being that neat or pretty. They were fiddly and at times irritating but once finished they both filled me with a pleasing sense of satisfaction.

I've never even eaten pumpkin pie before so i don't know if this can be described as a good one but in terms of something tasty to eat then it's a winner - really moist, a similar texture to a lemon tart but with warming winter flavours.



Ingredients -

Approx 500g of fresh (peeled) pumpkin flesh, cut into 1 - 2 inch cubes.
Olive oil
Honey 

1/2 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground Cinammon
1/2 tsp All Spice
100ml Double Cream
2 small Eggs
Dash of Dark Rum
125g Light Muscovado Sugar

Approx 250g shortcrust pastry, homemade or packet

Tbsp Icing Sugar

• Put the pumpkin in a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and honey, toss to coat, then roast in a pre heated oven for around 45 mins at 190c until pumpkin is soft and slightly charred on some edges.
• Allow the pumpkin pieces to rest in a sieve over a bowl, while you prepare the pastry, to let as much liquid as possible drain away.
• Roll out the pastry to around the thickness of a pound coin and place inside a 22cm tart tin, push into the case and trim excess pastry.
• Line the inside with baking paper filled with baking beans or rice and dry bake for 15 mins at 180c.
• While the pastry is baking put the roast pumpkin, spices, cream, eggs, sugar and dark rum in a bowl and blend together.
• Take the baking paper out and allow the pastry to cook and brown for another 10 min then remove from the oven.
• Turn the oven down to 140c.
• Pour in the spicy pumpkin mix and cook for around 1hr, if you poke a knife into the middle it should come out clean, you may well need another 10 mins or so.
• Remove from the pie from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
• Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with a drizzle of cream.

Irish Fondue

Rachel admitted recently that she has a guilty pleasure - When i am not around, she slices some mature cheddar cheese onto a plate and then microwaves it on high for a few seconds until it is melted. She then lets it cool slightly before proceeding to peel the melted cheese from the plate and popping it into her mouth...

I was of course disappointed but not in the least bit surprised with her actions.

It is this kind of thing, like her love of eating cold hot dogs, that makes me worry and makes me question the quality of the food i produce and so proudly share with the world via this blog.

I feel filled with confidence when Rachel wolfs down my latest creation and looks at me lovingly, describing how delicious the meal is, but perhaps this warm cheese / cold sausage eating judge isn't the most qualified to grade my culinary experiments... Perhaps she is more like the factory workers mum on X Factor who somehow believes their child's complete lack of talent should be encouraged and pushed until one day it is tested in front of the world and they are laughed at and humiliated....

It is this worry that will possibly hold me back from ever taking the next step in my culinary journey, whatever that may be, held back by the apprehension that perhaps I've been brainwashed by my nearest and dearest, that their blind love for me has created an illusion, a false reality into which no one else should ever enter or certainly not pop around for dinner...

I can only hope that i am wrong and that these disgusting treats are more about reminiscing to times gone by and not in fact any reflection on my current skills in the kitchen. 
 
I do of course still need to provide a recipe with this post, i don't want to get into the habit of simply airing my thoughts and worries publicly like some attention seeking whore and deviating from the purpose of this blog. So, here one is, complete with microwaved cheddar cheese. It is one of our favourite naughty savoury snacks and is really simple -

Ingredients for 2 -

2 Pittas, wholemeal is healthier....
Cheddar Cheese
Jalapenos
Chilli Sauce

• Toast pitta
• Slice open
• Put cheese and jalapenos inside (or anything else you fancy)
• Microwave on high for a few seconds, until the cheese is all melted
• Eat with dipping sauce 

Teriyaki Seared Tuna

Another quick to prepare Asian meal to keep you away from the local Chinese takeaway and their secret, hidden kitchens. What goes on behind the stud partition walls that they don't want you to see... Perhaps it is something as sinister as what occurred recently at a Chinese restaurant in Kentucky where the owners were caught wheeling a bin full of road kill into the kitchen... Do you want to take the chance that your beef in black bean sauce is actually made from half a squashed badger or that the chicken in your chow mein is really bits of pigeon pulled from the hub caps of a Vauxhall Astra?

All other fast food shops proudly display their produce unashamed of what they are selling, even the kebab dens proudly advertise the food with vague references to the meat included in the meals and display the skewered lamb and chicken in front of you to allow full examination before committing to a purchase

So, the next time you crave an Asian infused dish spend your hard earned on a lovely piece of fresh tuna instead of the mystery box from the local take away and smother it in this simple teriyaki sauce for a delicious Japanese flavoured dinner with all of the taste but none of the worry.

That is if you still have an appetite at all after reading this post....



Ingredients for 2 portions -

approx 350g tuna steak
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 chillies chopped
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp honey

2 tbsp Sesame oil
1cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 pak choi
2 hand fulls of mushrooms

Optional sesame seeds to serve

Udon Noodles, approx 100g 

• Mix the chillies, soy and honey until well combined
• Cook noodles according to packet instructions
• Add sesame oil to hot wok with a little finely chopped ginger, cook for a minute and then add the chopped pak choi and chopped mushrooms
• Rub tuna all over with oil and season with salt and pepper
• Heat a griddle pan until very hot, add tuna steak and sear for approx 3 mins on either side until browned.
• Pour over the honey/soy mix and allow to cook and caramelise for up to a minute

Serve in a bowl, noodles at the bottom, veg around the edge and the tuna on top, drizzle with the remaining sauce from the griddle pan.
 
Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Pan Fried Pigeon Breast with Black Pudding

As the wood pigeon season comes around again this September why not nip to your local farmers market and pick up something new with which to dazzle your taste buds?

Try this great and easy recipe to broaden your horizons or impress a dinner date. You can prepare and cook everything in less than half an hour.

Afterwards you will never look at a pigeon the same way again, well maybe the skinny ratty kind that every town centre in the country is infested with...

But the next time you see one of the big fat wood pigeons waddling around your garden you will have to physically stop yourself from charging outside and doing your best Dastardly and Muttley impression to catch him and have him for supper!

Now find out where and when your nearest farmers market is on and go and buy some. Get out there and buy the pigeon, buy the pigeon, buy that pigeon now!!


Ingredients, for 2 servings-


4 Pigeon (or Partridge) Breasts
2 Slices of Black Pudding
125ml Beef Stock
25ml Red Wine
Heaped Tsp Berry Jam, whatever you have in i used lingonberries.

To Serve
Potato Rostis
Sauteed Green Veg - Leeks / Broccoli 

• Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
• Heat a frying pan until hot and then fry each breast for 2 minutes on one side and then turn and fry for another 2 minutes on the other side.
• Remove from the pan and allow to rest, while keeping warm.
• Deglaze the pan with the red wine and then add the stock and stir through the jam.
• Reduce the liquid by half.
• Meanwhile fry or grill the black pudding until crisp and hot. 

Serve a slice of black pudding with a couple of pigeon breasts on top, drizzled with the red wine jus and some potato and vegetable sides.

Pulled Jerk Pork with Mango Salsa

Rachel and I absolutely LOVE chillis and our favourite type is the gradually increasing heat provided by the super spicy, Caribbean scotch bonnet pepper, especially when it is used to make a lovely jerk marinade.

Tucking into a generous portion of irresistible jerked meat leaves us both sucking in air to cool the fire building in our mouths, but it is just too good we cannot stop.... Even when we're bloated, sweaty, crying messes, rolling around the floor in a hazy mixture of pleasure and intolerable pain we will still rub one last finger through the remaining fiery sauce left on the plate, incapable in our delirious state of making the sensible and necessary decision to simply stop eating....

If you are a chilli lover too you're probably getting excited reading this as our spicy little friends are addictive in the same way as drugs. People crave the release of endorphins caused by eating chili in the same way as speed was craved by 1950s American housewives or Meow Meow is by the young revellers of today. And like all addicts the fix to truly satisfy your itch needs to be stronger and stronger the longer you have been trapped by your own particular vice. Anything too weak will leave you feeling dissatisfied and angry. This is why this recipe is so good, even for the most ardent chili addict the scotch bonnet jerk paste seasoning will give you the hit you're craving and the addition of the jalapeno and mango salsa will top it off and leave you sinking into the drooling ecstatic state that you dream of.

The jerk paste can be used to marinate anything you like, for a quicker meal use chicken or go veggie with peppers and onions. Serve your delicious spicy jerk meat with a refreshing salad, the sweet mango salsa and a good dollop of cooling soured cream.

For the Jerk Paste:

Ingredients -

2 - 3 Scotch Bonnet Chilis, deseeded and chopped

3 Tsp All Spice

2 Bundles of Spring Onions

2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Thyme

Tsp Cinammon

Tsp Nutmeg

Approx 1 and half inch piece of Ginger, peeled and chopped

7 Garlic Cloves

2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

• To make the paste put all the above ingredients into a mini blender and blend until smooth.
• Unused paste can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks 

For the Pulled Jerk Pork:

Ingredients -

Approx 750g Pork Shoulder Steaks

Splash of Water

Jerk paste from above (or bought paste) 

BBQ Sauce

• Rub a generous amount of the jerk paste over the pork and leave to marinate for a few hours
• Preheat your oven to 150c
• Place the marinated meat in a casserole dish, add a splash of water
• Cook in the oven with lid on for approx 3 hours, take the lid off for the last 30 mins
• Skim the fat off the top towards the end
• Remove the dish from the oven and shred the pork with a couple of forks, allow to cool a little before doing this
• Add a tbsp or 2 of your favourite bbq sauce and stir
• Turn the oven up to 190c and cook for approx another 30 mins to reduce and crisp up a bit.

For the Mango Salsa:

Ingredients -

1 Mango, peeled and diced
1/2 peeled and diced Cucumber
2 Tbsp finely chopped Jalapenos
1/2 Large Red Onion, diced
Good squeeze of Lime Juice
Handful of roughly chopped Coriander
Salt and Pepper

• Combine all the ingredients above in a bowl
• Squeeze over the lime juice
• Top with the coriander
• Season with salt and pepper
• Toss everything to combine

Pea & Mint Soup with Crumbled Feta

For years i hated peas.

As a child i despised the taste, the look, the feel and the smell of them. They were probably my least favourite food especially when poorly teamed with their little yellow twins sweet corn. Like a Brazilian themed mini child's ball pool at the edge of the dinner plate, but no where near as much fun. Their other problem is they roll around the plate and are completely unsuited to the cutlery used for the dinner course, meaning you look like some anorexic girl eating your meal one tiny pea morsel at a time with your comparatively giant fork, it'd be like eating meatballs with a garden rake...

Anyway.

As i grew older i tried more of the foods i thought i didn't like and found that either initially i had been wrong or that my taste buds had matured (or numbed...) and i now enjoyed the taste. Thinking about it, it was possibly down to them being poorly prepared, like school dinners with cheap ingredients and cooked badly, or most commonly to death.

The first time i remember liking peas was New Years Day, probably around 1998. We all used to head down to our local lacrosse club the day after New Years Eve to catch up with friends and celebrate further the year to come. Another tradition was for an older Scottish gentleman from the club, John Marr - a living legend in lacrosse circles, to make a huge batch of his special split pea and ham soup and force everyone to eat some along with a generous glass of scotch whisky! I had been reluctant for years and had managed to avoid either in the most part but then i found myself cornered by the huge Scottish beast and forced to take a bowl of his soup and what must have been half a pint of scotch. Taking a big mouthful of the soup, there was no way in my fragile state i was going to risk the scotch, i found myself pleasantly surprised, not only was i enjoying the pea taste but also i could feel my body responding to the nutritional benefits that the soup was reaping on my hungover body. I liked peas... I then  thought 'what the heck' and had a swig of the scotch too and nearly vomited...

Unfortunately a year later on the way to our lacrosse club get together i was told a rumour about a batch of John's split pea and ham soup from a few years back. Apparently John's flat had been broken into one new years eve and the pesky burglars had not only stolen electronic equipment among other valuable items but had also spotted the soup and one of them had decided to ruin an old man's good work by weeing in the pot. John apparently coming back and finding this had not let it beat him and had given the soup a bloody good stir, warmed it through, added a little extra salt and pepper and served it up the next day anyway... I need not confirm, however absurd the story may sound, that with my new year hungover stomach, the story ruined my desire to eat any pea soup that day and for a good while after.

More recently, over the last few years, i have learnt to love all food and am now comfortable with the taste of pea. I've experienced delicious pea puree smudged across my plate in a posh vegetarian restaurant and devoured large pots of mushy peas with traditional fish and chips by the sea side. I had however still not cooked with them myself, until a friend brought some around as part of a dinner party we were having and we forgot to use them leaving them waiting for me in the bottom of the freezer. The peas had already come in handy once to reduce a badly swollen knee but were again put to good use following an inspiring episode of Saturday Kitchen for this delicious soup, served hot or cold it's just pea....rfect!
 

Ingredients -

700 g Frozen Peas

1.2l Chicken Stock

Onions - i used - Half an onion, 2 shallots, 4 spring onions as that's what i had in, chopped

3 Sticks of Celery, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

Large handful of fresh Mint Leaves

Lemon Juice, approx 2 tbsp, freshly squeezed

Feta Cheese, however much you fancy

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan
• Add onions, garlic, celery, pepper
• Fry for approx 8 mins until soft
• Add hot chicken stock and pea
• Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins until peas are soft
• Blend
• Stir through mint and lemon juice and blend again for a short time to leave mint leaf speckles, pretty!
• Serve with a generous amount of crumbled feta over the top and a little more freshly ground black pepper

Campervan Breakfasts and Getting Engaged!

Last month we set off for a hippy holiday up in Scotland - We had booked a 1971 VW Campervan, 'Herbie', for a week and had planned a route heading North from Inverness up the coast to get the ferry across to the Orkney Islands before returning to explore the far North West corner of Scotland.

This is a review of the trip and the amazing breakfasts that we enjoyed, simply cooked on our campervan hob!

Our holiday started with a flight to Edinburgh where we were to spend the most luxurious night of our trip before continuing up to Inverness to pick up Herbie. I'd booked us in for lunch at the Castle Terrace restaurant which has just received its first Michelin Star and we were spoilt with perhaps the best meal of our lives, anyone visiting the city should visit this place especially for the incredible value taster lunch.

At the guest house the following morning we were provided with the traditional (for tourists...) Scottish breakfast of haggis and black pudding along with the usual fried breakfast staples commonly served south of the border. But, most importantly, before this we were also presented a little belly warmer, an awakener for the stomach, before the main greasy fry up course - Porridge with a tot of Scottish whisky poured over the top - delicious!!

After breakfast we boarded the train to Inverness to pick up Herbie, our beautiful, head turning home on wheels for the next 7 nights. We made a stop for food supplies and a short but successful dolphin spotting trip off Chanonry Point before stopping in Dornoch for the night.

We awoke excited to cook up our first breakfast on the hob (which while not in use is stored underneath the passenger's seat...) and made the splendid decision to drive a few minutes to the car park overlooking the beautiful Dornoch beach. For our first breakfast we decided on some smoked salmon served on fresh crusty bread and topped with scrambled eggs and peppered mushrooms. The secret to scrambled eggs is plenty of butter, a small amount of milk and to not over cook them.

Scrambled eggs for 2 people-

4 large fresh free range eggs
A small splash of milk / cream
Dried chili flakes, to taste
A little freshly ground black pepper
A generous amount of freshly ground sea salt.
A large knob of butter

• Crack the eggs into a large mug and whisk, add the milk, chili flakes, salt and pepper and continue to whisk until well combined.
• Warm a pan over a medium to high heat, add the butter and allow to melt and start to sizzle.  
• Whisk the egg mixture again briefly then add to the pan
• Allow to sit until you can see the eggs firming around the edges, then gently stir around and break up any bits that are becoming solid. 
• Repeat
• The whole process should take around 4 minutes, so if you're going too quick turn the heat down.
• Serve immediately to stop the eggs continuing to cook in the pan. 

After breakfast we continued North and finally arrived in Scrabster for our evening ferry over to Orkney. Driving off the ferry late in the evening we luckily caught the end of the annual folk festival and had a great time partying with the locals. Stumbling back to the campsite at 2am we were surprised that we didn't need our torch, the sun apparently doesn't set properly that far north in the summer!

  
The next day was a big day - Rach was turning 30 (shhhh....) and also little known to her she was just a few hours away from being proposed to!

So with this in mind it was important to start the day with something filling and tasty!

We went for a Mexican breakfast of refried beans (from a can, but you can make them taste better if you fry an onion and some fresh chili until soft first and then scoop the contents of the can in on top and warm through), fried eggs (two for boys and one for girls / 3 for Robin and two for Rachel), freshly made Guacamole and Rachel's 'pico da gallo'.

Recipe for Pico De Gallo -

Ingredients -

Half a red onion, sliced
2 green chillis, deseeded and chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
lots of fresh coriander, chopped
squeeze of lime juice

• Mix all together in a bowl and squeeze lime over top, serve the salsa as a side dish with any Mexican dish.

After breakfast we hit the road and as the nerves built in my stomach i started to regret having such a spicy breakfast. The plan was to get to a small island off the coast of mainland Orkney, only accessible by foot and for just 3 hours a day when the tidal causeway reveals itself.

We arrived at the crossing point for The Brough Of Birsay and popped open a bottle of champagne, had a glass (jeez i needed that my legs had started to feel wobbly...) and headed off towards the causeway. Just as we were about to cross it started spitting with rain, Rach wanted to go back to the van for a bit but i was having none of it, 'there is no going back now...'

The actual moment was perfect, but perhaps a little unconventional. I was still struggling with a recent injury to my 'good knee' so was a little worried about getting down on one of my rickety knees and toppling over and off the cliff edge. So instead I decided to go for a more stable seat on the floor behind Rachel and whispered the question into her ear. Rach doesn't like people looking at her when she receives presents, she must have had some particularly horrific birthday / Christmas presents in the past and she is completely incapable of lying with her facial expressions, so this position probably worked quite well for her. I needn't have worried too much though as when she turned around to look at me and say yes i knew instantly she loved her present and me!!

The morning after the emotional day before we were up very early, still in a bit of a daze, and off to get another ferry, this time farther north to the Orkney island of Westray. No time to cook breakfast, we settled for bacon sandwiches and instant coffee on the ferry crossing while starting our first bit of 'wedmin' (wedding-administration for the guys) - the potential guest list. Westray was beautiful, as all of Orkney is, we saw puffins and then enjoyed a long leisurely barbecue complete with melted marshmallow pudding while being watched by some seals in the sea nearby.

We were on Westray for just 24 hours so were up early the next day for the ferry back to the mainland and again enjoyed the bacon sandwiches from the ferry canteen for breakfast. Our last few hours on Orkney were spent exploring the south islands and visiting the Highland Park whisky distillery. Another ferry later we were back in Scrabster and had a few hours to get across the top of the North coast to our next destination, Durness.

After 3 days on the tiny Orkney Islands i didn't appreciate how difficult it might be to get petrol in the remote north of Scotland and instead of heading the 5 miles back to town to give Herbie his dinner we pushed on confident that there would be plenty of petrol stations en route. To be fair, there were a couple, but they were shut, petrol stations shut at 5pm up there, or when they run out of petrol, and there was no chance of us getting all the way to Durness on the amount of fuel we had in the tank. After a few worryingly steep hills seemed to have evaporated the last of the petrol from Herbie's tank we managed to roll into the small town of Tongue where we knew we had to stop for the night, they had a petrol station so all we had to do was find a place to pull up, enjoy the scenery and wait for the morning when we could fill Herbie up for the rest of the trip. The pressure of the last couple of hours must have got to us and we had an almighty falling out over directions we received from a local gentleman about how to get to a spot by the Loch to stop for the night, i pushed on trusting my instincts, ignoring the evil stares from the passenger seat - 'i knew best'...

We did in the end find a nice spot to stop, whether or not it was the one we were directed to i think it's best we never find out. This was our first argument as an engaged couple, at this point i hadn't realised that all i needed to say now that she has a ring on her finger is 'have you got something on your hand love' and the evil Rachel disappears as she looks down to see her sparkling present and is transported back to The Brough of Birsay and that magical moment. 

The next morning we woke up with belly's as empty as Herbie's petrol tank so pulled out all the food we had left to make a big meal to enjoy on the old ramshackle pier we had stopped next to the night before.

The ingredients we found were - 

Half a chorizo ring
A can of chopped tomatoes
An onion
A handful of mushrooms
2 chili's
4 large free range eggs
Fresh crusty bread

• So we decided to make a tomato sauce by frying the chopped chorizo and chilis with the sliced onion and mushrooms for approx 5 mins and then pouring in the canned chopped tomatoes.

• Bring this to the boil and taste, season with salt and pepper and add a couple of pinches of sugar.

• Allow to simmer, make a small indent in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg directly in, repeat with the other eggs, evenly distributing around the pan.

• Keep simmering and put the lid on allowing the eggs to cook until starting to firm but with a runny yolk.

• Serve straight from the pan with buttered crusty bread

On our penultimate morning we were using up the last ingredients before the end of the trip and made great use of the remaining smoked cheddar to make some delicious breakfast sandwiches with one final taste of Orkney -


Smoked Bacon, 8 rashers / 1 pack
Smoked Orkney Cheddar
2 fried fresh free range eggs
2 soft barm cakes / baps / rolls
Tabasco style chili sauce

• Fry the bacon on one side until just crispy, turn over and top with a thin slice of cheddar and cook until crispy on the other side and the cheese is slightly melted.

• Cut rolls in half and add the bacon.

• Fry the eggs, making sure to leave a lovely runny yolk

• Splash on a little chili sauce / tabasco and enjoy.

• Wipe chin....

Back to Inverness and preparing for the LONG train journey all the way back down to London, without changing trains, we decided to save breakfast for when we were settled into our carriage seats and stopped by a local supermarket to pick up some croissants etc. Being back in a city, even one as small as Inverness, was enough of a shock to the system after a week in the most deserted corner of the UK but we nearly jumped back in Herbie and headed back for the highlands after using the toilets in the Inverness Morrisons, i was confused to be in a room lit only by ultra violet light until someone explained that it was probably to stop heroin use in the toilets as this light makes it impossible to find your veins...

Not the perfect ending to the trip but a most amazing and memorable trip all the same, we'll definitely do it again.


Also - we cannot recommend the campervan hire company enough, an incredible holiday and many thanks to Neil and Happy Highland Campers for renting, no sharing Herbie with us for the week and being so helpful!



NB. - Serve all campervan breakfasts with messy 'bed head' hair and some strong fresh coffee!

Thin Sushi Salmon Rolls with Pickled Cucumber

Thin Sushi Salmon Rolls - A First Attempt!

At the start of the year Rachel and I decided to write a list of a few of the things we wanted to accomplish or experience during the 12 coming months. This ended up growing into a 32 point bucket list containing such exotic activities as 'visiting South America', quite simple things like 'cooking a Beef Wellington', rather obscure aims 'speaking Spanish around the flat on Thursdays' and the incredibly brave 'going on a jog together'...

No.23 on the list was to 'make Robin like sushi'. There aren't many foods i don't like, bar perhaps some offal and horseradish sauce and dont get me wrong i don't hate sushi, but raw fish was nowhere near the top of my favourite meal list. I'd never go out of my way or spend my hard earned money to enjoy some.

 

So since January we have been thinking of where to go to try some great sushi but had not got around to it yet. Then an opportunity arose to attend a sushi making evening class and we decided this was perfect, we could learn the basics and then take control of the ingredients tailoring sushi at home to my tastes.

The night was great, interesting and fun in equal measures, and i enjoyed lots and lots of sushi as well as some delicious sides to compliment the obligatory soy dipping dish. In the end I may have sickened myself of the taste slightly, but once the sushi overload is long forgotten I'm pretty sure I'm going to crave a plate of neatly rolled rice and raw fish and may even make a special trip to get some on pay day!

The below shows how to make the sushi rice, assemble simple sushi rolls and prepare a delicious side of pickled cucumber:

Make the Pickled Cucumber Side Dish-

Ingredients -

A whole cucumber, sliced as thinly as you can

2 Tsp of Salt

4 Tbsp White Vinegar

1 Tbsp Sugar

• Combine the salt and cucumber slices in a small bowl and leave to stand for approx 5 mins  
  
• Mix sugar and vinegar in a bowl and set aside
• Rinse the cucumber in cold water to remove the salt
• Add the cucumber to the sugar and vinegar mixture and chill for up to a few hours or overnight.

Prepare the Sushi Rice - 

Ingredients -  

 

375g Sushi Rice

375ml Water

2 Tbsp Mirin

2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 Tsp Salt

• Rinse the rice then add a little water and allow to stand for 15 minutes
• Add the rice, water and mirin to a medium saucepan, bring to the boil for a minute or two and then turn the heat down and cover for approx 20 minutes, until cooked through and soaked up all the water
• Allow to stand, covered, for 10 minutes then transfer to a non metallic bowl to cool
• When ready to make your sushi add the vinegar, sugar and salt to a saucepan and heat gently, stir until the sugar has dissolved
• Pour the mixture over the rice and stir
• Sushi rice is best used when it is lukewarm, it loses its stickiness when it is cold.

The above will make enough rice for 40 - 50 pieces of sushi.

Leftover rice can be used to make some quick Nigiri Sushi - Simply roll a small amount into a ball and top with your choice of fish, you can tie it together with a thin strip of Nori (toasted seaweed)

Assemble the Sushi -

Ingredients - 

Approx half of the cooked rice above to make 24 pieces

1 Portion of Tezu Vinegar Water

- 250ml Water, 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar, Tsp Salt, mixed together.

2 Sheets of Nori (7x8 inches)

Wasabi Paste, quantity to taste

Approx 150g of best quality Salmon Fillet, cut into long strips

Sushi rolling mat

Avocado and Yellow Pepper, a few thin slices of each

• Cut the Nori sheets in half so you have 4 measuring 4 x 7 inches
• Cover the rolling mat with a piece of cling film so that both sides are covered, fold over at the sides so that it's nice and secure
• Place a Nori sheet on the mat shiny side down, about an inch from the edge of the mat closest to you and with even space at either side
• Wet your hands in the bowl of Tezu to avoid the rice from sticking
• Place a handful of the sushi rice onto the nori sheet and spread evenly across the whole sheet leaving 3/4 inch strip along the top edge rice free
• Take a small amount of wasabi paste on a finger tip and spread across the middle of the rice
• Place a salmon strip, a piece of avocado and a piece of pepper together in the centre of the rice and repeat again so that your ingredients are spread across the rice
• Place your finger tips over the ingredients and then use your thumbs to lift the edge of the rolling mat nearest to you over the filling, forming it into a roll
• Lift the top of the rolling mat and turn the roll a little to overlap the edges of the nori and seal the roll, the edges will seal themselves
• Roll the entire thing again to make sure it is even and tight and will remain sealed, this will take a little practice but they still taste great even if they don't look that neat at first!
• Remove from the rolling mat and place in the fridge for approx 30 minutes to chill, then using a very sharp knife cut in half and then each half into 3, repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve with soy sauce to dip and pickled cucumbers on the side.

Blueberry Breakfast Pancakes

Us Brits haven't really embraced the simple yet delectable pancake as much as other nations.

We make a song and dance one day a year on shrove tuesday and, as our ancestors have done before us, we wolf down as many as we can stomach. This was typically as a celebration or preparation before the traditional fasting of lent but now mostly just another excuse for glutiny!

Elsewhere the annual pancake ration is not exhausted in one night of over indulgence and they are even enjoyed at different times of the day. In America for example they will often use the base ingredients to make smaller, fatter pancakes which have the density to carry other ingredients, in this case blueberries, and they are then smothered in a generous drizzling of syrup for a sweet and filling breakfast.

Ingredients for 10 pancakes / 2 generous servings - 

200g Self Raising Flour

Tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

1 Egg

300ml Semi Skimmed Milk

Butter, large knob, melted, and more for cooking

100g Blueberries

To Serve

50g Blueberries

Honey or Golden / Maple Syrup

Creme Fraiche / Yogurt

• Combine flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. 
• Beat the egg into the milk and then slowly whisk this into the bowl to create a smooth batter. 
• Beat in the melted butter, and gently mix through the 100g of blueberries.
• Heat another knob of butter in your largest non-stick frying pan, until sizzling.
• Add a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes about 3 inches in diameter. Make a few pancakes at the same time depending on the size of your pan. 
• Cook for about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake,indicating it is done on the other side, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden on both sides. 
• Keep cooked pancakes covered until you've made them all and then serve 5 stacked on top of each other drizzled with honey / syrup, a good dollop of yogurt and the rest of the blueberries sprinkled over.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Last year, during a trip to the Lake District, Rachel and I had the opportunity to visit what for us is the equivalent of an Elvis fan's trip to Graceland.
 
We both have a sweet tooth and for me in particular the classic British dessert 'Sticky Toffee Pudding' is my favourite. So it was with extreme excitement that we wound our way down through the beautiful countryside from Hawkshead Hill, after a delightful stay at - Summer Hill Country House, to Cartmel.

Cartmel is a small village in the south of the Lake District famous for one thing - being the home of the greatest dessert our fair shores have to offer. 

Having bought one of the puddings as a souvenir we arrived 2 hours later back in Manchester at my mother's house to drop off the car she'd very kindly lent us for the last few days. While unpacking i decided to show my gratitude for the car loan and offered Ma Foster the aforementioned Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and carefully put it in the fridge for her to enjoy another day.

The following day we were getting ready to head to the station for our train back to London, which my Mother had generously offered to drive us to. Before heading off i stuck my head in the fridge to see if there were any last snacks i could nibble at and my eyes landed on the sticky toffee pudding...

It had been 24 hours since we'd experienced the delicious taste up in Cartmel and i found myself craving another hit.

And so, and looking back now with a little hint of guilt, i rescinded the offer to leave the pudding. I took back the gift I'd felt so good giving just the night before and stuck it back in my bag with a smile on my face knowing that i could enjoy that incredible taste once again later that evening...

Having polished that off in no time i thought it might be worth cooking one from scratch myself, so using the memories from Cartmel as inspiration i did and the recipe is below. I think i should probably make one for Mrs Foster or at least buy her one of the originals that I've noticed you can now buy in Waitrose.

Ingredients, for approx 10 portions -

Chopped Dates

250g dried dates, stoned and chopped

300ml black tea, medium strength

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g unsalted butter, softened

200g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs
200g self raising flour

Tsp vanilla essence

Tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice

½ tsp nutmeg

For the toffee sauce -

100g unsalted butter

100g light muscovado sugar

150ml double cream

• Preheat oven to 160C Fan / 180C Normal
• Put the dates and tea in a saucepan and bring to the boil, cook for around 6 minutes until the dates are softened. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda
• Beat the butter with the caster sugar until pale and creamy
• Add the eggs and continue to beat, add in the flour, vanilla essence and spices, ix to combine
• Fold in the date and tea mixture and pour everything into a large lightly buttered ovenproof dish
• Bake for around 35 minutes, the top should be just firm to the touch
• While that's baking make the toffee sauce - Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and you have a smooth sauce
• To serve cut the pudding into squares, drizzle over the toffee sauce and pour over hot custard.