Halloween pumpkin and coconut soup with ginger and lime

Halloween of course always means copious amounts of left-over pumpkin/squash and I'm sure you all have your own favourite soup recipe - but I can tell you with THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE that this is the BEST EVER: easy, quick - and so DELICIOUS:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

750g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
A bunch of spring onions, chopped
A fat thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lemon grass stalks, crushed/cut up
1.2 l vegetable or chicken stock
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
2-3tbsp Thai fish sauce
the juice of ½ -1 lime
A large bunch of coriander, stalks and leaves separated, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and, over a low heat, sweat the pumpkin, spring onions, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and coriander stalks for a few minutes. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes. Liquidise and then add the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice and reheat for a few minutes. Serve garnished with some of the coriander leaves.

Serves 6

Notes:
I always freeze any left-over lemon grass stalks - they just go a tiny bit soft when defrosted, but that makes them so much easier to chop! And if you don' like "bits" of lemon grass in the soup, just bash the stems with a meat cleaver/rolling pin before and fish them out once the soup is done.

If you can't find/don't have any lemon grass, you can use the zest of the lime instead.

This soup works equally well with carrots instead of pumpkin or squash.

For Halloween this year my almost 11 year old daughter (who is the most talented photographer ever) and I whole-heartedly support World Vision's ""Night of Hope" - trying to show girls all over the globe who are living in abject horror and fear that we care:

Photo by Mila

Please do the same. Thank you.

My blog is one year old!

So to celebrate this happy occasion, I thought it's high time I gave you my "signature dish" (as in: my blog profile photo) - as I'm sure you've all mused about this for the last 12 months: "What is she "telling" us with this intriguing concoction? Does she like meat? And vegetables? And all in one pan?" Well, of course I do - and tray bakes are one of my favourite ways of cooking: everything is done at the same time so it's easy and quick - and it saves on the washing-up! And this recipe by Bill Granger is by far my favourite of all - I could eat it every day:

Tray-baked veal chops with tomatoes, red onion & capers

3 ripe tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 large red onion, cut into fine wedges
1 tbsp fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
1 heaped tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 veal chops
seasoning

Serves 2.

Preheat the oven to 220°/fan oven 200°. Put the tomatoes, onion, oregano, capers, garlic & olive oil in a small roasting pan and toss together. Lightly smush the veal chops into the vegetables to coat them with the oil and herb mixture, then turn them over, place on top and season. Cook in the oven for ca 30-45 mins depending on the size of the chops.

Serve with crustry bread/baguette – or, as in the photo, put some peeled, sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish! 

Oh and I forgot to mention that the choice of "cover photo" was between the one above - and this screengrab of an "adorable baby elephant cruelly slaughtered for 'Masterchef' dish" (I still chuckle everytime I see it): 

Notes:
You can, of course, use pork chops for this recipe - I just happen to prefer the texture of veal here. 
Mash, boiled potaotes or polenta are also nice "to go with".
I've made this with dried oregano or marjoram - it still tastes great.
Buy the best capers you can afford: a small jar is still only a few Euros/pounds but will last for ages in the fridge. 

A rather special pork terrine

More often than not I have an all-consuming craving to work with, cook and eat the "offally" bits of animals which just aren't that popular. And last week I really found the mother lode when, in the charmingly-named "rubbish" section at CORA hypermarché, I spotted half a pig's head. I just couldn't believe it: 2 KG OF PIG'S HEAD - FOR UNDER 7 EUROS (£5.90)!

As with my lovely pig's trotters, I know that many people simply recoil in horror at the (for them) ghoulish sight of a massive, severed animal's head (or "Eugghh gross - a dead head!", as my 10-year-old screamed in panic when she peeked inside the shopping bag...I HAD alerted her though!), but that is not what I see at all: to me it's just the top part of a beautiful, majestic carcass with exactly the same firm skin, creamy layer of fat and with lots of lovely but sadly under-utilized meat underneath - surely this cut should be treated with the same respect?

The best way to do this, I thought, was to turn it into a terrine using every edible morsel that the head - after simmering for five hours - would yield. I adapted (or rather simplified) the wonderful Tom Kitchin's Rolled pig's head recipe and the end result exceeded even my wildest dreams:  it was UTTERLY delectable with a wonderful texture, warm with the spices and herbs and with a perfect ratio of meat, fat and skin - and UNBELIEVABLY easy to make (yes, REALLY!) And, on top of that, SO cheap: there is more than enough for ten people as a generous starter - that's 70 cents (60p) per person...

1/2 pig's head

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 tsp of herbes de Provence

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of fennel seeds

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

Put the head, celery, carrots, onion, bay and thyme into a very large saucepan. Cover with enough water, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for ca 5 hours until soft and tender.

Use a large slotted spoon or set of strong tongs to remove the pigs' head from the pan. Allow to cool slightly.

While still warm, pick off all the meat, skin and fat. It will peel off really easily and you'll be left with the two pieces of clean-scraped jaw in literally seconds. Do the same for the ear – again you can just peel/rub off all the fat, connective tissue and meat until only the thin sheet of cartilage is left. (The only other two unedible bits left will be a ribbed lozenge of thin bone - the roof of the pig's mouth - and the eye which now resembles a cloudy-looking stone.)

Put everything into a big bowl and, either with you hands or with a wooden spoon, rub/scrape it all together into an uniform mass. Then add the spices, herbs and seasoning and beat together until well-mixed-in.

Line a 30cm x 12cm cake or terrine tin with cling film* at least double the size of the tin. Scrape in the mixture, press down firmly and fold over the sides of the cling film. To press and set the mix, place a couple of cans of beans or some other heavy weights on top**.

Leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours until firm. 

The terrine goes exceptionally well with this sharp salsa verde which cuts through the mellow richness beautifully:

Put 2 tbsp each of parsley, mint, gherkins, capers, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor. Blitz into a smooth sauce, adding a bit of water if necessary. Season to taste.

Notes:

Check the simmering pot once in a while and top up with water if necessary.

Don't throw away the cooking liquor: strain and use as a wonderfully tasty stock for soups or casseroles.

*For years I've cursed the "line the tin with cling film" bit as it's SO impossibly fiddly - until I came up with this brilliant idea: I use sturdy freezer bags instead to overlap/cut to size. No more scrunched-up film sticking to your hands!

**I scattered my two bags of baking beans on top of the terrine instead of tins.

The terrine keeps - well-covered with tinfoil and double-wrapped in cling film - for at least a week in the fridge.
I didn't use the brain as it's not that easy to cook (for example, it simply falls apart when lightly fried like sweetbreads) - but I WILL give it a try next time: waste not want not!

Chorizo-crusted cod

I find the most delicious - and easiest - way to cook white fish is with a breadcrumb crust, and I dish up one or the other of these at least once a month - recipes to come another day! But while on holiday last month I was completely blown away by another variation: crispy chorizo crumbs. The flavours were just amazing: smoky and rich, meaty yet delicate - and with an almost decadent "oomph"... So I Iooked up a few recipes when I was back home, fiddled around with them a bit - and am more than happy with my version!

4 thick white fish fillets (ca 175g - 200g each)
100g chorizo, cut into small(ish) chunks
100g breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic
1/4 onion
20g almonds (skinned)
1/2 tsp oregano (dried)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp sherry vinegar
ca 4 tbsp olive oil
seasoning

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan oven.
Put the chorizo chunks in a frying pan and cook over a medium heat until they become crisp in places. Then put them in a food processor, making sure to scrape in all the aromatic oil as well. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and blitz to a crumb.
Put the fish pieces on a baking tray (which has been lined with tin foil and oiled lightly). Shove them all together in one big piece so there are no gaps.
Heap the crumbs onto the fish pieces and pat down so they are all well covered. (If you have the time, let them firm up in the fridge for 20 mins).
Cook the fish for 10 - 15 mins until the flesh has turned opaque and the crust is golden.

Notes:
Look out for Skrei (also known as Norwegian Atlantic cod) for this dish as it's a much cheaper version of the "normal" cod.
Try to buy good-quality chorizo if you can afford to - you don't need much and the flavour is so much "deeper".
The fish goes extremely well with a white bean mash: simmer a tin of giant white beans in vegetable stock until soft, then mash into the stock and add a glug of olive oil. I only had a tin of chickpeas, but they were delicious too when prepared this way!

Super-speedy Sinhalese linguine prawns

As much as I love (chicken or beef) stir-fries, some days I just fancy something "different" in that department - and that's where this fantastically easy, delicious and totally affordable recipe comes in:

It can be made in 10 minutes and it's from the brilliant Ainsley Harriott  - the star of the 90s "Ready Steady Cook" programme where he used to create magic dishes from, say, a tin of pilchards, a banana, a packet of lime jelly and a bag of oats (on a good day) - and whom I still rate very, very much as a brilliant "home cook chef" - but who, sadly, seems to have been ousted by the slew of new cooks/chefs in the last 10 years or so...

But to the recipe: when reading this you may think it's all an unfortunate mish-mash of clashing ingredients but trust me it IS not - it all comes together wonderfully in an explosion of flavours so please give it a try!

(Serves 2)
200g dried linguine
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 a bunch of spring onions, finely chopped, or 1/2 a small(ish) onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp (mild) curry paste (I use Sharwood's or Patak's)
1 tbsp each of chopped coriander, mint and parsley, plus extra coriander to garnish
grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
ca 180 ml (12 tbsp) of the pasta cooking water
225g peeled uncooked prawns (ca 10 each)*

Cook the linguine as per packet instructions until al dente. Drain and cover while reserving the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, add the onions and garlic and fry until softened. Add the curry paste and fry for 30 seconds.

Throw in the prawns and quickly fry until they are mainly pink. Add all the herbs, the lemon zest and the cooking liquor. Mix to heat through, then add the lemon juice.

Add the pasta and toss with the curried prawn mixture. Serve garnished with the extra coriander.

Notes:
*I buy Aldi or Lidl's frozen jumbo prawns for this - at €4.49/4.99 per 500g bags they are almost half the price of other supermarkets prawns - but even bigger than some of the more expensive ones!
I often add half a cup or so of left-over vegetables before the prawns - whatever is lurking in the fridge (carrots, peppers, mange-touts etc) - but all chopped up finely into julienne strips.

Char-grilled Japanese-style poussins

The sun is beating down relentlessly in the South West of France where we're on holiday, the BBQs are fired up all around - so it is only fitting that I give you one of my all-time favourite "smoky" poultry dishes:

 

This recipe is from the great Peter Gordon's "Cook at Home" book, and it is UTTERLY divine - and totally easy and fuss-free. It's also completely versatile: you can use quails (as per the original recipe), chicken parts or (my favourite) poussins, and you can cook them on the BBQ or in the oven - the result is always stunning: I've lost count over how many times I've served these as the "star" of one of my Japanese(-style) "banquets" (other recipes to follow another time)...

2 poussins (ca 450/500g each)* or: 4 chicken breast parts (bone-in, skin on), 4 thighs, 8-12 wings or 8 quails
1 small handful of basil, torn finely
1 small thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped very finely
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
20 ml Thai fish sauce
20 ml rice wine vinegar
20 ml mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1 tbsp brown sugar
50 ml sesame oil
2 tsp of sesame seeds

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Put the poultry pieces into a large-enough container/ziplock bag and add the marinade. Combine well so all the meat is coated. Leave to marinade (ideally overnight). When ready to cook, remove from the marinade and roast in the oven at 200 degrees for ca 30 mins.

Serves 4.

Notes:
* If using poussins, cut out the back bone with kitchen scissors, then cut in half.

When things go pear-shaped in the kitchen...

Today I'd like to give you a masterclass in two recent epic recipe fails that happened to me (and yes, they DO happen): We were invited to a BBQ at our American friend Craig (himself a great cook) so I decided to make two new Middle Eastern mezze dishes by my great food hero Silvena Rowe. The first one was squash-stuffed vine leaves, and I'm still not quite sure what posessed me to attempt this, as there are at least 15 North African and Turkish shops in easy walking distance which ALL sell these stuffed delicacies - loose, tinned or vac-packed. But her recipe sounded so fresh - so original - so innovative! And how hard could it be? Well, let me tell you this: IT.WAS.A.DISASTER. The first fatal error I made was my "choice" of vine leaves: I confidently strolled into my Turkish Candan supermarket - which has a big vat of fresh vine leaves next to their vats of olives and feta cheeses (and the most experienced staff who, no doubt, would have guided me). But there was a (small) queue so I turned round smartly and just plonked a random pre-packed packet of leaves into my basket. It was the size of those small packets of tortillas (ca 20 cm) - perfect, massive leaves, I thought.

However, once back at home I was surprised to find out that they were actually layered higgely-piggely next to each other - and were only the size of a small child's hand... But undeterred, I set upon the laborious work of now soaking off their brine, then drying them on kitchen paper (as per Silvena's recipe). The next setback, however, was the actual filling - which was completely tasteless and bland (a fact I should REALLY have picked up on when reading the recipe: squash, rice (and not enough of it), water and a bit of onion, pine nuts, oregano and tarragon do NOT make a flavoursome mixture). And, as I had just rinsed off any briney goodness, the leaves were sure not to add any flavour either... Still completely undeterred though I then attempted the actual job of encasing my runny(ish) mixture in my dwarfish leaves - suffice to say I gave up after placing the first 10 or so "successes" in the pan (oh yes - they were supposed to be simmered in - water) - they looked beyond a joke: alternatively oozing, leaking or flapping open... At this point I admitted my resounding defeat on this project - but surely the stuffing was saveable? And yes it was: I just added a few more handfuls of rice, more water, a tbsp of Baharat (a Middle Eastern seven spice mix), 2 tbsp of Maggi seasoning, simmered it gently and turned it all into a very agreeable pilaf(fy) side dish/salad.

The second near-disaster was a big hit flavour-wise - but a complete failure in terms of texture:

Honey mashed broad beans with capers and dill

This mix was supposed to set like a stiff polenta mix, so I thought it would be nice cut into little squares and served on tooth picks. WRONG! SO VERY WRONG!! After "setting" overnight in the fridge (according to the recipe only six hours were enough), the mixture was still only a mushy puree... And again, I should have trusted my instincts when reading the recipe: I KNEW that mashing cooked beans with their cooking liquor - AND then adding the juice of half a lemon - would NEVER set! But the taste of this concoction was absolutely stunning and unusual - so I turned it into a dip instead:

It was so successful that I'made it again since then - so here it is:

250g dried broad beans (or a 400g tin)
3 shallots or 1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsps olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 tsp tumeric
1 l water
1/2 a bunch of spring onions, chopped
2 heaped tbsps capers
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp honey
ca 10 springs of dill, chopped

Either soak the beans in lots of water overnight - or follow Delia Smith's much quicker version: bring them to the boil with enough water and cook furiously for ten minutes. Then let cool.

Now remove the skins from the beans. This sounds fiddly but only takes a few minutes and ensures a silky and smooth texture.

In a large pan, gently fry the shallots/onions and garlic in the oil for a few minutes. Add the beans, tumeric, bay leaf and water. Simmer for ca 1 hour until the beans are very soft.

Put the cooked mixture into a food processor with the spring onions, lemon, honey and dill and blend until smooth. (Alternatively use a stick blender).  Check the seasoning and texture, adding more lemon juice, honey or water if necessary.

So here you go - my valuable lesson in learning that EVERYBODY makes mistakes in the kitchen - and that more often than not these mistakes can be salvaged, that it is important to NEVER follow a recipe blindly (even if it's by a chef you completely trust) - and that you should ALWAYS follow your (culinary) instincts...


And I'd really like to know: what culinary disasters have happened in YOUR kitchen?