good ole ginger biscuits

One of me and my love’s favourite things to do is make and drink cocktails!

We have a bunch of staple favourites, one of which is a Ginger Beer cocktail ‘Shakey Pete’s Ginger Ale’ from the steak restaurant Hawksmoor’s recipe book. (The book is also our favourite recipe book ever! Think Mac and Cheese and all you could want to know about steak)

This cocktail calls for a ginger syrup made from real ginger pieces and this weekend it was time to make some more syrup.
So with the left over sweet ginger pieces I decided to make some Ginger Biscuits!!!

Spicy Ginger Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 16 biscuits
100g self raising flour
50g butter (not too soft but not straight from the fridge)
50g light brown sugar
1 heaped tbsp golden syrup
1 heaped tbsp molasses
1 heaped tbsp sweetened ginger pieces (made using the Hawksmoor recipe) or candied ginger
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 roughly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 180 Celsius
In a large mixing bowl, sift the sugar, spices, pepper and bicarbonate of soda, and mix well.

Using the tips of your fingers, mix in the butter so you end up with a breadcrumb texture.
Gently stir in the sugar.
Add the Golden Syrup and Molasses, then the ginger. (Dipping the spoon in boiling water before spooning the molasses makes life easier)

Mix together initially with a spoon…

then with your hands, and ball up into 16 balls.
Place these balls on a baking tray and gently press each one

Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins until cracked and golden brown

Enjoy!!!!

red and green tomato chutney – with a hint of chilli

I got so many tomatoes from my crop this year as even though the snails had got to them I was still left with a huge heap of both red and green ones that I just knew chutney was the way to go!!

I love chutney on pretty much anything! It is so nice smothered on a crusty bread roll with some strong cheddar cheese, or used as a dip for popadoms or crisps, or with left over Xmas dinner….. Mmmmmm

So the other day I set about putting together a recipe that would work with the quantity of tomatoes I was left with.

This is what I came up with!

Ive not yet tasted it since I jarred it up but it was tasting pretty good in the pan! Roll on Xmas so I can get these opened!

I’ve added quite a bit of chilli to give my chutney a kick but you can remove this if you don’t like the spice.
Also any dried fruit can be used instead or as well as the sultanas.

Ingredients

900g toms red/green
3 onions
3 apples (I used Cox and Braeburn)
70g sultanas (any dried fruit will do)
250g light muscovado sugar
400ml white wine vinegar (any vinegar will do)
1″ ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
3 small red chilli de-seeded (optional)
1 small red chilli with seeds (optional)

Method

Roughly chop all of the green tomatoes, onions and apples and chillies

Add all of the remaining ingredients plus the chopped fruit and veg (except the red tomatoes) to the pan and turn the heat on medium.

Cook for about 20 mins, stirring well, whilst roughly chopping your red tomatoes.

Add the red tomatoes to the pan and bring to a simmer.

Continue to simmer for approx three and a half hours until completely reduced.

And that’s it!
Simple!

Now for the jarring process.

This always scares me a little as I never want to ruin what I have made!

The steps I follow are:

1: use metal topped, screw lid jars (jam jars are perfect)
2: wash them in hot soapy water
3: rinse in clean hot water
4: place in the oven at gas mark 1 for up to an hour to dry.
5: remove them from the oven immediately before pouring the boiling hot chutney in to them.
6: take care when pouring/spooning and fill to almost the top.
7: wipe away any leakage.
8: cover the top of the chutney with a wax paper circle just slightly bigger than the top of the jar.
9: place plastic over the top, immediately wrap an elastic band around the plastic and screw on the lid.
10: leave to cool.

Store in a cool dry place until opened then store in the fridge.

I hear that the longer you leave your chutney the better it will taste so this is where the patience comes in!

Add some labels and your chutney is ready to enjoy or to give away as Xmas gifts!

zomg delicious scrambled tofu

This recipe is so simple and so tasty, it’s hard not to have it every day! It’s so versatile and easy to adapt to your fridge’s stock, you can change it up to suit anyone’s tastes.

Everyone seems to have their own way of scrambling tofu — just like everyone has their favourite scrambled eggs, I suppose — but this is my very favourite recipe. Here I’m going to give my recipe for the basic scramble and then an example of how you can mix it up.

Served on a bagel, this recipe comfortably serves two people for lunch or breakfast. Matthew and I sometimes have it for dinner next to a mound of roast potatoes instead of on a bagel, and with stir-fried greens. So good!!

Before I forget, a note on nutritional yeast: in the UK it used to be difficult to find, generally only spotted on the shelves of health food shops. However, recently I’ve found it in supermarkets as well, so perhaps demand for it is increasing. It isn’t strictly necessary — it’s not like I only started scrambling tofu after I found my first tin of nootch! — but it does add some colour and really lovely nuttiness which rounds out the flavour of the tofu. In any case, I use Marigold Engevita. Be warned: this stuff is pretty addictive.

Also, the spices may seem like an unusual addition, but they are well worth it! They add make the tofu look more ‘eggy’, which appeases non-vegetarians or people with any qualms about tofu. They also add a bit of textural flavour — that is, they add ruffles and bows to the delicate fabric of the tofu. The tip to use turmeric was originally found in Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskwitz, which I never would have thought of. (She also recommends using nutritional yeast in her scramble, which was very validating!) I swear, this is one of the best brunch cookbooks ever written — highly recommended for anyone who likes mixing breakfast and lunch!!

The Basic Recipe

ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, well drained and pressed
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. mustard seeds or mustard powder
1/8 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano

method:

Before you begin, drain the tofu and press it to extract the excess in a clean dish towel. This is to avoid water cooking out of the tofu and you winding up with a soggy mush instead of a lovely meal. However, you can’t extract all of it, nor would you want to — you need a little! If water does begin to collect at the bottom of the pan while you’re cooking, just turn up the heat a bit and it will evaporate.

Now for the scramble! Gently heat the oil in a wide frying pan. Add the spices and saute for about 1 minute on low heat. Add the garlic and continue sauteing for another minute.

To add the tofu, tear it into 1-inch-ish sized pieces and throw into the pan, along with the oregano and salt. Stir it all together so that the tofu is nicely coat with the spices. Saute on medium-high heat, taking care not to let it stick.  When the tofu begins to brown (about 10 minutes), add the nutritional yeast. Mix well and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes.

Serve over a toasted buttered bagel.

Mushroom and Pepper Scrambled Tofu

ingredients:

1/2 one red onion, finely diced
8 oz/200 g closed cap mushrooms, chopped
1/2 one green pepper, diced

method:

Follow the above recipe. After you cook the garlic for 1 minute, add the onions. Saute for one minute. Then add the mushrooms. Saute for another minute. Add the peppers with the tofu. Continue as above.

Can I repeat: So good!!

spicy autumn vegetable soup

I first made this soup a while ago with some left over Sunday roast veg, it was so good I decided to perfect the recipe and have now made it a lot.

It goes down so well and is perfect as a lunch or dinner for when the days get colder.

WARNING this soup is very spicy; for less heat use less chilli!!

ingredients:

2 pints vegetable stock
1 onion
1 potato
2 sweet potatoes
1 small squash
2 red chillies
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

method:

Roughly chop the vegetables, finely chop the chillies, garlic and herbs.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the onions and chillies until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes, squash, carrots and garlic and season with the salt, pepper, cumin and chilli flakes. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Drain off the excess oil and return to the heat. Now add the stock, herbs and the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 mins.

Serve chunky or blend for a smoother soup.

Enjoy with crusty bread and a dollop of cream.

belated cake (and flavoured butter icing)

Last week was my love’s birthday and I didn’t make her a cake! The shame!!

To be fair we were pretty busy meeting people and getting drunk, but I do feel bad about it, so today I decided to make her some fairy cakes, decorated with flavoured butter icing.

For the cakes, I just used a basic recipe: 125 g butter, flour and sugar, 2 eggs, vanilla and a dash of milk. I made 6 in giant muffin-sized papers!!

For the icing I made strawberry, white chocolate and just plain butter icing.

Flavoured Butter Icing

ingredients:

2 cubes white chocolate
2 strawberries
88 g icing sugar
36 g butter
a dash of milk
a few drop of vanilla essence

method:

First make up the basic butter icing: soften the butter, sieve in the icing sugar, add the vanilla essence, mix until soft. Now divide evenly into 3 bowls.

Strawberry: squash the strawberries and add to the icing, mix well.

White chocolate: melt the chocolate in a bowl and then add the icing to the chocolate. Mix well.

Plain butter icing: mix in a dash of milk.

Now pipe the icing on the cakes, decorate with strawberries and grated white chocolate.

Apologise and enjoy!!

pasta salad, a little greek

Although I love pasta salad, I rarely make it. I don’t often have time to let the pasta cool sufficiently in the evenings, and at the weekends we’re usually so rushed ‘relaxing’ that we always end up throwing things together last minute. But last Sunday we’d invited my parents round for lunch, and so I cooked the pasta while my coffee was brewing for breakfast.

I ended up making enough for a small army, enough for three more generous lunches. For this recipe I reduced the amount of pasta I’m recommending, but really it comes down to personal preference. If you want a really super hearty lunch, make more pasta but remember to amp up the veggie quotient as well!

ingredients:

300 g fusilli or eliche pasta (50 g per person)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium head broccoli, roughly chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
150 g Kalamata olives, pitted
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
400 g cannellini beans, cooked (or 1 tin)
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, thoroughly washed
several handfuls fresh spinach, thoroughly washed

dressing:

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

method:

To a large saucepan, add 500 ml water per person (so if you are cooking for 6, 3 lt) and bring to a rolling boil. Before you add the pasta, salt the water liberally and add some olive oil. My cousin, Italian and a marvellous cook, insists that the only way to properly oil a saucepan for pasta is to drizzle two wide circles and finish with a slash through the middle.

Cook the pasta until it is al dente, following the instructions that come with whatever pasta you’re using, and drain. Here in the UK, pasta tends to only take about 10 minutes, but I remember in Canada pasta always seemed to take YEARS to cook. (That may be because when you’re very small EVERYTHING takes ages when you’re looking forward to it.)

Put the past to one side and allow to cool.

In a frying pan or skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions and gently saute till just translucent. Add the garlic and broccoli, increase the heat and saute till the broccoli is that lovely fresh bright green. Remove from the heat.

Add the cooked veggies to the pasta, then add the spinach, parsley leaves, olives and cannellini beans and mix together in the saucepan.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until well blended.

When you’re ready to eat, stir in half the dressing until the ingredients are evenly coated. Transfer to a serving bowl and bring to the table with the rest of the dressing in a separate vessel, for you and your fellow diners to dress the salad to taste.

Best served with a spread of grilled halloumi, some carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus and pitta crisps.

red pepper and chilli hummus

Recently I have been getting a real craving for hummus and my favourite type is red pepper. So putting my new blender to the test (it crushes ice btw, I am thinking mojitos!) I decided to whip some up.

To give it a bit of a kick I have also added one red chilli but you can always make it without.

ingredients

410g tin of chickpeas

2 cloves of garlic

1.5 teaspoons of light tahini

2 large tablespoons of greek yoghurt

1 red pepper

1 red chilli

the juice of a lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

olive oil and cayenne pepper to garnish

method

Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid, roughly chop and de-seed the peppers and chilli, peel the garlic.

Add all of the ingredients to the blender with 5 tablespoons of the chickpea water and blend until smooth.

Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.

This hummus is great with a crispy salad, crunchy veg and some couscous for a lovely summery lunch! I like to add chicken or minted lamb kebabs to mine too!!

broccoli, broadbean and spinach soup

‘Green soup’ is one of my favourite dishes, especially on days when things just need a bit of perking up. It’s also pretty quick and needs hardly any attention as you’re making it, so can be shoved in between other chores activities. This soup is fairly bulky, relies heavily on the flavours of the vegetables used rather than lots of herbs and spices, and very economical. It uses up the whole of a head of broccoli, including the stalk which is usually, lamentably, thrown out.

Be warned: this recipe is full of ‘a dash of this’, ‘a spot of that’ and ‘chuck a bit of that in for taste’.

ingredients:

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced into 1/4-1/2-inch thick slices
3 cloves garlic
1 head broccoli, including the stalk and any leaves, roughly chopped
2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, including the leaves if there are any, roughly chopped
a dash of mustard seeds
several pinches mustard powder
a shake of celery salt
some dried oregano
a grating of nutmeg
pepper to taste
1-1 1/2 l. vegetable stock
firm tofu, crumbled (for vegan option only, see note below)
6-8 oz fresh or frozen broadbeans
half dozen handfuls of spinach
salt to taste

optional garnish:

Stilton, crumbled, and double cream

method:

In a large pot, heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil. Gently saute the onion and garlic until almost transluscent. Add the chopped potatoes, broccoli and celery, stir briskly to coat and cover with a lid, for about 5-10 minutes. (If using fresh broadbeans, add with the potatoes and broccoli.)

Check on it periodically, because when the broccoli starts to get really green that’s when you want to add the herbs and spices. Stir briskly to even them out and cover with a lid, for 2-5 minutes, until the air is a bit fragrant. Add the stock and bring to a slow rolling boil, about 20 minutes. Decrease the heat and add the frozen broadbeans and spinach. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the spinach so it’s not sitting on the top. When the spinach has wilted, use a blender to roughly pulse it into a thick but not liquidised soup.

When serving, if using the Stilton and cream, distribute the soup among the bowls then pour a generous splash of cream in the centre of the bowl and pile the Stilton in the centre of that splash. To make a wonderfully creamy vegan option, add the tofu with the stock and blend thoroughly before adding the broadbeans and spinach.

Serves 4-6.

chunky brunchy omelette

There is nothing better than a omelette brunch while catching up on your Sunday reading, here’s one my love and I came up with yesterday while walking round Sainsbury’s!

It has a bit of a Mediterranean feel with the chorizo and tortilla style with extra spice from the chilli powder. You can always play about with the chunky ingredients!

Serves 4 (or two very hungry!!)

ingredients:

5 Charlotte potatoes, sliced
6 eggs
splash of milk
half a red pepper, sliced into thin strips
125 g mushrooms, sliced
10 slices of chorizo sausage, quartered
handful of grated cheese
salt
pepper
chilli powder

method:

Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until slightly soft, you don’t want them to break up but they shouldn’t be too firm. Meanwhile whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and chilli powder together. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, add the mushrooms, pepper, sausage and potatoes and cook, stirring gently for about 8 minutes. Drain the excess oil.  Pour the egg mixture over the top, sprinkle with the cheese and cook over a very low heat until firm. It should take about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to under the grill (taking care if you have a plastic handle) and grill until the surface is a golden brown.

Serve with a spicy rocket salad.

Banana Cinnamon and Walnut loaf

I had a real craving this weekend for bananas which is strange as I normally have a bit of an allergy to them! However I went with it and put together this moist and crunchy Banana, Cinnamon and Walnut Loaf Cake!

We enjoyed it on Sunday morning with a nice cup of coffee!

Ingrediants

6oz Caster Suger

4 oz Butter

9oz Self raising Flour

1 round tsp Cinnamon

4-5 Bananas

2 Eggs, beaten or Groundnut Oil for the non egg eaters

125 ml Milk

Handfull of crushed walnuts

Recipe

Pre heat the oven to gas 4/180c and grease a loaf tin.

Beat the butter and suger until soft and light, using a potato masher, mash up the bananas. Slowly add the beaten eggs/groundnut oil to the butter mix.

Sift in the flour, cinnamon and milk slowly and mix together, once well mixed fold in the banana’s. Once well incorperated add 90% of the walnuts.

Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and sprinkle the remaining nuts on the top.

Bake for about 45-50 mins.

Enjoy early afternoon with a good coffee