Chunky, spicy butternut squash & chickpea soup

This is an incredibly easy, delicious soup that you can whip up for a quick wintry supper in no time!

There’s not much to shop for either, as the recipe using mainly store cupboard ingredients that you probably have to hand anyway.

Re-heats really well, so don’t hesitate to make it a few days before you need it if that’s more convenient.

Serves 4 generously

This is what you need:

1 large onion, chopped roughly

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into bitesize chunks (not too small!)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 bay leaf

leaves of 5 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds, toasted until they pop in a dry frying pan

1 tsp (or slightly less if you don’t like your soup too spicy) dried chilli flakes

1 cinnamon stick

1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

500ml water

half a small bunch of fresh coriander

This is what you do:

1. over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan
2. add the onion and fry over medium heat for 10 minutes until glazed and floppy
3. add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, chilli and cumin and fry for 5 minutes
4. add the squash and cinnamon stick and stir for a couple of minutes
5. tip everything into a pan large enough to hold the veg + 500ml water
6. add the water, bring to the boil over high heat then reduce the heat to a simmer
7. cook for about 15 minutes until the squash is tender but not falling apart
8. add the chickpeas and season
9. blitz half the soup in a food processor, pulsing a couple of time till you have a fairly smooth mixture; or push half the mixture through passe-vite
10. combine with the rest of the soup and if necessary re-heat gently before serving
11. fish out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf!
12. sprinkle with roughly chopped coriander
13. delicious & satisfying as it, or add some crumbled Feta or grated Lancashire cheese
14. vegans could add cubes of tofu
15. a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds, if you have any to hand, adds another  interesting layer of texture and a useful amount of immune supporting zinc

Bon appetit!

Monique x

Schiacciata con l’uva or grape + walnut bread

I made this on Saturday morning as part of a brunch with friends.

Perhaps a little autumnal with the black, juicy grapes + walnuts, but it was delicious and looked gorgeous – which is always a bonus.

Schiacciata con l'uva or grape & walnut bread

I don’t bake  with yeast often, but when I do it reminds me how easy it and how much I enjoy it; it must be something to do with the kneading of the dough and seeing brought alive by the yeast which is so satisfying.

You can use live or easy-blend yeast; some people claim they can taste the difference between bread that’s been risen with fresh yeast and bread that’s been made with easy-blend yeast.

If I am honest, I don’t think I can, but I am interest to hear what you think.

Remember that you need to double the quantity of yeast if you are using fresh yeast, which is fairly easy to come by these days from bakeries. Some health-food stores sell it too.

The quality of flour you use does make a difference; I tend to use organic flour from reputable English mills. But don’t let the lack of time for right-on sourcing stop you from having a go at baking with yeast.

The recipe is based on a Nigel Slater recipe which in turn was inspired by a recipe from Claudia Roden’s classic on Italian cooking, The Food of Italy (1990).

I’ve reduced the amount of sugar and added a few sprigs of rosemary which I think add an interesting, slightly savoury, fragrant, note. This provides a good balance with the sweet grapes.

If you feel like experimenting, you could omit the sugar, substitute with ground black pepper + a grating of nutmeg and replace the grapes with 150g of cheese (Gorgonzola perhaps) or try lightly fried onions + nigella seeds.

I urge you to have a go at making this bread – you won’t be disappointed!

Schiacciata ready for the oven

This is what you need:

30g fresh yeast or 2 sachets dried yeast (2 x 7g)

170ml tepid water

340g plain flour

60g caster sugar

pinch of salt

450g black, seedless grapes (washed + kept whole)

90g walnuts, coarsely chopped

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, needles only, finely chopped

1 tbsp caster sugar for sprinkling

2 tbsp olive oil

This is what you do:

1.  if using, dissolve the fresh yeast in the tepid water
2. put the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl
3. add the yeast mixture (or dried yeast grains + water) into the flour and mix well, first with a wooden spoon and then using your hands
4. take the dough from the bowl and knead it for at least 5 minutes on a floured work surface
5. place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean towel and leave to rise to double its size
6. this could take between 30-60 mins depending on how warm + humid your kitchen is
7. pre-heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4
8. cut the dough in half and roll each piece out to an oval shape about 1cm in thickness
9. put one disc on a piece of baking paper large enough to fit the disc comfortably
10. cover it with half the grapes, nuts, rosemary and sugar
11. cover with second disc and press the edges down to seal in the filling
12. brush with olive oil and scatter with the remaining grapes, nuts, rosemary and sugar
13. transfer to a baking tray
14. bake for 45-50 mins until the edges are golden brown and the top streaked with grape juice from the burst grapes
15. serve lukewarm or cold, cut into wedges

Works well as part of a brunch but equally at home with a cup of coffee for a simple weekend breakfast.

I have not yet tried this, but I am sure you could make the dough the day before, let it rise very slowly in the fridge overnight, get up the next morning, turn the oven on and let the dough come back to room temperature before finishing the loaf as above.

Happy baking – your loved ones will love you (even more) for it! And it makes the house smell gorgeous.

Monique

LookLocal challenge: week 3

Spanking fresh courgettes, flowers still attached

For one reason and another, I have not quite managed to document my “LookLocal” challenge in as detailed a manner as I intended to.

I meant to take a closer look at provenance (does “local” always mean just that, or does it mean “British”, can you ever just assume provenance) of the foods sold at markets/independents and supermarkets.

In terms of the cost of shopping locally, it is difficult to say if shopping this way would cost you more or less than shopping at the supermarket. It all depends on your current shopping (and cooking and eating) habits I guess and how much food you throw away.

Prices at farmers’ markets particularly can seem high; then again, good food normally does cost more than that of a lower specification/lesser quality and cheap does not necessarily mean good value.

Like with everything else in life, it is a lot about priorities, what you care about and how you choose to spend your money.

But, “LookLocal” has been an education!

There is much to take in and consider and I quite understand that many of you feel overwhelmed by the very thought of reducing your reliance on the (let’s face it) convenience of the supermarket.

The commitment needed to shop locally does mean sacrifice (with a small “s”) and that you take on more responsibility.

In fact, confronting and thinking about some of the issues around local food such as provenance, cost, quality and consistency add to the challenge.

The idea is simple enough and provided that you don’t live in a “food desert” the process of shopping locally is not difficult, but on balance is doesn’t make life easier if that’s what you are after.

A lot I have found depends on whether you have easy access to good, independent retailers and whether or not the local (farmers’) market takes place weekly or only monthly.

Products which I have found difficult to buy are yoghurt, staples such as tinned sardines, pasta, grains and flour to name but a few.

Fruit & veg by and large are more interesting at markets: fresher, strictly seasonal and you can find produce that is simply not popular enough to justify a place on the supermarket shelf.

On Sunday I spotted purple kohl rabi at our local farmers’ market, alongside chard, summer squash, red & white currants and tiny courgettes with the flowers still attached.

Shopping at your local (farmers’) market also offers to opportunity to make the most of seasonal gluts: right now, courgettes, tomatoes, squash and cherries to name a few.

If you can, buying into gluts (when produce is at its peak and prices low), then tucking in at once and preparing some of the produce for storage is a very satisfying way to shop and eat. It firmly keeps you connected to the seasons and although it takes a bit of planning + organisation at the time, it buys you free time later on when you can dip into a well stocked cupboard/fridge/freezer for a quick & easy meal.

Seasonal gluts don’t impact on supermarket products and prices to quite the same extent as they do on markets; seasonal factors are simply less important to supermarkets who buy fruit & veg from around the globe all year round.

There is an upside though to shopping locally and below I have tried to summarize why it’s definitely worthwhile to try and “LookLocal” most of the time.

And remember, buying local food does not need to mean a wholesale change in philisophy or approach. More likely, it will be a journey of many small steps, taken one product (for example meat, or fish or fruit & vegetables) at a time.

So here’s the upside of “LookLocal”:

1. it helps raise the importance of good food

2. it connects you with your local community

3. buying local = voting with your money = supporting independent retailers, small producers and British farmers

4. it offers an opportunity to re-connect with food, the seasons and the food chain

5. buying seasonally can (re)inspire your cooking

6. shopping locally feels like giving food (and shopping and cooking) back its integrity

I plan to investigate the issue of “provenance” more and give you some price comparisons next week, along with some recipes + simple ideas on how break the supermarket habit.

Let me know how you are faring in your “LookLocal” challenge: I do value your comments and observations.

Best,

Monique

Dinner menu w/c 28 June

Monday

Baked chermoula salmon, roast sweet pepper, lemon + mint couscous, green beans

Tuesday

Greek style chicken fillets with a zesty Feta topping + Kalamata olives, rice and courgettes

Wednesday

Moroccan style lamb kofte, roast vegetable + quinoa salad, tzatziki

Thursday

Baked trout on roast new potatoes, horseradish-walnut creme fraiche, beetroot + parsley salad

Friday

Spiced turkey fillets, sugar snap peas, basmati rice and preserved lemon yoghurt

More free food: elderflower cordial

Elderflowers

 

This is another example of free food, a  hedgerow treat, which can be picked now and stored in bottles for a taste of summer in the winter months.   

Hard at work!

 

It’s a delicate cordial, a delicious treat simply mixed with sparkling water or made into a sophisticated cocktail.   

It is too easy to just buy a bottle of commercially produced cordial, but making your own can be fun and if you are using elderflowers all you are paying for is some sugar,  a couple of lemons and an hour or so of your time.   

The flowerheads are really light, so you'll need quite a few

 

The ingredients

 

 This is what you’ll need:   

One carrier bag of elderflowers (be warned, this is quite a few flowerheads and will be around 750g in weight)   

1 kg unrefined sugar (you need a fair amount of sugar to make a cordial that will keep, but once it’s made you can dilute it for drinks or to make a jelly with seasonal fruits)   

2 lemons, washed and halved   

4 litres of tap water   

Looks like a witch' brew ...

 

This is what you do:   

Pick only the white flowerheads, avoiding those that have started to go a bit brown.  

I use a small pair of sharp scissors to cut the stems close to the flowerhead.   

The flowerheads are made up off clusters of tiny white flowers with yellow stamens.   

The individual flowers that make up the flowerheads are tiny

 

Remove any leaves and excess stems from the flowersheads, shake out any insects and remove as much yellow pollen as you can.   

Place the sugar, flowerheads and water in a non-reactive pan (or pans), squeeze in the lemon juice and the add the lemon halves.   

For 4 litres of water I used two Le Creuset cast iron pans of 7 litre and 4.3 litre capacity.   

Put the lids on the pans, bring the water to the boil and simmer for 1 minute.   

Remove from the heat and leave the flowers to infuse for 24 hours in the covered pans, stirring every so often.   

The scent is quite heady!   

When ready, strain through a muslin cloth and store in sterilized bottles.   

To improve the keeping quality, immerse the filled bottles in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes, then leave to cool in the water and store in a cool placce.   

I am going to try and freeze some of the cordial and will let you know if this affects the quality.   

That’s all there’s to it!   

Give it a go and let me know how your home made cordial compares with the commercially produced varieties.   

Happy foraging!   

Monique

Dinner made easy + delicious

Here’s what could be cooking in YOUR kitchen next week …

Monday

Rose harissa baked seatrout, Persian spiced pilaff, green beans + minted yoghurt

Tuesday

Griddled chicken with Puy lentils, wild garlic and walnut pesto + roast tomatoes

Wednesday

Rigatoni with Chianti baked steak meatballs, courgette salad

Thursday

Moroccan spiced tofu with carrots, chickpeas + couscous

Friday

Lime + mint pollack fillets with cucumber basmati rice, edamame beans + sesame seeds

Samphire: love it or loath it?

Samphire is one of those foods that is a real treat to most food lovers, but totally alien to others.

It looks like green coral, I suppose, and can be found on the seashore and marshes around the coast.

It is a wild vegetable and free!

The revival of  the fish trade around the Kent/Sussex coast supplying restaurant kitchens + High Street fishmongers in London has led to samphire enjoying a mini renaissance.

Samphire was very popular in Victorian times and the plants were boiled or pickled.

It’s quite difficult to describe samphire’s taste: I’d say it is a bit like like spinach crossed with a taste of the sea. The texture is pleasingly crunchy.

Expect to pay around £10 per kilo.

I used 500g of samphire last night as a side vegetable dish for 3 (quite greedy) eaters, but a little would go a long way if you use samphire as an ingredient in a recipe.

Just wash in cold water and remove any discoloured and woody stalks.

Then blanch briefly in boiling water, drain and serve.

I added a small knob of delicious beurre d’Isigny and plenty of freshly ground pepper; you’ll probably find you won’t need to add salt as samphire has a naturally slightly salty taste.

Blanched samphire would also work a treat in a salad with fresh crab or smoked trout, fresh peas, peashoots + a mustardy dressing.

Or try adding it to a nice piece of  fish cooked “en papillotte” with a few cockles, white wine + butter.

I am interested in your samphire recipes and, if you are new to samphire, what you think of it.

Love it or loathe it?

Also, I am keen to make the most of the plentiful supply of elderflowers at the moment and I am looking for recipes other than the ubiquitous cordial and sorbet.

So do get in touch – I look forward to receiving your comments.

Happy days of summer!

Monique

Identita Golose chefs’ congress

Gennaro Esposito preparing linguine with eel

 

I realise this post is rather late , a week after the event took place at Vinopolis on the South Bank and days after the more dedicated (or should that be organised) food bloggers wrote about their experience. 

Apologies for the “so-so” pics: the event attracted its fair share of professional food bloggers, all poised with their cameras to capture everything and everyone. 

… and to be honest with you, I just felt a little embarrassed about whipping out my camera all the time preferring instead to look, talk and remember. 

Identita London is the only venture outside Italy of the internationally renowned Identita Golose www.identitagolose.it , Milan, which has become one of the world’s leading gastronomic events where globally acclaimed chefs meet to present and exchange ideas. 

The focus of the 2010 event was themed around The luxury of simplicity, which is about chefs being inspired by ingredients and their seasonality. 

Beyond this, the event is an ambassadorial platform to promote Italy + Italian cuisine and to counter its common association with pasta and pizza. 

So, with true Italian styly + flair, Vinopolis’ Great Halls where decked out in minimalist white + oxblood red, glamorous assistants dressed in black, clear perspex Philip Starck “Ghost” chairs and moody lighting. 

The event was presented by Paolo Marchi, one of Italy’s most respected and renowed food journalists and columnists and founder of Identita Golose in 2004. 

His c0-presenter was Tom Parker-Bowles, foodie, journalist and son of. 

If I had any criticsm of Paolo and Tom it would be that they were so focussed on (eating!) the food being prepared, that there was very little interaction with the audience and little or no space for time and questions. 

The event was supported by Grana Padano, San Pellegrino, Lavazza and Pasticio Dei Campi amongst many others, offering tastings of gourmet gelato, San Daniele ham, top wines and olive oils. 

 

Antica Corte Pallavicina offered delicious cold meats from the Nera Parmigiana native pig breed: the best salamis I have ever tasted, soft, butter almost and a world away from the pre-sliced packaged variety.  

The salami above (long sausage shape) is cured for only 15 days. 

The chef’s demos I enjoyed most were by Ashley Palmer Watts (who talked about dishes with a historical context for his menu at the soon to open restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental) , Massimo Bottura, Gennaro Esposito (the science behind preparing pasta) and Davide Scabin. 

Those of you who know me are aware that I believe that you are what you eat and try to balance nutrition with taste, but the one demo that bored me was by Heinz Beck who I felt made healthy eating dull. 

The dish he created with quinoa + herbs (“to give you emotion”) with a “cheese bouillon” amongst many other worthy ingredients, I thought looked really messy and unappetising on the plate. 

Sorry Heinz, no offence meant but your approach does not float my boat! 

There was a goodie bag for every delegate and one of my favourite gifts of the year so far is Grana Padano’s bright yellow brolly. 

Pity I have had to use it a bit too often recently.

Ban the Supermarket Challenge

Ban the Supermarket Challenge

Join me and avoid buying fresh foods from the big 4 for one  month!

This is why you should:

It’s about

• supporting local retailers, making shopping much more of a family and community experience
• re-connecting with local producers of good honest food, paying attention to the massive influx of imports and avoiding them
• forcing us all to really consider the broader farming issues behind our previously all-too-easily purchased products
• raising awareness of the need to collectively ‘do our bit’ for the country’s ‘carbon footprint’

 And … it is about stripping away the convenience, ease (and let’s be honest, the laziness) of food-shopping.

Come on, you know it makes sense and it with longer, warmer days and an abundance of fresh fruit + veg around it won’t be as difficult as you may think.

I’ll be charting our family’s progress here and share my experience and tips on how to make shopping locally easier.

Here’s to looking local!

Monique

Wild garlic: free food!

Wild garlic

 

Wild garlic close-up

 

I was really excited last week to come across a sizeable area of wild garlic plants in our local, urban, wood. 

The season for wild garlic is coming to an end and I had all but given up hope of being able to cook with this deliciously pungent plant. 

Wild garlic is commonly found in wooded areas, often growing amongst bluebells. The plants, which belong to the allium family are easy to recognise (the pics above hopefully help) but any doubt you may have is quickly erased when you snap one of the leaves and a very strong garlic odor hits your nostrils! 

The flowers are edible too, and have a real peppery kick to them. 

One of the first things I made was a risotto to go with some griddled squid, with the chopped up garlic treated like you would garlic or an onion when making risotto. 

I think I may have added too many flowers because the end result was quite “hot” despite the fact that I had not added much freshly ground black pepper at all. 

If, earlier in the season, you can get your hands on wild mushrooms, like morels or St George’s (the 1st English mushroom of the year which appears around St George’s Day) wild garlic is the perfect accompaniment. 

The flowers look pretty enough but have a real peppery kick

 

The next thing I made with the wild garlic was walnut & wild garlic pesto, loosely based on a recipe from Ursula Ferrigno’s excellent book “Italy See to Sky”. 

Makes almost 2 jam jars; keep in the fridge and use up fairly quickly, within 2 weeks I’d say. 

Use clean jam or killner jars + keep refrigerated

I used: 

2 bunches of wild garlic including the flowers, washed and dried 

110g shelled walnuts 

8 tbsp of olive oil (the remainder of a bottle of olive oil from the la Vialla estate in Italy which I was given over Easter) 

110g of freshly grated Parmesan 

Just blitz everything together in a food processor: be careful not to over-do it, pulse and check the consistency which I think should be coarse so you can identify the different ingredients, rather than a smooth paste. 

Love the colour ... and if only you could blog smell: wow!

This works brilliantly added sparingly to simply boiled or steamed vegetables such as courgettes, beans and asparagus. 

It also makes a delicious topping for toasted sourdough combined with some torn buffalo mozzarella; having met Petal the water buffalo at the Real Food Festival, Laverstoke Park is my current favourite. 

This weekend I am planning to make  minestrone with spring veg and I know a blob of garlic pesto in every soup bowl will work a treat! 

We have also used the wild garlic to flavour spinach + ricotta cannelloni on this week’s Savvy Cook menu. 

Next, I have my eye on elderflower blossoms, another hedgerow treat that can be picked, made into cordial and stored for the winter months. They are starting to come into their prime about now … 

I’ll keep you posted here on my wild food mission. 

Happy days! 

Monique