tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75765367672238349382024-03-05T21:35:25.310+00:00Feeding MineAll about food - where we shop, where we eat and what we cookFeeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-2124809725247033452013-03-25T18:10:00.001+00:002013-04-17T15:43:31.411+01:00Incredibly simple very juicy ham<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This lovely piece of organic smoked ham gave us two warm and delicious meals to fend off this ridiculously snowy weather: slow cooked ham shredded and eaten with cabbage & sour dough bread and a simple but robust risotto. The secret ingredient? Lashings of Colman's English mustard!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Take a good quality free range smoked ham, put it in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil slowly to allow the excess salt to escape into the water. Drain and pat dry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Stud the ham with 8-12 cloves then slather it very liberally with Colman's English Mustard and put it into your slow cooker. Sprinkle brown sugar generously across the whole ham, letting it stick to the mustard. Pour a glass of cloudy apple juice into the base of the slow cooker and you're done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Switch the slow cooker on low & head out to work, read a book or have a nap - leave the ham for at least 4 hours, more ideally about 6-8 hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you will get is the most beautiful, juicy, tender ham that will come apart easily with just a little coaxing from a couple of forks. Serve with lightly steamed cabbage with the cooking liqueur spooned over the meat and some sour dough bread to mop it up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The leftovers will make an unusual risotto with a sweetness from the apple & sugar with a deep warming hum from the mustard. Perfetto! </span><br />
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-10111178819600565212013-01-29T18:01:00.001+00:002013-02-05T11:43:59.716+00:00Lifting the spirits – Thai Curry Liqueur<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Christmas is well and truly over.
The snow has melted, the sky is grey, the drizzle permeates every mood and my
40</span><sup style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> birthday looms out of the fog like a great craggy rock I simply
can’t navigate around.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I need is something bright,
clean and startling to look forward to and lift my mood. Inspired by the Thai
flavours discernible in my beer of choice this Christmas </span><a href="http://adnams.co.uk/beer/our-beers/adnams-ginger-beer/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Adnams 2% Ginger Beer</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and bolstered by the success of my festive </span><a href="http://feedingmine.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/spiced-pumpkin-liqueur-end-result.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Spiced Pumpkin Liqueur</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I’m
trying out a whole new set of flavours with some sweet and sharp Thai Curry Liqueur.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, so that’s a bit of a misnomer, a bit of
poetic license, but it does sound fun! I’ve gone for the classic base of the
lightest and most uplifting of Thai dishes and sour soups: lemongrass, Thai
basil and lime.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The colours and smells alone
are enough to evoke long days of wandering around temples, the sound of tiny
cymbals and of food eaten outside in a tropical climate…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ingredients could hardly be
simpler:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 limes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1litre of decent quality vodka</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A cup and a half of caster sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I sliced the lemongrass stalks along their length several times, without cutting through the base – this will
prove far less messy when straining and looks much prettier in the bottle, but a good rough
chopping would work just as well taste-wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
popped them upright into a nice big <a href="http://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kilner jar</a> and packed the Thai basil around
the base of the stalks. I then added the zest of three of the limes – any more
and I’m worried they would over-power the subtler taste and fragrance of the
lemon grass but I’ll have to wait a month to find out if it is enough. The
vodka went in next, coming up to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>two
thirds of the way up the jar. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It may look like the bottom of a pond but I am optimistic!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a pan, I very slowly heated
the sugar and water with the juice of all four limes until the sugar was totally
melted then let it simmer to reduce the liquid by about a fifth so that it was
very slightly viscous and incredibly sticky (as were my kitchen, my hair and the
cats as a result – I made quite a mess...).</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the syrup was completely cooled, it was
added slowly to the jar of vodka and herbs and swirled very gently until mixed.
This is a new method for me – the last liqueur I made had the much thinner syrup added after the infusion process, which resulted in a thinner consistency to
the finished product. Though that worked very well indeed as a warming Christmas
tipple and New Year cocktail ingredient, I want something altogether sweeter
and headier to help me look forward to Spring. So, we shall see what difference
the new method makes.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a vague
notion that the sugar will turn to alcohol but I think this is based on hazy
memory of a beer advert rather than based in actual chemistry…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Come back in a month to see the
results!</span></div>
Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-4318797552743939352012-12-14T22:05:00.000+00:002013-03-21T10:00:51.034+00:00SHOCKingly good local produce<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here in Enfield we are experiencing an exciting new
phenomenon: the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/shockcashmob/" target="_blank">SHOCK Cash Mob</a>. Conceived and brought to fruition by the
seemingly tireless Karen Mercer, owner of the wonderful <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyCoffeeStop" target="_blank">My Coffee Stop</a> at
Enfield Chase railway station, the SHOCK Cash Mobs are a fun, engaging and
inclusive way to get people to think about using independent local businesses
rather than falling back on the big supermarkets out of habit (as so many of us
do). The idea is really very simple: a group of people (opting in via the Facebook page) gather at a pre-arranged
meeting point, each clutching a tenner which they pledge to spend in whichever
local shop Karen has picked for that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nobody (except Karen) knows in advance where it will be and the shop
owner is also kept entirely in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first unsuspecting recipient of the enterprise was Jill Simpson at
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Village-Wholefood-Store" target="_blank">The Village Wholefood Store</a> and it was a tremendous success, bringing new
customers to the shop. They then went on to spread the word via Facebook about
both the SHOCK Cash Mobs and the shop itself. The SHOCK Cash Mobs have since hit several other businesses with similarly joyous results all round. We have so many really great
local independent businesses in Enfield, even before you consider the wonderfully eclectic market that opperates on Thursday, Friday & Saturday (everything from books to
basques to bags to baking to Brussels sprouts).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seems such a shame that it is still so much easier to fall into the
supermarkets than to make the effort to get really inspired by the great food
options on our doorsteps. This of course is true of villages, towns and cities all over the country, not just
in our corner of Northern-most London.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl116cp2Lo0SlWr3kAXMBcA1lQvVxooq9HhSQkLdIBhgQ3qREJdCU8ltb6u0D75EzGJDrT-5fQQ8DAtRfFV2J9q9WEx0riDXg55aDS_bMR9u8Ex6nBW0R39rTx3ED1tUho02peFwxKFA/s1600/SHOCK+Cash+Mob+10!+Meet+up+outside+Enfield+Chase+Station,before+driving+to+The+Botany+Bay+Farm+Shop!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl116cp2Lo0SlWr3kAXMBcA1lQvVxooq9HhSQkLdIBhgQ3qREJdCU8ltb6u0D75EzGJDrT-5fQQ8DAtRfFV2J9q9WEx0riDXg55aDS_bMR9u8Ex6nBW0R39rTx3ED1tUho02peFwxKFA/s320/SHOCK+Cash+Mob+10!+Meet+up+outside+Enfield+Chase+Station,before+driving+to+The+Botany+Bay+Farm+Shop!.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before the big reveal</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last Sunday I went along to my first Shock Cash Mob and
great fun it was too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met at Enfield
Chase station & there was a palpable air of excitement as we all posed for
photographs with our ten pound notes and waited for the big reveal... The destination
was to be Botany Bay Farm Shop (no website to link to - sorry) slightly out of town,
set on farm grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apart from the
fact that the poor woman running the shop (not the business owner I should state) was more than a little taken aback at being
suddenly besieged by a rowdy gang of about fourteen adults and seven children, it was
a resounding success in terms of a shopping experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBBJ4gUlvG-B1Qkw2jf5EalMPmhLMVNNJP0IOkLPgDpc6IQSUwYQVmb7Mv0y3MKdNd3dhavnM2ObKW6PESiSn2udVxprMO-zIt0VPP1pXzeXlWZrZkSPH9pFh9ALp4KkOsrMOmKqQREA/s1600/Botany+Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBBJ4gUlvG-B1Qkw2jf5EalMPmhLMVNNJP0IOkLPgDpc6IQSUwYQVmb7Mv0y3MKdNd3dhavnM2ObKW6PESiSn2udVxprMO-zIt0VPP1pXzeXlWZrZkSPH9pFh9ALp4KkOsrMOmKqQREA/s320/Botany+Bay.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Arrival at Botany Bay</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk34ustUUonYJcTLktuMMJbiKyGBeazbhZb3TTCdytcAMQrAVpapW0Ubz8XbcVKueyhJHrkkDm6_xgnP4G5AkNrw02xQ4cCGUok9EX1riOB-RLvnCmmS-eXLeMYljgV5yC4LrLzbBUcjc/s1600/shockcashmob+botany+bay+farm+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk34ustUUonYJcTLktuMMJbiKyGBeazbhZb3TTCdytcAMQrAVpapW0Ubz8XbcVKueyhJHrkkDm6_xgnP4G5AkNrw02xQ4cCGUok9EX1riOB-RLvnCmmS-eXLeMYljgV5yC4LrLzbBUcjc/s320/shockcashmob+botany+bay+farm+shop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some of the Mob crowding into the shop with our tenners</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As the children went to investigate the various dogs,
donkeys, ducks & chickens dotted around the place, we grownups fell to
shopping with vigour. Outside is a barn filled with really beautiful seasonal
fruit & vegetables, displayed in baskets and boxes around the
walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside the shop is where to find
the meat section (always my first destination) at the back and a staggering array of
eggs (and what a choice of egg varieties too!) biscuits, cakes, jams, chutneys, dairy products, sweets, drinks and other ridiculously tempting
treats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to the meat though: all the
meat here is free range of course and the pork products all from Gloucester Old
Spot pigs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perusing the produce</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was fairly restrained,
buying only some properly smokey thickly cut streaky bacon, an impressive slab
of belly pork, a couple of rib eye steaks and some diced beef for stewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having polished it all off now, I can tell
you that it was absolutely of the highest quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stewing beef made a hearty
goulash, the belly became a slow cooked treat in a SE Asian broth (no surprise
there to those who know me) and the bacon & rib eye both shone on their own
as the butcher intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing that
I found really stunning was that I came away with a large haul of fresh vegetables
and all the meat listed above but parted with only £25!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had I bought the same things in any one of
the big supermarkets, the produce would have been vastly inferior and the price
tag much higher. So, slightly grumpy service notwithstanding, Botany Bay comes
very high on my list of favourite local places to stock up on a week's worth of
food.</span></div>
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<![endif]-->Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-87879426560296115082012-12-09T20:00:00.001+00:002012-12-09T20:00:51.744+00:00Spiced Pumpkin liqueur - the end result<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the roast pumpkin, along with the chilli, cinnamon stick and scattering of cloves I roasted with it have been steeping in vodka now for four weeks. The liquid itself is a rather uninspiring pale orangy-brown but tastes gloriously of roasted pumpkin with a fine fiery kick from the chilli.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having strained the pumpkin out with a normal strainer & discarded all the solids, we strained the flavoured spirit through four layers of muslin into a large mixing bowl where I added the mulled syrup, also strained through the muslin (see earlier post for syrup recipe) in order to turn it from rather tasty but eye-watering firewater into an enjoyable little sipping tipple.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfY_VOnEzoggnB58Rjl1o9xOrBJGeCWkNgRCfrTG0wfpblADlgNr5V3wN5Zd0bp5UnC1HmNnO5SbkZuzUgu7RbOr64jfmb9d9iPsd4T9KmTVHQadU0LorUBf_vNmLcAQyqkzT9H75mAo/s1600/IMG_2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfY_VOnEzoggnB58Rjl1o9xOrBJGeCWkNgRCfrTG0wfpblADlgNr5V3wN5Zd0bp5UnC1HmNnO5SbkZuzUgu7RbOr64jfmb9d9iPsd4T9KmTVHQadU0LorUBf_vNmLcAQyqkzT9H75mAo/s200/IMG_2155.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Straining the firewater</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNPdTQhPPJOz3ciQD8V8gbr8F-NF1a7tnDKSNfVNisZ2ajyPhpV8GUS5Sgg82mHQMg3x3xnAi4tdaYzz-VLL0IvBipLadnEFCQiYmhs3awwk618VoRGEanxOV-PaRPle4ymc4nmcjuQw/s1600/IMG_2163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNPdTQhPPJOz3ciQD8V8gbr8F-NF1a7tnDKSNfVNisZ2ajyPhpV8GUS5Sgg82mHQMg3x3xnAi4tdaYzz-VLL0IvBipLadnEFCQiYmhs3awwk618VoRGEanxOV-PaRPle4ymc4nmcjuQw/s200/IMG_2163.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The dregs - delicious but deadly!</span></td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc82kiKHSEVEnPXJx9cDW_EqMxVxRf8EXx2itIVhGLQnzbxXNF11r5bO1GIJZ9XNNMhfKNJJewV0wLKxa7xrtEqRxcRO1xBvRUDhIr-rAhF3ovt3xYs33GIjDIOAdcWFZ7Q2xpfnMpVM/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc82kiKHSEVEnPXJx9cDW_EqMxVxRf8EXx2itIVhGLQnzbxXNF11r5bO1GIJZ9XNNMhfKNJJewV0wLKxa7xrtEqRxcRO1xBvRUDhIr-rAhF3ovt3xYs33GIjDIOAdcWFZ7Q2xpfnMpVM/s200/IMG_2170.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Filling the bottles</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though the resulting liqueur is still the rather uninspiring colour of weak orange cordial, it really is delicious! </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbTGCAtSDYN2I1-sRwaplm_ZA61F19Zb0KWu5GQgG55nmyb66GEsMuBr3yRSpXhjsVFlVexOjqldvRzAlBIdBtEpiWjaZ_lufzwKhv_HYdKrKvfMKbxo6cBlqKZw-a99hOiO63k6UiH0/s1600/IMG_2179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbTGCAtSDYN2I1-sRwaplm_ZA61F19Zb0KWu5GQgG55nmyb66GEsMuBr3yRSpXhjsVFlVexOjqldvRzAlBIdBtEpiWjaZ_lufzwKhv_HYdKrKvfMKbxo6cBlqKZw-a99hOiO63k6UiH0/s320/IMG_2179.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The end result</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-44338372310119425582012-11-11T12:46:00.001+00:002012-12-09T20:01:14.804+00:00Spicy Pumpkin liqueur - the genesis<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, having been inspired by writing about Christmas drinks past I thought I'd post very briefly about the beginnings of my new project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having read on the great <a href="http://www.food52.com/" target="_blank">Food52</a> about the rather delicious sounding Butternut Squash 5-spice Liqueur, I had a quick look around my kitchen and realised I had all the ingredients to make something vaguely similar myself. I had a knobbly little pumpkin we got from the nice biodynamic fruit & veg stall at the <a href="http://www.crewshillmarket.com/" target="_blank">Crew's Hill Farmers' Market </a>last week and had forgotten about, some left over mulling syrup (see below for the recipe) in the fridge and about quarter of a bottle of vanilla vodka - an excellent start. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I chopped up the pumpkin into roughly inch square pieces and put them in a roasting dish with 5 whole cloves, a cinnamon stick and a red chilli then roasted them in a medium oven for about 40 minutes until they were soft but not falling apart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Into a nice big <a href="http://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kilner</a> jar the whole lot went, topped up with a 700ml bottle of plain <a href="http://www.absolut.com/uk" target="_blank">Absolut</a> vodka and about 80ml of the vanilla Absolut for good measure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All I need to do now is wait patiently for 2-3 weeks, drain the vodka, add the mulling syrup & with any luck a new seasonal liqueur will be born. Watch this space...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-10657976342074947652012-11-11T11:52:00.000+00:002015-05-23T10:55:40.337+01:00Festive drinks – alcoholic & otherwise (but mostly alcoholic)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Mulled
cider / wine </u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Every year I
make mulled cider on Guy Fawkes’ Night (5<sup>th</sup> November). I’m not keen on the whole
burning-effigy-of-a-person aspect of the evening but love absolutely everything
else. We have lots of people round, grill up a vast amount of sausages
& corn on the cob, provide some roughly cut up baguettes in lieu of plates
or cutlery and most importantly there’s the mulled cider. All this serves to stoke the boilers before we
head out into the cold to watch fireworks and play with sparklers and
fire. I generally make a smaller pan of mulled
apple juice for children & drivers too – just as tasty, not quite as fun.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Very simply,
mulling cider, wine or juice goes like this (assuming three litres of chosen
beverage): </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>NB: if you are mulling red wine, I would go
with a solution of 3 parts wine to 1 part orange juice but that’s just me –
most people use the wine neat. </i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Start with a
decent cider – it doesn’t have to be the expensive artisanal stuff but if you use
Diamond White or Brain-Death-Thunder (or whatever it’s called) it is going to
taste like you did, so don’t. Fill a large pan with the cider and add some soft
brown sugar, more than you think you should (for 3 litres of cider for example
I would use 5-6 tablespoons) as both cider & wine lose their sweetness when
heated. To the pan add 5-6 whole cinnamon
sticks, at least 10 whole cloves (I use more because I like it spicy), some
whole star anise, whole mace, the zest of an orange and some all spice
berries. Warm the mixture through but <span style="font-size: small;">make sure not to</span> simmer or boil (doing so will evaporate the alcohol & we don’t want
that!) then switch it off, cover & leave for a few hours <span style="font-size: small;">to steep</span>. Switch the heat back on half an hour or so before
people arrive so the warm spicy smell fills the kitchen and keep the pan warm on a low
heat. I like to add thinly sliced apple
and / or orange just because it’s pretty.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s worth
noting that there is always some left over (as I generally make far too much)
and it is very nice chilled too – lightly spicy & refreshing. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3nWsZ-y7xs1gBmvM98LwsB8i6xfymDrP2zGZBsjNisaEtR_LobmkRbElz2l_fUd8kCpymGiaAPdGXBeYhkqzfkzEVQYfYDyS6DSXUxd40GVnMz8Q8gDAoj43Vzmph4S03q1fEjj5OZo/s1600/Cider+mulling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3nWsZ-y7xs1gBmvM98LwsB8i6xfymDrP2zGZBsjNisaEtR_LobmkRbElz2l_fUd8kCpymGiaAPdGXBeYhkqzfkzEVQYfYDyS6DSXUxd40GVnMz8Q8gDAoj43Vzmph4S03q1fEjj5OZo/s320/Cider+mulling.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Child-friendly mulled apple juice</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Mulling
syrup</u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you can’t
be bothered spending hours mulling your cider / wine and don’t want to use
those little teabag type things you can get for the purpose, you can make a
mulling syrup and use it as & when you fancy. It is particularly useful if you just want to
make one or two glasses rather than a whole batch – warm through a little wine
or cider, add your syrup & stir.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is a very useful recipe indeed as it keeps
in the fridge pretty much forever and only improves with age. I took a recipe from the excellent <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/" target="_blank">BBC GoodFood</a> and simply added extra cloves, some mace and a few star anise.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<ul class="subset" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">250g
caster or
granulated sugar
</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
2
oranges, halved
</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
6
whole cloves
</span></span>
</li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
6
whole
allspice
</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
2
cinnamon sticks
</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
¼
nutmeg
, freshly grated
</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
small piece
ginger, sliced</span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Put all
the ingredients into a saucepan with 1 litre water and bring slowly to a
simmer, making sure all the sugar has been completely dissolved. Turn down the
heat and simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, then strain through a very fine
sieve. </span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sterilise
your bottles by washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing well, then drying them
in a warm oven. Meanwhile, rewarm the syrup until just hot, then pour into the
bottles while still hot and seal.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><u>Christmas
spirits</u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last year I <span style="font-size: small;">had a go at</span> infusing spirits<span style="font-size: small;">,</span> having sampled & enjoyed <i>many</i> such things in Italy, France & Spain. I
wanted to start simpl<span style="font-size: small;">y</span> so came up with two very basic recipes: a vodka-based digestif and a spiced rum for
exciting Christmas cocktails. They were
incredibly quick & simple to make (though patience is required for<span style="font-size: small;"> the steeping time) </span>and looked very pretty as stocking
fillers. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most
important thing is to start with fairly reliable spirits. What you end up with is an infusion rather
than a sweet, heavily flavoured liqueur so the base spirit has got to be
pleasant enough to sip on its own or in a cocktail. The method could not be simpler – you choose
your flavours, add them to the base and wait for six weeks. Voila. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Digestif - </b>As a digestif is intended to
be served after a meal in order to aid digestion, it seemed sensible to use
herbs that perform that function naturally in my infusion. In this case I used fennel (seeds and fronds)
and aniseed. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Spiced rum</b> – Some curls of orange zest
very carefully cleaned of all bitter pith, cloves and cinnamon went into this
and ma<span style="font-size: small;">d</span>e some very good aromatic cocktails. It was also delicious added in a very small quantity
to a lightly sweetened hot milk at bedtime. I have found recently that it also makes excellent hot buttered rum!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndsGreeUb_U4LnlqohO-VyuPBSps1evkYXnfQhLc0c1aU5x8z88s2qmZEhtLL2Slm1xFBCWZTF_AyIwB6IwgVVVPCFJ6lf7xUq6lrENFHf9QyWjUhSabMvDmNqEOGFSrBKNUnDSVIWBA/s1600/Infusions+-+6+bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndsGreeUb_U4LnlqohO-VyuPBSps1evkYXnfQhLc0c1aU5x8z88s2qmZEhtLL2Slm1xFBCWZTF_AyIwB6IwgVVVPCFJ6lf7xUq6lrENFHf9QyWjUhSabMvDmNqEOGFSrBKNUnDSVIWBA/s320/Infusions+-+6+bottles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The finished product</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54g1WEGR1__ah5nqRHJECZjL4VV7L1vJM8HF_e22n8Zc2K1Vr9CMQsfWOOxrYYfqn0HD7CVODitj2F-gPfjj68rQFj35QHkZl_tz7ZVNBxs9nLgzxAXFt-IdWx0nWIG8dIBZASYXmRfs/s1600/Infusions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54g1WEGR1__ah5nqRHJECZjL4VV7L1vJM8HF_e22n8Zc2K1Vr9CMQsfWOOxrYYfqn0HD7CVODitj2F-gPfjj68rQFj35QHkZl_tz7ZVNBxs9nLgzxAXFt-IdWx0nWIG8dIBZASYXmRfs/s320/Infusions.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pretty stocking fillers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-84917686631179715172011-05-27T13:36:00.000+01:002012-11-11T12:02:07.563+00:00Meatloaf - more interesting & versatile than I thought<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you think of meatloaf as basically a gussied-up square burger cooked in the oven you really can't go wrong. My mum used to make her version when I was little and I loved it so thought I'd try giving I a bash myself. True to form I made it up and threw it all together before it occurred to me to look on the brilliant <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/" target="_blank">BBC GoodFood</a> website to see what should be in it, but it worked out just fine. I started by making a basic burger mix, as always adding more seasoning and herbage than it feels like you should:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 kg lean minced beef and / or pork, 2 finely chopped medium onions, squished or very finely chopped garlic (about 5 cloves in my case), salt & pepper, mixed herbs – I used sage, oregano & thyme, 2 tsps of English mustard (I'm guessing horseradish would be wonderful here), 1 small chilli, 2 eggs, good quality streaky bacon</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>NB: a quick thought about the herbs: as a rule I always try to use anything & everything as fresh as it can be but herbs are often the exception. I always have a good stock of dried herbs (dried myself from fresh herbs either grown or bought) as the flavour strengthens as they dry. Whilst fresh are still best in many things I cook, I do prefer dried in burgers and therefore meatloaf. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Combine all the ingredients except the bacon in a big bowl and cover with cling film. Leave out of the fridge for the flavours to get stuck in for at least an hour, though I left mine for about three hours. Line a non-stick loaf tin (if yours isn't non-stick, give it a light layer of butter or oil) with the strips of streaky bacon, taking care to overlap them generously so that they completely cover the meat when it is turned out and leaving enough hanging over the edge to cover the top of the meat. Press your 'burger' mix firmly into the bacon-lined tin until it is almost overflowing and cover with the overhanging bacon. Fill a wide & deep roasting dish about 2/3rds full of water and stand the loaf tin in it (meat side up) and cook on about 170C / gas 4-5 for around an hour until the top is browned & glistening. Leave it to stand for about 10 mins to cool, then turn out and slice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I served mine hot with really rich onion gravy (recipe below) but I'd imagine a dollop of ketchup in a bun would be nice, as would a big smear of mustard. The leftovers (and there were a lot) were brilliant cold with salad and pickled chillis, though I would have loved some cornichons even more. We even had enough to slice up and add to an already meat-heavy BBQ the day after that!</span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Gravy: thinly slice a medium onion and sweat (horrible expression) gently in butter or olive oil. When they are soft, sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of soft brown sugar over them and let them bubble gently to caramelise. Add some super-rich beef stock (I used 2 Knorr stock pot extra strong but actually Bovril would have been fine and homemade even better), the juices from the loaf tin and about half a bottle of red wine and simmer until thick & glossy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHymI6AyXaNJXPNW9A7I2d5kCNKQG140g7XIHsd4zAkWGy3yVhU7_Ia9uaKQzl0K3bSoiATck-Yz-Pb5XlhnzFdRSgVws1IFpfY079m9_uAmtqjGnZicQIUEettKsnFmkvyTK06Y9G-c/s1600/meatloaf+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHymI6AyXaNJXPNW9A7I2d5kCNKQG140g7XIHsd4zAkWGy3yVhU7_Ia9uaKQzl0K3bSoiATck-Yz-Pb5XlhnzFdRSgVws1IFpfY079m9_uAmtqjGnZicQIUEettKsnFmkvyTK06Y9G-c/s320/meatloaf+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLZ8k0-ehnJGNcKhvF_rjrEJUqm33cYk1P0HPK56L1B-xMndGZxYwANuHHr8JhnOalRWL6VmB6bz3kZhqODCUvtLWf5wf5m_O9VCZbRgAZWgj7hDUnsL3K5EHNBxF9Sk1R6xXmxrZ2x4/s1600/meatloaf+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLZ8k0-ehnJGNcKhvF_rjrEJUqm33cYk1P0HPK56L1B-xMndGZxYwANuHHr8JhnOalRWL6VmB6bz3kZhqODCUvtLWf5wf5m_O9VCZbRgAZWgj7hDUnsL3K5EHNBxF9Sk1R6xXmxrZ2x4/s320/meatloaf+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-25508413282640327802011-05-27T12:24:00.000+01:002014-05-21T19:39:24.653+01:00A fragrant Chinese marinade & its many uses (yes, I know - more noodle soup!)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I’ve been using a combination of any or all of these ingredients as a marinade for many years, and often use them as a base for a beautiful fragrant broth. To my mind, this marinade works best with pork belly, whether slow roasted as in the recipe below or cooked very fast & hot on a BBQ for a crunchy, sticky crust. It works beautifully too with chicken, salmon, prawns, tofu or anything robust enough to carry the strong flavours. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Wherever possible, use whole spices and grind or bash them yourself for optimum flavour . Substituting one or two here & there with the powdered versions is absolutely fine too. It is such a complex combination of flavours and textures that quantities of each ingredient are entirely subject to mood & particular taste – if you know you don’t like cloves for example just leave them out. If you are chilly & need something punchy and warming, ramp up the Szechuan pepper, cloves and chilli or for something lighter and subtler, dial them down and add more star anise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Combine as many and as much as you like of: ground cloves, ground Szechuan pepper, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, ground cinnamon, ground star anise, chopped red chilli, tamarind paste, good strong soy sauce, nam pla, soft brown sugar (palm sugar is the ideal but can be hard to find) and a splash of sesame oil. Rub this sticky mess all over whatever you choose to marinate and leave for at least one hour but ideally three or more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">For an amazing broth, marinate a piece of belly pork, scored gently on the meat side, for a few hours. Put in an oven-proof pan and cover with about a litre of water and the goo leftover from the marinade and bring to the boil. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast it uncovered, long & slow for around 3-4 hours. Add water as & when required to maintain the broth and stop it burning. There’s no reason at all not to do this in a slow cooker and forget about it as you go about your day but you will need then to crisp the crackling either under the grill or in a very hot oven before serving. To serve as a soup, layer noodles, greens, mushrooms (or anything you fancy) and the shredded pork (it should just fall apart by now) in a deep bowl and ladle the liquid (be sure to taste before you do this so you can add water to lighten or reduce to strengthen) over the lot. Scatter the crunched up crackling and some finely chopped spring onions over the top and serve at once.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marinated tofu in very light broth</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marinated, slow roast belly pork in spicy, heady soup</span></td></tr>
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-56988332261036087092011-04-18T11:28:00.000+01:002013-04-01T13:06:33.688+01:00Roast lamb<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Quality lamb can be pretty pricey but for a special occasion I do like to splash out on the good stuff. For Best Beloved's birthday this year our lovely friend Faby was coming for the evening so we decided to go all out & get a really good leg of lamb for the occasion (from the very jolly and helpful Welsh butcher at the farmer’s market). Whilst it set us back £26, it was well worth the money and ended up feeding us for 3 meals as well as giving a nice stock. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I like to poke deep holes all over the meat & insert a sliver of garlic & a sprig of rosemary into each one. We often also pop in a little piece of anchovy to very good effect, it adds a really savoury note to the whole affair without remotely tasting fishy. I put the lamb into my beloved enamelled roaster and pour over a bottle of red wine. I add a little lamb stock to the wine or if I don’t have any maybe a splash of soy sauce or a sprinkle of salt. Over the lamb goes a big handful of bashed up pink peppercorns (a pestle & mortar is by far the best way to deal with the slightly sticky pink pepper as it tends to gum up a normal pepper grinder) and ground black pepper. Into the wine around the meat I put 5-6 whole garlic cloves. If you are looking to have pink lamb & therefore cooking for less time, I’d poke a little hole in each of the garlic cloves to allow them to cook & melt into the gravy. If cooking for longer there’s no need as this will just happen by itself. I also add a couple of desert spoons of redcurrant or cranberry jelly. This adds a slight sweetness and a whole new layer of flavour such as you get from adding chocolate to a chilli con carne. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">When it comes to cooking lamb, length of cooking time and temperature really comes down to personal preference. To my taste chops and steaks get cooked very hot & fast to ensure a lovely pink interior whereas shanks, leg or shoulder on the bone I like to cook long and slow so the meat just falls off the bone when cooked. Half way through the cooking I take the lamb out of the oven & poke a chopstick into the end of the bone to get all the lovely marrowbone out and add it to the gravy along with a cup of water if the liquid is running low. The gravy can be finshed off whilst the meat is sitting to rest. To make the gravy I put the roaster onto the hob and mash the now soft & succulent garlic cloves into the liquid, seaon as needed and either reduce or add water depending on the strength of the flavour. Once strained, you are left with a gorgeous dark red meaty savoury / sweet liquid in which to douse your entire plate. If you prefer a thicker gravy, make a little roux of butter and flour and add slowly to the gravy at this stage and stir in very thoroughly. In the summer I would serve this with a salad and some nice crunchy green beans. In the still chilly spring I serve with roast potatoes (in goose fat – on a special occasion all fat considerations go out the window) and roasted root vegetables like carrots, beetroot and parsnips, just tossed in olive oil & a little sea salt. After a feast like that, I generally serve fruit salad to cut through the richness of the meat and end on a lighter note.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maybe not dainty but so delicious!</span></td></tr>
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-32983826973042905712011-04-18T10:28:00.000+01:002012-11-11T13:00:19.027+00:00Easy clams for a light lunch<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Sundays we tend to go to our farmer’s market at Ally Pally to stock up on fruit, veg and juice from the biodynamic Perry Court stall, amazing sausages from the Giggly Pig and whatever else we fancy for the next few days. There’s a wonderful salt marsh lamb lady as well as a brilliant fishmonger and plenty of cheese, game, cakes & bread as well as other weird & wonderful stalls of pottery, hats, jewellery & other vital items, but mostly it's really good, realtively local produce. Last Sunday we got a couple of handfuls of lovely fresh clams & as I’ve never cooked them before I decided to keep it very simple. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sliced up a couple of garlic cloves and a red Birds Eye chilli & put them in a large pan with a little olive oil. The clams went straight in then with a small glass of white wine & some black pepper (no salt, the natural flavour of the sea from the clams should be enough), covered with the lid and let them steam for a couple of minutes. When they were all open I added a huge handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley and served it straight away. They were delicious! As this was lunch, I had them with just a slice or two of crusty bread (fig and fennel sour dough, also from the market) but for a more filling dinner I would toss the clams and their sauce with some spaghetti, well lubricated with extra virgin olive oil, for a simple Spaghetti alle vongole.</span></span></div>
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-88030786071413790822011-04-06T17:26:00.000+01:002012-11-11T13:01:38.004+00:00Noodle soup<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">As some people have requested, here are some ideas for the noodle soup I keep banging on about on facebook:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Noodle soup can be light, fragrant and invigoratingly spicy; it can be deep, warming and soothing - in fact it can be absolutely anything you want it to be. Start with any fairly light stock (veg, chicken, fish), ideally homemade. If you don’t have any stock, make the whole thing from a miso base, but make sure you use paste rather than the powdered stuff. I often do that in any case because it just tastes so good, but it is less authentic (if you care about such things) and is less pretty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Into your soup base sling some finely sliced Kafir lime leaves, a good handful. If you have the dried ones, just crumble them in. If you're going for invigorating, add a red chilli or two (I use one to one & a half birds eye chillies WITH seeds) depending on how lip-tingling you like it. Sploosh in a few glugs of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce), some lemongrass if you happen to have some, ditto galangal. I generally put in the juice of a lime or two as I often like it really sour. Leave that to steep for half an hour or so to let the flavours get really exciting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">That’s it really. After that, put in whatever you fancy. At the moment we particularly like the combination of noodles (glass / rice noodles look nicest and are beautifully light), king prawns, thickly sliced chestnut mushrooms & pak choi. If you are adding Chinese greens (pak choi or bok choi), chop tem roughly and add them at the very last second & serve straight away as they will do all necessary cooking between kitchen & table - that way they retain a little crunch. We sometimes add sliced chicken and thinly sliced char-grilled steak works really well too. We've recently made it with Chinese spiced belly pork shredded into it with excellent results! Make it up & add whatever you happen to have around. A little splash of toasted sesame oil just before serving adds warmth & depth if you fancy it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chargrilled chicken in a soothing miso base</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG3P7IKvcfoH9F5iFNVRrC5SAf95dEfuGjcHLgMMX5CGXkhByvPQWLYmN9YDnCVG-tmAPrTg5pEXeWU9nEmD_RxB8laDHRpmR8bc0j_zDTpCNOeJmhykd7dzIgddzbtbSONO3HbFJe5Y/s1600/prawn+soup.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG3P7IKvcfoH9F5iFNVRrC5SAf95dEfuGjcHLgMMX5CGXkhByvPQWLYmN9YDnCVG-tmAPrTg5pEXeWU9nEmD_RxB8laDHRpmR8bc0j_zDTpCNOeJmhykd7dzIgddzbtbSONO3HbFJe5Y/s320/prawn+soup.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Prawn & chesnut mushroom in a spicy sour chicken stock and miso base</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chinese spiced shredded pork in a sweet, light fragrant broth</span></td></tr>
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7576536767223834938.post-92130423510517191392011-04-06T16:49:00.003+01:002021-10-16T16:25:30.512+01:00A new venture...<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif">Hello & welcome. A brief explanation of what I'm doing here & why: I love food, there's no two ways about it. Given that I also love to talk about food and I often get asked for my recipes, it seems like a good idea to write them down as and when they happen & put them all in one place. </span><br />
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My love of cooking & eating goes back as long as I can remember. Watching my dad & later helping him in the kitchen when I was a child sparked my first bursts of inspiration & excitement. He made (and still makes) the most wonderful, generous and happy food - melting slow roasted pork belly, cassoulet, amazing roast chicken and just the best bacon & eggs in the world. He also gave me my first taste of Parma ham among other things for which I will be eternally grateful! My dad taught me to love food and inspired my belief that food is about sharing, nurturing, enjoying and indulging. </span><br /><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><br />
My happiest days now are spent pottering around our kitchen with my other half (henceforth referred to as Best Beloved) fending off the scrounging cats and putting meals together or mooching around the farmer's market & local shops looking for nice things with which to potter about & put meals together. We're lucky enough to live in an area with plenty of excellent independent shops selling great local produce and we make the most of them at every possible opportunity.</span><br />
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We are both enthusiastic carnivores but have made the decision that all the meat we eat must be free range and ideally organic (biodynamic best of all). As this is fairly challenging when out & about or eating on the hoof (sorry, awful pun), we often find ourselves going veggie these days and are very much enjoying the discovery that vegetarian food can be just as stimulating and exciting as meat-eating. </span><br />
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So, though my presentation skills leave a lot to be desired and recipes in my world are for reading rather than following, people do seem to enjoy what I put in front of them and often come back for seconds, thirds and sometimes fourths so I hope that by sharing the recipes (guidelines really), I can share the fun & enjoyment!</span><br />
<span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Bon appétit</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Trebuchet MS, sans-serif">...</span><br />
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Anna</span><br />
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Feeding Minehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783235722538815755noreply@blogger.com0