Pickled Okra

Since posting the recipe for the Bullshot with a pickled okra garnish (October 2013) , I’ve been intrigued by this. The boy isn’t keen on the sliminess of okra but this version makes them crisp and crunchy. Not 100% sure I can persuade him of that though.

700g okra

4 garlic cloves

4 slices lemon

475ml cider vinegar

400ml water

3tbsp flaky sea salt

1tbsp sugar

Pickling spices

2tbsp mustard seeds

1tbsp coriander seeds

1tbsp chilli flakes

1tsp peppercorns

1tsp fennel seeds

Sterilise your jars – I’m assuming you will use four. Wash and trim the okra. You want to get them roughly the same size.

Heat up the vinegar with the water, salt and sugar and get it to a rolling boil. This will look good, and therefore more appealing to the boy if you put it together as follows. Put a slice of lemon at the bottom of each jar. Put a garlic clove in and sprinkle in a quarter of the pickling spices into each.

Push the okra in, ideally putting half in stem side up and half stem side down. Pour in the hot vinegar and seal. Okra pods are full of cavities so give the jars a couple of knocks to get the vinegar into any air pockets.

I learned about this as a garnish to the Bloody Bull cocktail but these are good as an unusual pickle on their own. Put one on the boy’s plate with some Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and hot buttered toast, in a month or so and see if he resists.

Mulligatawny

I admit we’re making a lot of soup these days. It’s the time of year. I have a fondness for this colonial dish from the days of the raj. It’s adapted from an elegant Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1tsp grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground cumin

½  tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

1tsp Madras curry powder

1 1/5 litres chicken stock

4tbsp oil

115g gram flour (chickpea flour)

3tbsp lemon juice

Basmati rice to serve

Cut the chicken up into small enough pieces for soup. This means tiny. Put it in a bowl with the salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and curry powder. Mix well. Put it in the fridge while we go to work. I rarely cook with curry powder, but as this is more English than Indian, I’m going for it.

The boy is home before me and has put some rice in the rice cooker, along with a thick slice of lemon and a few cardamom pods. This is because I have left a note on the kitchen table saying “cook some rice. Put a thick slice of lemon in it and a few cardamom pods. xx”

Fry the chicken mix in the oil, scraping in all the spice remnants from the bowl for a few minutes.  Add the flour, stirring constantly, for about two minutes.

Stir in the stock and give the bottom of the pan a good scrape with a wooden spoon. The gram flour will have stuck to the bottom. Simmer for 20 minutes. The boy has fished the lemon and cardamom out of the rice and spooned it into a nice bowl. He’s dressed it with a few wafer thin red onion rings and coriander leaves. He’s getting the idea that good food is in the detail.

Add a little more salt to the soup if it needs it, and the lemon juice. We have this at the kitchen table, adding a few spoonfuls of rice to each bowl first. I have put a few tablespoons of mango chutney and hot Indian mixed vegetable pickle on a side plate. It’s good with the rice.

Celery Rosti with Poached Eggs

The celery is the star here so use some good stuff. Fenlander is the ideal variety – thank God for farmers markets

4 sticks celery

1 bunch coriander

1 large waxy potato, peeled

Salt & pepper

Green Tabasco

½ tsp cayenne

Olive oil for frying

4 slices goat’s cheese, 1cm thick

4 free range organic eggs

The celery and the potato need grating, so perhaps the food processor if it has a grating disc. If so try to leave any excess liquid behind .I’m squeezing it all in a clean tea towel.  Chop the coriander quite finely.

Get the oven hot – 220/Gas 7. Mix the celery, potato and coriander, along with a few drops of the Tabasco and the cayenne. Divide the mix into four, and shape into patties. Let them chill in the fridge for 10 minutes so they firm up.

Heat the olive oil and gently brown the patties on both sides. Turn them over really carefully so they don’t break. About 5 minutes or so. Finish them off in the oven for 15 minutes, turning them once.

Turn on the grill. Place a disc of goats cheese on each of your rostis (or is that rostii?) and grill until the cheese is lightly brown and starting to give. Gets a bit frantic here as you need to poach your eggs at the same time. This is where I could do with the boy helping.

Drain the eggs well and place one on each rosti, and drizzle with just a little green tabasco

Rabbit with Olives

It’s freezing so I want a cold weather casserole. I’ve found a jointed rabbit, which is something of a rarity. You either don’t get it at all or it comes whole, complete with head and fur, which I’m not prepared to deal with.

3tbsp olive oil

100g streaky bacon, cubed

1 rabbit, cut into 8 pieces, plus the liver

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

150ml dry white wine

Sprigs of thyme & rosemary

1 bay leaf

Salt & pepper

12 green olives

Juice of ½ a lemon

It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the liver but it’s extra good if you do. This is undoubtedly French, but I’m not sure exactly where from. Ardeche, I think. A note on the ingredients: The rabbit has bones in, so the olives might as well have the stone in. These things are only ever a problem if they take you unawares. The bacon should be dry cured – otherwise it will leach water, and you start with it, so you may as well start well. The tinned tomatoes should be really good Italian ones – the juice will be much richer if they are, and the wine should really be French but I’m using Gavi.

Lots of browning to start with. First the bacon. Once they are verging on crisp, remove them, and add the rabbit joints to the same oil until they are nice and brown. Again remove and add the onion and garlic. Add more oil if it needs it. I do wish the boy would stop saying “poor bunny” mock wistfully, every time he passes - he doesn’t feel this way about beef, pork or lamb.

When the onion is soft, pop the rabbit and bacon back in, give it a stir. Add the wine, herbs, salt & pepper and the tinned tomatoes. If it’s not quite covered, swirl the tomato tin with a little water and pour it in, which will also get any extra tomato juice out.

Simmer for 1 ½ hours which is enough time to listen to half an audio book with the boy. We’ve gone for Frankenstein – his choice, not mine. He may end up listening to part 2 on his own.

Obviously it’s had a stir or two, but now add the olives and leave the lid half on so the sauce thickens a little. 15 minutes or so. This is the gross bit: crush the liver with 2 tbsp of the sauce and add it in with any juice. Squeeze in the lemon juice. I think the olives and lemon give it a nice freshness. Let it simmer for a final 5 or 10 minutes. A tsp of thickening granules might not hurt.

We’re having it with buttered potatoes, and in tribute to Mister Bunny, some steamed baby carrots. And the Gavi.

The boy likes. It’s rustic, meat on the bone for nibbling and lots of flavour.

Italian Red Cabbage Slaw

This recipe came with the organic box. I had to try it and we both really like it. It helps with my mission of getting some raw veg into the boy every day. It’s also nice to do something different with red cabbage.

½ a red cabbage

1 orange, zest and juice

A splash of Balsamic vinegar

A decent drizzle of olive oil

A pinch chilli powder

Sea salt & black pepper

A few slices pancetta

Parmesan for shaving over

6-10 sage leaves

I’ve reduced the sage from the original recipe, which suggested 12. Ours are home grown and quite strong. I’m also using smoked bacon lardons as we don’t have pancetta – about 200g in deference to the boy who is a dedicated carnivore.

Shred the cabbage and put it in a large bowl. Mix in the orange zest and then the juice. Always zest first, then juice.

While you’re shredding, fry the bacon/pancetta until it starts to get crisp. When you take the piggy bits out add the chopped sage leaves to the hot oil for a few seconds.

Add the bacon and sage to the cabbage and orange mix, and sprinkle in the balsamic and olive oil and season well. Give it a really good mix and decide which it needs more of. As it’s not mixed in mayonnaise everything stands out a bit more sharply.

Shave some parmesan over and give it a final mix.

Classic Cream of Tomato Soup

I love cream of tomato soup on a cold evening. There’s nothing like Heinz, and opening a tin is so easy, but making your own is quite special. There’s a market seller on the high road who has some really ripe ones going cheap. The recipe is pretty much the Jane Grigson classic.

1/2kg ripe tomatoes

100g chopped onion

125g chopped young carrot

Bouquet Garni

1l chicken stock

Salt & pepper

300ml single cream

Chopped chives or basil

(Possibly a little nutmeg)

Simmer the vegetables in 900ml of the stock until tender. The tomatoes don’t need peeling but I’m quartering them. The bouquet garni goes in too. This can vary but I like Elizabeth David’s combination of parsley stalks, a squashed clove of garlic, a sprig of thyme and a piece of dried orange peel wrapped in bay leaves and tied up with thread. (French Provincial Cooking is one of my favourite cook books).

Once the veg is tender, remove the herb parcel and pass through a mouli on the finest blade, or if you don’t have one, just sieve it. Add the salt and pepper and the last 100ml of stock. No idea why you hold this bit of stock back but I trust JG.  Taste and see if a little sugar wouldn’t improve it. If the tomatoes aren’t absolutely ripe, it might need it.

Clean the pan and pour in the cream. Bring it almost to the boil and slowly pour in the tomato stock, stirring frequently. (If you prefer this as a chilled soup, just pour the cream into the soup stir and chill – I’m of the opinion that cream based soups don’t work that well cold though – your call).

As a variation JG suggests some nutmeg – I think just a tiny scrape would be nice (from a whole nutmeg, never powdered). A pinch of smoked paprika might be  nice alternative. Check the seasoning again, especially if you have added sugar, and garnish with the chopped herbs. I prefer chives. Basil and tomato go together really well but it can overpower this soup. JG suggests serving this with watercress sandwiches made with thickly sliced bread and plenty of salted butter and the watercress absolutely crammed in. The boy (also known as the Sandwich Monster) couldn’t agree more.

Blue Cheese & Poppyseed Crackers

I’ve been ill so I haven’t wanted anything more than soup for a few days. It’s been tinned – Heinz, Baxter’s or Campbell’s. Of his own volition, the boy has made me these biscuits to have with them. I’m sharing his recipe.

150g plain flour

100g cold butter, chopped

150g full fat blue cheese, crumbled

1 ½ tbsp. black poppy seeds

Flaky sea salt

On the rare occasions he bakes the boy likes to use the weighing scales he inherited from his grandma, with their seemingly random set of weights. It’s made of white enamel with a generous bowl and a plate on the other side to place the counterweights on. In this case for the flour he will need one of the 4oz weights, a 1 oz weight and a ½ oz weight. When he adds the butter he swaps things around and uses both the 4 oz weights and the 1oz. With the cheese crumbled in, it’s just the 1lb weight. What a hassle but he does it so sweetly, making sure it balances exactly.

Obviously this is a rough guide, given his clunky apparatus, but the joy of cooking is that you use your hands and just adjust according to what you need. As we are British, the boy has used Blue Stilton, though Roquefort or Gorgonzola would be good. It absolutely stinks!

Process the flour, butter and cheese – this is probably where you know what might need adjusting. Roll it into a log about 4cm in diameter, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge. After you have listened to Vaughan William’s Lark Ascending, (about 12 minutes), unwrap and roll the log in a plate of poppy seeds. Slice into 5mm rounds and sprinkle the slices with salt.

Bake at about 200c for 15 minutes. These are particularly good with cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup.

The Boy's Home Made V8

This is the boy’s version of V8 juice. You’ll need a juicer. It makes a small jug full.

12 ripe tomatoes

2 celery stalks

4 carrots

2 small beetroot

A handful each of spinach, lettuce, flat-leaf parsley & watercress

A good pinch each of salt, white pepper and mild chilli powder

A good squeeze of lemon juice ( about ¼ lemon)

The tomatoes are the main part so they need to be good. Obviously if you use organic veg you will really taste the difference – especially with the tomatoes, celery and carrots.

Our juicer has 2 speeds and slow suits soft things like tomatoes best. Juice these first. Turn it up to high and juice the parsley, spinach and watercress. This is because they don’t give out much juice and the other harder ingredients will carry any remnants through the blades. I like it with a healthy amount of parsley.

Still on high speed juice the carrots, lettuce and beetroot. The beetroot will make this drink purple, so it won’t look like V8. I suppose you could use white beetroot but I quite like a purple drink.

The boy usually decants this from the jug that comes from the juicer into a clean glass jug, and skims off any foam so it looks better.  Depending on how juicy the tomatoes are, he sometimes has to decant these first and then mix the rest in. You could sieve it  first to get it extra smooth – and you can – but I think this robs it of essential fibre. If this is going to be good for you, you might as well go for it. Add ice cubes if you like.

Now the seasoning – a really good couple of pinches of flaky sea salt are essential to bring out the savoury nature of the drink. We think pinches of white pepper and mild chilli powder work really well, but make sure it’s the mild kind, otherwise it will drown the other flavours. Finally a good squeeze of lemon, stir and serve immediately before it loses it’s goodness.

You’re getting Lycopene, vitamin A, iron, vitamin C, Beta-Carotene, vitamin B6, Riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, zinc and goodness knows what else

Indian River Soup

I’m not well and I just want some soup with good bread and butter. The boy is cooking though I keep padding out from the bedroom with the instructions. Indian River runs through Florida and I found this recipe in a much loved old American cook book. I imagine this soup was served as an appetiser in elegant hotels along the river. It’s light and it’s what I’m after.

1 can Italian tomatoes, with their juice

1 carrot, grated

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

Rind of 1 lemon

6 whole peppercorns

3 cups chicken broth

½ cup vermouth

2tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Rind of 1 orange, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips, or ideally using a zester

2tbsp chopped parsley

Combine the tomatoes, carrot, onion, bay leaf, pepper corns and lemon rind in a pan and bring to the boil. No frying, so nothing for him to burn. As you know I think Cirio tomatoes are the best- we’re using chopped ones as whole ones are often canned under ripe, to help them keep their shape.  He’s trying to cheer me up and playing John Adams’ Naïve & Sentimental Music on the CD player. It’s working. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Pass it through a Mouli on the finest blade, taking out the peppercorns and cloves first, or sieve.

Put the liquid back in the pan and add the chicken broth. Ideally this would be fresh but we don’t have any so he’s using a Knorr stock pot. Pour in the vermouth. We have the strangely named Noilly Prat in the house. Once it comes to the boil, stir in the salt, pepper and orange juice. Strip the rind from the orange before you juice it as it will be easier.  Get the boy to check it for salt and pepper to see if it needs more. It often does.

Garnish with the orange strips and parsley; though make sure the parsley is really finely chopped. 

Sweetly the boy has served this in a large tea cup with a salty pretzel. The rest of it is going in the fridge, as it is just as good chilled.