Ham with Pea Puree

We have a lot of peas from the garden that still need using up so I’m giving this River Cottage recipe a go. I work near Borough Market so I picked up the ham on the way home.

750g decent raw ham

1 onion studded with 6 cloves

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

A bay leaf

750g peas

The boy gets home as I’m preparing the stock ingredients – onion, celery, carrot and stolen bay leaf. He had better not be hoping for an early supper. This will be a late one. Keep the onion, celery and carrot big enough to easily fish them out once the ham is cooked. Boil the ham (with the onion, carrot, celery and bay) for an hour or so. Ruffle his hair when he complains how long it’s taking. It’s amazingly coarse behind his ears.  He can pod the peas but only under close supervision so at least 80% of them go in the bowl. Pop a handful of the pods into the boiling ham stock. For some reason his cat likes chewing them so he gets a few.

I have the Karl Bohm recording of Mozart’s “Abduction from the Harem” playing, as it’s joyous. Mozart, ham, peas, what else could you want? For some reason I always think it’s called ‘Escape from the Harem’- which it kind of is.

Once the ham is done, remove it but save the water to cover the peas in a small saucepan.  Add a couple of mint leaves. Cook until done. Save about 2 tbsp. or so of the stock . Drain and pour into the blender. Fish out the mint first if you can, or at least some of it. Add a huge knob of butter and get it really smooth Add the reserved water if it needs it. Depends on how late in the season it is, but I like how the water has cooked the ham, then the peas and now the puree.  Season it and get the boy to taste. He likes mushy peas, I don’t so this is as smooth as I can get it.

Slice the rested ham up into inch thick, long slices. His cat gets some of the rind but cut generously so it’s still meaty. Ladle the pea puree onto each plate and add a couple of thick rashers of ham onto each. The boy thinks a bowl of hot chips would go with this. He’s absolutely right.

Garden Soup

We only have this once or twice  year – when the garden is at its most abundant. We have it with whatever vegetables we have so this recipe is this year’s. It usually varies by one or two ingredients. The boy loves soup so this is an occasion.

2 onions, chopped

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 beetroots chopped

4 carrots peeled and chopped

A handful of cavolo nero, roughly chopped

3 courgettes

2 big handfuls of peas

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1tsp dried thyme or oregano

Lots of chopping. It all needs to be quite fine. There is something pure about a dish as simple as this so I’m listening to a CD of selections from the King James Bible. You think you know it but there is much that is surprising. Needless to say the boy is not around to help with the peeling or chopping. That said he did do a lot of the digging and watering that gave us these vegetables.

Cavolo Nero is a new crop for us. Cabbage or kale would do just as well. Shred it well. It’s a soup so think about how small it needs to be to sit on a spoon.

Start by gently frying the onions, then add the carrots as they will need the longest. Sprinkle in the dried herbs.  Put in the garlic last. Keep going until it is all starting to soften.

 Tomatoes are  a pain to peel but easier if they are really ripe. Just cut a cross in the top and pour on boiling water. Make sure you pour all the juice you lose, while chopping them, to the soup pan. This is where it stops frying and starts becoming soup.

Add the beetroot and give it a stir, then pour in a litre of water. It doesn’t need stock. It tastes good enough on its own. The beetroot gives it a lovely colour. Add the courgettes and after a  few minutes, the peas and cavalo nero. A few minutes more only so everything is still firm, but cooked.

Salt and pepper. It needs a lot of seasoning. 

Last year we used spinach instead of cavolo nero and added lots of shitake mushrooms. The boy is happy to have this with good crusty white bread and cold salted Yorkshire butter.  And a bottle of Soave.

Green Panzanella

One of my food hates is soggy bread so I’m careful with this adaptation.

200g podded peas

500g broad beans

150g young fennel

4 spring onions

½ a small cucumber

A dozen green olives

A handful flat leaf parsley

1 clove garlic

6tbsp olive oil

3tbsp red wine vinegar

4 slices sourdough bread

Get the boy podding the broad beans. He’s not allowed to do the peas as he eats too many of them. Some Vivaldi cello concerti would be good at this point, as you bring a pan of salty water to the boil. Peel and chop the cucumber and salt it well to draw out water (no soggy bread). Use good salt so you don’t ruin the flavour.

Cook the peas and beans for no more than 4 minutes, while the boy takes the bean shells  to the compost bin. Drain them and refresh under cold water. Pop the beans from their skins as soon as you can handle them.

Shred the fennel finely and pop it in a large bowl. Add the cool peas and beans. Already it looks good and worthy of the Vivaldi. Chop the spring onion. Wipe the cucumber dry with kitchen towel. The parsley is just roughly torn. Put it all in the bowl. It’s kind of like a salsa verde.

Normally you’d start soaking the bread by now, but I really don’t do that.

Finely chop the garlic and put in a small bowl with the oil and vinegar. Add plenty of sea salt and black pepper. It’s basically  a vinaigrette though a milder one than I usually make. Give it a good stir with a teaspoon. I’d like this to rest and infuse but there is no time. He’s hungry  It will do.

Toast the bread - I think charred edges would bring out the flavour. Pour the vinaigrette on the vegetables and toss gently. The boy thinks the term ‘toss gently’ is hilarious.Not surprised. Place the toast on the plates and spoon the veg over. He doesn’t mind having this much veg as he sees this as a deconstructed sandwich.  I serve it straight away so the toast doesn’t have too much chance to get damp.

We’re having it with calamari rings flash fried with garlic, white pepper and red chill -it's dressed with lemon juice and parsley. This is good enough that the calamari is the side rather than the main.

If we have this again this summer it will still be with Vivaldi, but with some tomatoes,  Basil leaves, and some capers. The garlic in the dressing will be smoked, it will have slightly more vinegar in homage to the tomatoes. But the toast will still be crisp and not soggy and it will be just as good.

South Indian Prawn & Coconut Curry

There is never a day when the boy doesn’t  love a curry. This is a good dry one from South India,

400g tiger prawns (ours are frozen)

2tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 gsrlic cloves, finely chopped

An inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

2tsp garam masala

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp turmeric

4 tomatoes, chopped

1tsp tamarind paste

50ml cold water

4tbsp desiccated coconut

Small bunch coriander

Rotis to serve

The prawns come from the street seller who has been on the Wood Green end of Green Lanes forever. They are peeled and deveined already. I need them to be big enough not to taste too fishy. I don’t get why the smaller ones taste like that. Heat the oil and fry the onion, ginger, chilli and garlic (in that order). Garlic is easy to burn so it has to go in last. It’s time for some Asha Bosle. Dum Maro Dum!

Sprinkle the garam masala and the chilli powder over and stir well. Tip the tomatoes in and then the tamarind paste. Tinned tomatoes would do here. Just fish four out with a fork. If you add the juice, reduce the water as you want it to end up quite dry. If not, add the water now– most of it will evaporate. Give it 10 minutes or so.

The boy is sniffing around the kitchen by now, looking interested. He gets a poppadom and a bottle of beer and is sent on his way.

Add the coconut and the prawns and stir constantly. As soon as the prawns are pink, it’s done. Just check the coconut has dissolved into it. Sprinkle with coriander. The boy likes pick-up food so we are having this with soft rotis. We prefer the soft ones to traditional, as they don’t break up as easily. I also think most curries appreciate a raw salad. I have pushed a white onion, half a carrot and a tomato through the mandolin (which the boy is never allowed to go near), and dressed it with lime juice. It’s cut on the smallest blade. It's my mission to get him to eat some fresh veg every day, usually without him noticing.  I’m also having chilli pickle with my portion. The boy definitely isn’t. I love the way he grins when he has good food.

Chimichurri

We’re having rib eye steaks. Last time I had this Argentinian sauce was at Gaucho. It wasn’t that good and couldn't stand up to the steak. This will be better.

A big handful of coriander

2tbsp fresh oregano

4 cloves garlic

1 finely chopped shallot

½ cup of olive oil

2tbsp red wine vinegar

1tbsp lime juice

1 red chilli. Finely chopped

1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

I think the red chilli was what I missed. I would add two but the boy won't let me. Parsley is probably more traditional than coriander but I do prefer it. We grow it in a window box outside the kitchen door from April to October.Oregano is harder to get started, but easy to maintain once it gets going.

Chop the herbs and mince the shallot, chilli and garlic. Put in a bowl and cover with the oil, vinegar and lime juice. Add the salt, chilli flakes and a good twist of pepper. Let it rest for a few hours.

 Cook the steaks in a screaming hot ridged skillet. The boy likes his done medium so about 3 minutes a side. While they are resting, pour the chimiuchrri over it. Scoop some of the meat juices over it. It should be oily. He says it would be good on toasted ciabatta with well grilled tomatoes, garlic, salt & pepper. He is the Sandwich Monster so he’s probably right.

Pour the boy a glass of Argentinian Malbec. The steak comes with a side salad of tomatoes, a little cucumber, shallots  and finely chopped parsley, chives and mint. He’s not getting away without having some.

A Rhapsody on Tomato Juice

I absolutely love tomato juice, though I don’t like it as a Bloody Mary. I think the vodka sweetens it in a way that doesn’t work for me. For the same reason I don’t add a slug of sherry. The boy does like it with a good shot of vodka with the Sunday papers. He thinks it the perfect preface to the roast beef that is to come. My friend Dave says I just haven’t had a really good Bloody Mary yet. He’s no doubt right.

Chill a jug in the freezer.I think it should be served abundently, by the jugful, rather than by the glass. It should be cold but ice will just dilute it. Pour a litre carton of tomato juice into it. I prefer Libby’s or Prince’s. When we lived in Nairobi, Dad and I bought a big tin of Kenylon tomato juice to decant. It had a whole tomato, skin, on still in it. I'm assuming ours will be smoother. Squeeze in as much as you can get out of a juicy lemon. Sprinkle in some white pepper. Give it shake of Worcestershire Sauce and very many shakes of Tabasco. If I could have only one condiment it would be Tabasco.  Stir it with a stalk of celery. Not absolutely sure this flavours it, but it looks good. If it’s a Sunday morning, add some vodka for the boy (Russian Standard) and a good pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt. Make sure it’s really cold and put The Observer in front of him. Brahms Violin Concerto goes on the CD player - the Joshua Bell version. Gorgeous. So is he.

I like it with more pepper and Tabasco, he prefers it with more Worcestershire. It has to be Lea & Perrins by the way.  On the rare occasions I can get it, I love a yellow tomato juice from the Isle of Wight. It’s slightly less acidic. We spice it with white pepper and yellow hot pepper sauce from Barbados so it doesn't spoil the colour. The boy calls it a Bloody Canary. Unfortunately, it’s hard to come by. This year a single 200ml bottle is all I have managed to get. The Barbadian pepper sauce is Aunt May’s. It’s made from Scotch Bonnets and mustard so it just needs a drop or so.

The genius that is Simon Hopkinson came up with this properly made from scratch version.:

1kg ripe juicy tomatoes. (A box can be had from most Turkish supermarkets in Wood Green for around £2.99)

A large teaspoon of Maldon sea salt

1tbsp caster sugar

125ml water

1tbsp horseradish concentrate

 Peel and core the tomatoes. It’s a faff but worth it. Put everything but the horseradish in a pan and simmer. It will take about 20 minutes for the fruit to collapse. This should go into a Mouli Legumes but I’m not lucky enough to have one so it is pushed through a fine sieve. This is why you core them! Let it cool and add the horseradish concentrate. Ours is dug from the garden and grated. We need to decide what to do with it as it’s starting to take over. My addition to this is to lightly crush two stalks of celery and add them to the jug.  Let the juice infuse for another 20 minutes and sieve it again. It needs at least an hour in a jug, in the fridge.

Tomato juice generally needs to be concentrated – if you just put them through a juicer it is a watery salmon pink. That said, Nigel Slater has a couple of really good juicer recipes:

4 tomatoes

2 red peppers

A red chilli

Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt.

It all goes in the juicer. NS suggests just a piece of chilli, but you might as well go for this with a whole one. Be generous with the salt and pepper. Allow it to sit but then give it a really good stir.

He offers a milder juice, that is also really good:

4 tomatoes

2 stalks celery

6 radishes

A large handful parsley

Again just juice it all. This won’t be a pretty colour but will taste good. I think a pinch of salt improves it. Organic veg will make all the difference.

I like it as it comes, the boy likes it with vodka, but I prefer it spicier than he does.Love is about give and take. He also really loves a bullshot if it's well made:

330ml beef consomme
1tbsp lemon juice
A shake of celery salt
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
175ml vodka
A very good shake of Tabasco

The best consomme we have found is Campbells (it's condensed so it will need water), but Baxters is good too. Heat it and then add the seasoning. The vodka needs to go in last so it doesn't evaporate too quickly. Our Boxing Day tradition is a long walk so this goes in our metal flask to stay hot. Happy boy!

Broad bean & Yoghurt Salad

Apparently this is from Israel. We get really great garlic from the Isle of Wight and often look for dishes to use it in. We probably won’t get broad beans much later than this, so here we go.

225g broad beans

A small tub yoghurt (or not – see below)

1 large clove garlic

Salt to taste

1tbsp each of chopped parsley and dill

A god squeeze of lemon juice

Much may be criticised about Wood Green, but being able to get really good Turkish yoghurt makes up for most of it. I buy the full fat option and then use the yoghurt buckets as plant pots. The Turks are smart enough to sell yoghurt in pots big enough to need a handle.

Cook the broad beans for a couple of minutes only and allow them to cool. This late in the summer you will need to pod them as well. The boy says they look like fat ticks when they are boiled. He's not helping me pod them. It’s a really hot day. He’s reading a Le Carre novel. I forgive him.

Mince the garlic and work it into the yoghurt. About 7 or 8 or 10 tablespoons should do it. Stir in the parsley and dill. I think this would be great with coriander as well. Pour it over the broad beans. Squeeze the best part of half a lemon over and mix well.

We’re having this with fat lamb chops from our local butcher and an heirloom tomato salad with finely chopped fresh oregano leaves and cucumber, salted and wiped dry. We have warm pitta bread to pick this up with. More flat leaf parsley scattered over. 

Los Angeles Salad

This is very good – from Jamie Oliver’s trip to California. Not the least bit Mexican border  as far as I can tell but wonderful nonetheless. It’s crunchy and zingy and if the boy will be seriously tempted by any salad it will be this one. This adds up to loads of flavour.

½ small white cabbage

½ small red cabbage

1small bunch or radishes, trimmed and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large bunch coriander, finely chopped (leaves & stalks)

2 large jalapeno chillies chopped

1 red onion, finely sliced in half moons

Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 2-3 limes (juicy ones- add more if they’re dry)

Flaky sea salt

Outside of the US it’s hard to know if your chilli is the equivalent of a Jalapeno. I’m assuming a green one that is wider than a finger at its fattest point will do.

You’ll need a mandolin set with its finest blade. PLEASE use the guard – I’ve seen so many people (me included) cut themselves without.  Shred the white and red cabbage in two separate piles. It will all turn pink if you don’t keep them apart.

Put the white cabbage in a large bowl with the radish, carrot and most of the coriander. Mix well and add most of the chilli, the red onion and 3 or 4 tbsp olive oil. Add most of the lime juice and a big pinch of salt and mix again.

Taste and decide what you need to adjust – Chilli, lime juice, salt or coriander. When you have it right, add the red cabbage, just before serving. The boy pads out of the bedroom in black boxers and a white t-shirt. He looks stunning.

As long as it’s offered up with something else, the boy will like this. It’s crunchy, hot and fresh and not at all what he associates with salad. As long as there’s meat to go with it, he’ll be very happy to have this piled high alongside. I’m giving in. We’re having this with rib eye steaks with garlic butter. The salad doesn’t need any further dressing.

Fiery Green Beans

The boy loves these though he’s happiest if we have some minty yoghurt to cool things down.

300g runner beans

1 red onion, sliced

A Knob of butter

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice & zest of 1 lime

1tsp rose water

2tsp harissa paste

5tbsp olive oil

Not absolutely sure where these are from but they are good. We often chuck a small tin of harissa into the shopping basket, though it usually needs letting down with oil so it is looser than tomato puree.

Top and tail the green beans. Blanch for a few minutes and set aside. If you’re using French beans, string them as well. Heat the butter and soften the onion. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Let it all sweat down a little. Add the beans  and then the harissa, lime juice and rose water. Make sure the beans are well coated. It’s okay if some of the tomato pieces are still intact. You want the beans cooked but still firm.

I like them to cool to room temperature. The boy needs a bowl of rice and some yoghurt (yoghurt, mint and a little salt)  to counter the heat. He only ever has this with barbecued lamb or beef so he rarely complains.

Mauritian Coriander Chutney

This is so simple, it’s hardly a recipe. On a late weekend morning, the boy & I will often visit Mauritian Paradise in Wood Green’s covered market. If we’re peckish we order two samosas each; I like the veg ones he likes the meat. They are small but crisp and spicy. If we’re hungrier we’ll have a veg roti as well. It will still cost less than £2 each. Both come with lovely green chutney. They never say what is in it; they just ask “Chutney?” We always say yes. The earlier we get there the hotter and crispier the samosas are. We have no problem with hot samosas at 10.00 in the morning. They are the perfect accompaniment to strong coffee. This is my approximation of their chutney.

A bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves – about 200g

3 tomatoes, not too big

3 cloves garlic

3 green chillies

2tbsp water

Salt to taste

The boy would prefer 2 chillies but see how hot they are. The water is to ease the blending and I think the salt is a good ½ tsp.

Couldn’t be easier. Just roughly chop it all and pop into a food processor and blend until you get a grainy but thick sauce. You want it cling to, rather than run off; the samosas, or whatever else you serve it with. We often buy frozen samosas though they usually come in packs of 30, so we need to be in the mood for 15 each in a relatively short space of time (a weekend usually). This sauce doesn't keep. Neither should it.

Instant Pickles

The boy likes these with a barbecued burger. Their saving grace is that when he wakes up on a Saturday and decides it’s barbecue day, we can have these ready within the hour.

2tbsp sugar

1tbsp boiling water

4tbsp cider vinegar

2 cups thinly sliced cucumber

Sea salt & fresh pepper

Any fresh herbs you have to hand

I like to use the small cucumbers, but use what you have. We have mint growing through cracks in the patio, and plenty of thyme, so that takes care of the herb element, though next time I make this I want to try it with fresh coriander.

Dissolve the sugar in the water and then add the vinegar. If you have time, salt the cucumber first to remove excess water. Rinse and dry them with a paper towel. They will just suck up the vinegar all the faster. Add to the vinegar. Season and add the chopped herbs. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. They will be fresher and sharper than most pickles, so perfect with barbecue, though they won’t last more than a day or so. If we have a barbecue lunch, the boy will be having left over meat in sandwiches and will usually finish off any remaining pickle.

On this occasion we had this with belly pork strips that we’d marinated with jerk seasoning, lime juice and thyme. We also had coleslaw, some of which made it into the boy’s next day sandwiches.

Greek Cauliflower Salad

The boy isn't keen on plain boiled cauliflower, but he does like it this way. He’s used to having a side salad and I guess having cauliflower as a salad rather than a side vegetable works better for him.

1 large cauliflower

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 lemons

Salt

A handful of green olives, sliced

A handful of flat leaf parsley

We like this with pork chops.  Trim the cauliflower and cut into florets, not too small. Then boil in a large pan of salted water until cooked but still firm. This cooks quickly so you’ll barely get through Act I of Norma on the CD player.

In Wood Green we ‘re lucky to have a decent choice of olives. My own favourite are the ones with chopped lemon, garlic and coriander seeds. They come ‘on the bone’ (seeds in) so make it a very large handful.

While the cauliflower is cooking, slice the olives and roughly chop the parsley. Juice the lemons.

When the cauliflower is done, rinse in cold water to stop it cooking, and dress with the oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle on the olives, salt and parsley and toss it together. Serve it only just warm.

Make sure that whenever you refer to this, you call it Cauliflower Salad.

Home Made Sriracha

I’m not absolutely sure how long this recipe lasts so, tempted as I was to double up the ingredients, I’ve left it as it is and assume it needs to be kept it the fridge. Vietnamese Sriracha sauce usually has a rooster on the bottle, prompting my brother to call it “hot cock sauce.” You would not believe he's straight!

250g red chillies

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tsp flaked sea salt

240ml white vinegar

2tbsp palm sugar

Obviously the boy is having nothing to do with this. Put everything except the sugar into a bowl and in the fridge overnight. I think cider vinegar would go well here. Palm sugar has a kind of fudgy taste. I buy it solid in a tub and need to take shavings from it. Our garlic is fresh, sticky and strong, from the Isle of Wight. It's hard to say which chillies to use. I'm using Thai red chillies, seeds in.

Next day add the mixture to the sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir well so the sugar dissolves. The Rough Guide to Vietnam goes on the CD Player to ensure the right amount of steamy heat. 

Transfer to a blender and get it really smooth. I think we often only give things a quick whizz in a blender, where chefs will happily give something 5 minutes to get it really smooth. Give it 5 minutes to get it really smooth. Pass it through a fine sieve and jar it up. It will give look a dark orange rather than red, but this is as it should be.  Wonderful dabbed on noodle things, chicken things, lamb things, prawn things…..

Courgette Marmalade

This recipe came with the week’s organic veg box from Abel & Cole. I found it intriguing and simply could not resist, though the boy is less sure.

1kg courgettes

1kg caster sugar

3 lemons. Juice and zest

A good inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped (that’s inch not pinch).

How simple is that, in terms of ingredients. Coarsely grate the courgettes – I’m doing about half of one of the courgettes in julienne so we have a few more chunky shreds. Put everything in a wide saucepan, ideally a preserving pan, along with the sugar and scrunch in your hands until it becomes quite wet.

Put the heat on low, until the sugar dissolves and then whack it up to medium. Let it bubble up and skim off any scum that rises, using a slotted spoon. Hard to say how long it needs to cook, and indeed the recipe doesn't say – ours took about 40 minutes. It will thicken up and look bright and glossy. When you think it’s there, run a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If you can draw a clean line across, it’s ready.

Get the boy to taste and see if it needs adjusting for lemon or ginger. Don’t let him try it straight away as it will be molten hot. He thinks he should make some toast to test it properly, but can he please just get on with it?

Jar it up in clean sterilised jars – ours made 7 jars though some were quite small. It should keep for a year.

Cold Sesame Soba Noodles

There’s something about a cold noodle salad.

75g sesame seeds

Salt

250g Soba noodles

2tsp rice vinegar

5tsp soy sauce

2tsp honey

2tsp sesame oil

3 spring onions

1 fat red chilli sliced (optional)

Toast the sesame seeds, gently in a dry skillet and set aside when they turn golden.

Bring a large pan of water up to the boil and add the salt. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions – it will be about 6 minutes or so. Start checking after 5, as you don’t want them soft and over-cooked. Drain and plunge into icy water to stop the cooking instantly. Drain again quickly.

In a large bowl mix the soy sauce –( I think Kikkoman is the best choice here), the honey and sesame oil. Finely slice the spring onions into tiny ringlets and add them. If this was just for me I’d add the chilli now, but as the boy will spend all night picking them out I will add these at the end, to just my portion.

Add the noodles and mix, and then the toasted sesame seeds and toss gently to combine it all.

Just for fun, decant this into foil containers so they look like they came from a takeaway. Leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour, though you don’t want them really cold. Add the chillies to one portion (yours) and mark the lid with an X. Try to remember whether the X means with chillies or without.

Present the boy with his and a pair of chopsticks, knowing that his white T-shirt can go in the wash straight after.