Puff Ball Puff

I'm sorry it's been so quiet around here. Mostly it's because I'm just eating what's growing and cooking it as simply as possible. There are only so many ways of displaying a plate of potatoes, beans and courgettes before everyone falls asleep from boredom, the eater included.

Anyway, after the heat came the rain and that has proved to be ideal conditions for the Giant Puff Ball, currently known as Calvatia gigantea in botanical terms. Before I get too bored with these as well, and regular readers will be aware of my ambivalence to all things mushroomy, I thought I'd show you a typical presentation.

The Giant Puff Ball is a robust creature and can be chopped up and used pretty much as you would use a soft tofu or aubergine in any of your favourite dishes but I particularly enjoy them sliced and coated in a thin batter before pan frying. They also make damn fine tempura if you're in the mood for a Japanese theme.

Here the cooked slices are served with a garden salad of onions, tomatoes, mild chilli pepper, golden purslane and basil leaves. No need for dressing because of the oil already on the puffball puffs and just a bit of salt and lemon juice to bring out the flavours.

If you get the opportunity do try them, they're really quite special.

First of a New Season

We've been eating new potatoes from the garden for several weeks now but one of the varieties of potato we grow is chosen because we think it makes especially good chips. The variety is British Queen. Potatoes for making chips are usually fully mature and conditioned before use which can mean waiting until September or October before the spuds are fit but we decided to have a go with our just grown and barely legal tubers. It worked surprisingly well.



Making delicious full fat chips is pretty simple, prepare potatoes, make nice chunky chips, cook once in hot oil to cook the flesh through, then remove the chips to drain, reheat the oil and pop them back to crisp and brown. See full instructions here.



With them, because we are on the continent after all, we had real home made vegan mayonnaise.

We've always bought it before, the Plamil version for preference, one or two other less pleasant ready made alternatives but it actually took a post on David Lebovitz's blog to show me how easy it was to make this for ourselves.

You absolutely must have a good quality blender to make this but if you have that essential it's pretty easy. I've made it a couple of times now, the first time using some cereal milk, the second a small pot of soy yoghurt. Both worked just fine, so the liquid you start with isn't too significant, and you could probably experiment with whatever you have to hand. I have used grape seed oil and a mixture of grape seed and olive oils. I think all olive oil would be too strong a flavour for most purposes although if you were making aioli it might work.


80 - 100g chilled cereal milk, soy milk or soya yoghurt
20 ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic
pinch of white pepper if liked
150g vegetable oil in a small jug with good pouring lip
Salt
Herbs or seasonings to taste


Put the milk liquid, lemon juice and chopped garlic in the blender and give it a 30 second whizz to combine, then with the motor running add the oil very, very slowly through the lid into the blades. Try to add just a few drops at a time to begin with and then a very thin slow stream so that the whole process will take several minutes to add all the oil. The mixture will begin to thicken and may make gloopy explosions as it does so don't be alarmed. When it's thick, stop the motor, scrape the mayonnaise out into a bowl and add salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp. for this quantity), extra chopped herbs and a touch more lemon juice if you like it.

You could also add hot chilli sauce and more garlic to make a rouille type sauce or chopped capers, gherkins and herbs for a sauce tartare. Just use your imagination.

If the worst happens and the mayonnaise fails to thicken, perhaps because you added the oil too quickly, then pour the curdled mess back into the jug. Put 80g of cold milk or yoghurt in the blender and start again, adding the jug contents very very slowly as if it were just oil. This classic rescue formula works, I've done it!

Intermediate Interval Separating

So I'm really sure the WHOLE WORLD would like to know what it is that I eat on those days when it's not good enough to blog about.

Here we have a prime example - casually entitled Rat Charlotte it is a tempting combination of 3 day old leftover ratatouille and some pain de mie, the French equivalent of Mothers Pride, manipulated in a classic manner.

I don't know why it is that I can't make food in portions for one person, or when I find myself with far too much to eat at any one time I don't just throw the excess away immediately. Something in my frugal guilt laden upbringing just keeps me hanging on, resenting it and yet eating it although driven to the point of anorexia.

You might make this yourself, some evening when you've no money, little other food and in desperate hunger but really, if you were me, now, you'd be better off if you didn't.

It was o.k.