tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216569632024-03-14T11:00:59.660+00:00The Stripey CatVegan in Normandy - ingredients, products, recipes.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.comBlogger491125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-23749414451367104212019-07-31T11:57:00.001+01:002021-08-07T11:28:27.988+01:00Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-46108286551987148222016-10-22T16:26:00.003+01:002021-08-07T11:28:28.258+01:00Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-512639037812640522016-10-22T16:26:00.002+01:002016-10-22T16:31:31.226+01:00Is there anybody out there?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aHN6AViJAvI" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
It's VeganMoFo in just one week's time. I'm wondering if I should sign up. It's been nearly a year since I last posted but I'd quite like to give it a go. So, is there anybody out there and would you like to read a month of my maunderings if I did?<br />
<br />
Actually strike that - the buggers have closed registration. Well, who needs them.<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-85063079048142140362016-01-14T15:41:00.000+00:002016-01-14T15:41:51.758+00:00A fresh taste<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/40875096"><img alt="mukhalal luft" height="333" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/50/96/40875096.2bd6102b.500.jpg?r2" title="mukhalal luft" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>In the picture a few spears of the last half-sour fermented cucumbers of the summer, pink pickled turnip, some queen olives and a sprig of celery leaf as garnish.</i><br />
<i> </i><br />
A trip to a Lebanese restaurant - <a href="http://www.al-shami.co.uk/" target="_blank">Al-Shami</a> in Oxford (they seem to be having problems with the web site at the time of writing) reminded me how much I adore middle-eastern pickles. They're cool, quick and crunchy and much less puckery than the classic British pickles even if both are equally delicious.<br />
<br />
The other good point is that they are ridiculously easy to make at home. Simply prepare your vegetables and submerge in a boiling brine, close and leave to mature for a few days and then they're done. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks but no more. This isn't likely to be a problem.<br />
<br />
The turnip pickles I had at Al-Shami were traditionally pink with beetroot juice, slightly sharp and salty. I ate all the ones on the salad plate and an extra side dish besides along with pickled chillies and olives. The other food was good but these were the best.<br />
<br />
Getting turnips at this time of year wasn't terribly easy, the humble turnip seems to be way out of fashion and we had to try several places before tracking them down in Waitrose at a ridiculous price but my need had to be satisfied. A fresh white mooli would make a good substitute if that's all you can find.<br />
<br />
For my recipe I mashed up the suggestions of two of my favourite authors on midde-eastern food, Claudia Roden and Arto de Haroutunian. Claudia tells me that in Egypt the pickles are made with no vinegar at all but she uses a very strong brine. I decided that would be too salty. Arto uses quite a lot of vinegar and other aromatics besides. I didn't want a very sharp pickle or to mask the turnip flavour too strongly so like Goldilocks I offer you a middle way but do adapt the recipe to your own taste as any good cook should.<br />
<br />
750g peeled turnips<br />
1 beetroot, cooked or raw <br />
1 or 2 peeled cloves of garlic<br />
900g water<br />
100g cider vinegar (5%)<br />
30g salt<br />
<br />
Peel your turnips and cut them into pleasing shapes. I love the crinkle cutter for these but slices, wedges, finger shapes are all fine. Don't make them too thick in any direction, less than 1cm is good.<br />
<br />
Slice the beetroot up. Raw beets should be quite thin, ready cooked ones a little thicker just to stop them breaking up too much.<br />
<br />
Put the prepared turnip and beetroot into a very clean jar. Not much point in sterilising it as the turnip isn't sterile as it goes in but cleanliness is important. I used a square mason jar, about 2 ltrs capacity. This size jar would have taken a few more bits of turnip if you happened to have them. Mix the two vegetables as you go to equally distribute the beetroot throughout the turnips. If you want other flavourings - celery leaf for example or a chilli then now is the time to pop them in.<br />
<br />
A word on salt - any salt will do. It's much better to weigh it than use a volume measure like a tablespoon as the grain size varies so much. You get a much heavier weight of fine salt to large crystal sort in the same spoon. Unrefined sea salt will make the brine cloudy and iodised salt (table salt) will make the pickles darker so for this, where the colour is part of the charm, use cooking salt for preference.<br />
<br />
Put the water, vinegar and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the garlic in slices. I like to 'cook' the garlic like this because I once read an article on botulism but I'm sure it's not all that necessary. As soon as it's boiling and the salt is dissolved pour it over the turnips in the jar and seal the top. Spare brine will keep in a lidded jar in the fridge for a while or you can do as I did and roam the kitchen looking for spare veg that needed an unexpected salt bath.<br />
<br />
Keep the sealed jar on the kitchen counter at warm room temperature for a few days - four or five is plenty. You can start eating them after that, taking out portions with a clean spoon each time and keeping the rest in the fridge.<br />
<br />
Happy New YearCatofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-31913269025633327772015-11-08T21:55:00.000+00:002015-11-09T10:08:27.106+00:00Late to the party<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/40276050"><img alt="aquafaba meringue" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/60/50/40276050.7e8ccf34.500.jpg?r2" height="334" title="aquafaba meringue" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
This is hardly cutting edge now, the world and his wife have already heard the news about chickpea cooking liquid, renamed by some as the rather fancier aquafaba, and its unusual ability to whip up like egg whites.<br />
<br />
I've tried a few times before to create simple meringues but failed each time during the cooking process - it's easy to make a wonderful fluffy white cloud of sweetness, if you have a good food processor to do the necessary whipping, but a crisp shell of loveliness seemed just out of reach.<br />
<br />
Still all cooking is a procedure of refinement - I think my first effort failed because I was using a cheap toaster oven with poor temperature control and my second because I'd tried a different proportion of liquid to sugar and the whipped chickpea juice simply couldn't hold the concentration of sugar. The meringues were weeping before they'd had time to set.<br />
<br />
Back in the UK with a better oven, precise scales and a desire to ignore each and every recipe that calls for cups of ingredients the formula seems to have been staring me in the face all along.<br />
<br />
It's not perfect yet. I do so want to understand <i>why</i> the chickpea juice works as it does. It's a property of legume proteins and sugars which could probably be recreated without the need to use a by-product of cooking pulses, even if there is a sort of analogy with the dividing of yolks and whites in the traditional egg based methods. I particularly don't like using liquid from commercially canned goods but have so far found the extra effort of cooking dried chickpeas just for the cooking broth a bit too much for me. Perhaps now I've made something I'm happy with that step won't seem like such wasted effort.<br />
<br />
So without further ado I give the almost 100% perfect method of making vegan meringues. They don't keep very long so make them the day you intend to serve them and keep them very dry in storage.<br />
<br />
100g chickpea cooking liquid (aquafaba). This is about the amount you get drained from a 400g tin of chickpeas.<br />
100g fine granulated sugar. I used caster sugar today but granulated will work.<br />
1tsp vanilla essence.<br />
<br />
Heat the oven to 100C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
Beat the chickpea liquid with an electric rotary whisk, the egg beating attachment of your food processor or (in my rather froopy French processor) the beating plate until it is stiff and shows sharp peaks. This will take some minutes (unless you have the French thing).<br />
<br />
Add the vanilla essence and then little by little the sugar while the machine continues working, pausing between each addition to allow the sugar to be absorbed. It will become glossy but should still be very stiff.<br />
<br />
When all the sugar is added you're done. It tastes good like this as a creamy marshmallow-like topping or it could be used as a meringue layer for a pie; baked in the oven until nicely browned and squidgy inside. For meringues spoon or pipe the mixture in small mounds on the parchment. It doesn't spread far so they can be fairly close together. You should get 14-16 pieces. If you make them too thick they may not set properly and so if you want a large single cake for a pavlova smooth it down so it's not more than 15mm thick.<br />
<br />
Now I really wanted to say "bake for 100 minutes" to complete my 100% theme but the truth is you need to give them at least 150 mins (2.5 hours) at this very gentle temperature to become crisp and fully set. Allow to cool for another 30 minutes in the oven after you turn it off.<br />
<br />
Serve with your favourite toppings.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-68494658156863394602015-09-22T15:17:00.001+01:002015-09-22T15:17:55.215+01:00Moar courgettesThe season is nearly over and the plan hasn't been very well adhered to. Before it's too late here is my truly favourite way to make a courgette edible and fit for friends and that's griddled.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39726416"><img alt="courgettes sliced" nbsp="" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/64/16/39726416.f9dd85a9.500.jpg?r2" title="courgettes sliced" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
It's barely a recipe, cut your courgettes into neat slices however you think is most attractive. Don't use any that are too seedy if looks are important, guests expected or anything like that because they tend to fall apart during cooking but otherwise any courgette that still qualifies for the name and hasn't become a marrow will do nicely.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39726412"><img alt="courgettes on the griddle" height="334" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/64/12/39726412.a6daa03e.500.jpg?r2" title="courgettes on the griddle" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Get the griddle nice and hot and brush a little oil on one side of each courgette slice, which is then placed oil side down on the hot pan. Leave them, probably for several minutes (reduce the heat under the griddle if necessary) until there's a really nice set of toasty lines on a test piece then lightly oil the uncooked sides and turn them over to repeat the cooking on the second side. I told you this was easy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39726410"><img alt="courgettes dressed and ready to go" height="334" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/64/10/39726410.840d3285.500.jpg?r2" title="courgettes dressed and ready to go" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Arrange on your serving dish and dress to taste. A really garlicky lemon dressing is delicious but I made a classic French dressing for these with added grainy mustard. It's your choice.<br />
<br />
I have a couple more courgette recipes waiting around, personal favourites not trials from elsewhere, for soup and a marrow ginger jam but who knows when they'll appear. Bon appetit.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-13514691779807123052015-09-07T11:00:00.000+01:002015-09-07T11:00:02.368+01:00Ketchup catchupI haven't quite finished with courgettes yet, and I'm sure I'll miss them when they're gone but I've been dealing with another rather more welcome glut; of tomatoes. There were several tomato ketchup / sauce recipes on the blog now archived and this one from 2008 is typical of the recipe I've been using this time.<br />
<br />
First published 3/9/2008 A load of balls<br />
==============================================<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/2825625734/" title="balls up by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="balls up" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/2825625734_d3ed0c3148.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Tonight's
dinner was such a failure that I really didn't want to share it but
decided in the interests of painful truth and transparency to admit that
once in a while I make a small error, sometimes, maybe, a bit. <br />
<br />
If
I were to tell you how I made these I'd have to kill you but if you're
determined to have a go set your search engine for Bondas, for it was
these delectable treats I based my disaster upon. My advice? Don't try
to use up leftovers, it'll only end in tears.<br />
<br />
However,
having made my supper I ate it and what made that possible was the
coating of sweet spicy tomato sauce I poured over the deep fried lumps
while they were still hot.<br />
<br />
In fact, I've spent a long
time working on this sauce or ketchup or even, if you like, tomato jam
as part of the autumn task of preserving the tomato crop for winter.<br />
<br />
It's
a lot of work for a scant 800ml* of sauce but the flavour is good. If
you have a lot of tomatoes, or they're cheap at the market give it a go.
You have only most of the day to lose.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sweetly Hot Tomato Ketchup.</span><br />
<br />
2kg tomatoes, green stems and bad parts removed.<br />
25g or so fresh ginger root, grated.<br />
4 or 5 cloves<br />
Cinnamon stick, about 4 cm.<br />
Dried red chillies, to taste. I used three.<br />
4 cloves garlic, crushed.<br />
15g salt<br />
<br />
250g sugar (white is fine)<br />
250ml 6% vinegar (I used a red wine version because I'm in France but white malt would do)<br />
<br />
Put
everything except the sugar and vinegar in a pan, put the lid on and
bring to a simmer over a gentle heat for 45 minutes or so. The tomatoes
will release their juice and cook in it. Allow to cool with the lid on
the pan.<br />
<br />
Run the whole lot through a mouli or food mill
(or press through a fine sieve) to remove the tomato skins, lumpy bits
and spices. You will have a quantity of thin, flavoured tomato juice.<br />
<br />
In
a cleaned pan, put the juice, sugar and vinegar and bring back to
simmer. Stirring frequently, allow to reduce until the spoon leaves a
short lived clean line on the bottom of the pan after a straight stroke.
The sauce should now be about the thickness of ketchup. This may take a
couple of hours or more. If the heat is too high and your attention is
distracted it will probably burn. Bottle into hot sterilised jars and
seal with vinegar proof lids immediately. Should keep for a year but
probably won't as it gets eaten very quickly once opened.<br />
<br />
* It might not have been quite such a meagre yield had I not raided the pan to douse my Bondas, but a girl has to eat.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-22511550197110046582015-08-20T19:22:00.000+01:002015-08-20T19:22:11.125+01:00Nip them in the bud<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39356890"><img alt="open flower" height="334" nbsp="" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/90/39356890.8280b9d4.500.jpg?r2" title="open flower" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
It seems the much revered Nigel Slater has decided to jump on my bandwagon with a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/11/nigel-slater-courgette-cake-with-summer-vegetables-recipe" target="_blank">courgette recipe</a> in the Guardian. I quite like the boy, I've even bought one of his books if only to give away, and although I might give his effort a try, for me it falls into the category of why bother. Like all recipes where a bit of courgette is added to a winning recipe be it brownies, pasta sauce or in this case latkes and found to be good one wonders how much better the dish would be <i>/without/</i> the courgette.<br />
<br />
No, I've decided the only way to tackle the green menace (or yellow if you're fancy) is to catch them young, tie them in a bag filled with rocks and throw them .... no, no, no. Is to catch them young and cook them while they're small, tender and you can use up whole handfuls of them in one meal.<br />
<br />
Stuffed courgette flowers, with or without a baby courgette attached are actually considered rather desirable, posh food for guests, worth going to a restaurant to enjoy without having the bother of making your own. And they're a delicacy easy to obtain from your own garden.<br />
<br />
Pick the whole thing, fruit and flower (you can take fresh male flowers too, it's all good) as the flowers open so gloriously for the first time. Best picked just before use but if the weather is warm and they're needed for the evening pick them early and keep in the cool until you're ready.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39356878"><img alt="before stuffing" height="334" nbsp="" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/78/39356878.d64ccd2e.500.jpg?r2" title="before stuffing" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
They shouldn't need much cleaning, shake out any insects and wipe the courgette part with a bit of damp kitchen towel. Carefully remove the style - the sticky up bit in the middle of the flower - which is easiest by nipping it out between finger and thumb but by all means use scissors or a sharp knife if you prefer. Try to keep the petals as unbroken as possible.<br />
<br />
It's not necessary to slice and fan the baby fruit as I have done in the picture but it was once done like that for me when I had them in a fashionable restaurant at an impressionable age and so I always do them that way. It has some merit, allowing the vegetable to cook through more quickly.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39356900"><img alt="tempura prepped" height="333" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/69/00/39356900.01260c03.500.jpg?r2" title="tempura prepped" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
As a starter or light snack you'd only need a couple per person and since they're deep fried it's probably better to do just that but I don't get the fryer out very often when I'm home alone and decided to indulge myself completely. In the picture then a couple of field mushrooms picked from the lawn, some entirely without heat chillies which are excellent for wimps like me and some pickles. I blame the Americans for that.<br />
<br />
You don't have to stuff the flowers although it's often done; usually with a ricotta based stuffing. Make your favourite vegan alternative from commercial products or cashews or go off-piste as I did with an ad-hoc (this is a very verbose post!) mixture of what have you. I had some cooked green beans cut small with some grated vegan cheesley and some finely chopped sage bound with a little soya yoghurt. Seasoned with plenty of pepper it worked much better than I expected.<br />
<br />
Fill the flowers carefully with a teaspoonful or two of your mixture and gently twist the ends of the petals closed around the stuffing. Don't overfill.<br />
<br />
Make a batter to taste. I would recommend the sort of Japanese tempura batter made with rice flour and chilled sparkling water with a few crushed rice noodles stirred through but I only had brown flour and beer lightened with a little gram flour (besan) and made quite thin.<br />
<br />
Heat your oil to a medium heat so that the vegetables will cook before the batter burns, dip your veg. into the batter, swirl to coat and allow the excess to drip off before settling them in the oil and frying until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil, drain briefly on kitchen paper and serve immediately. All that greasy goodness will need a dipping sauce, chutney or some nice fresh salsa with it.<br />
<br />
That's the way to do it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39356876"><img alt="fried" height="334" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/68/76/39356876.f30e031f.500.jpg?r2" title="fried" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-56592250285888866362015-08-05T15:16:00.002+01:002015-08-05T15:20:53.358+01:00Spiraliser<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39160754"><img alt="the elephant" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/54/39160754.591d0372.500.jpg?r2" height="267" title="the elephant" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
The project could be going better. These are just a few of the ones that got away, the elephants in the room which I can't bear to acknowledge, without dissimulation, the marrows.<br />
<br />
Today I decided to attack the problem with sharp blades. You'll see a lot of courgette noodles or spaghetti on the internets. They are the darling of raw foodies, dieters and those utterly weird people pursuing the paleo diet. How anyone could imagine that hunter gatherers had time to turn their veg into shreds confuses me but I don't have to worry about that because I am of the modern age and the modern age has spiralisers.<br />
<br />
Even so, I have a bit of a problem with raw courgette - there's something about them that my insides just don't like and it's rare to find a recipe that will allow me to eat them with equanimity. So I chose a sauce that would, like the lime juice on ceviche, provide a gentle modification to them similar to cooking.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39160758"><img alt="courgettes and sauce" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/58/39160758.ec3af0e0.500.jpg?r2" height="267" title="courgettes and sauce" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
A single eight incher (that's about 20cm) if you'll pardon the expression was enough for the two of us. If you don't have a spiraliser you're probably stuffed for this recipe but desperation and a sharp peeler might do the business adequately.<br />
<br />
The sauce is a very loose interpretation of a saté sauce, made with peanut butter, tomato passata and a little chilli oil, ginger and garlic but worked well to mask the courgette flavour. On the other hand my companion, the erstwhile Mr. Stripey, claimed to quite like the subtle and complex flavours of the raw vegetable although it didn't stop him finishing the sauce with a spoon.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/39160756"><img alt="inna bowl" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/07/56/39160756.0bc5a184.500.jpg?r2" height="267" title="inna bowl" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Serve with bread and a fizzy wine for the full Normandy experience. I'd do it again but not soon.<br />
<br />
For:<br />
1 20cm courgette, spiralised or shredded finely<br />
<br />
Sauce:<br />
1 tablespoon of peanut butter<br />
1 tsp grated ginger<br />
1 small clove of garlic, crushed finely<br />
1 tbs. wine vinegar<br />
Juice of half a lemon<br />
Splash of toasted sesame oil<br />
Smaller splash of chilli oil (or to taste)<br />
100g good passata<br />
Salt as needed.<br />
<br />
Mix everything for the sauce except passata and salt together until it is smooth, then add tomatoes, mix well and salt to taste.<br />
<br />
Combine sauce and courgettes at the table or the courgette will release moisture and make the sauce too wet.<br />
<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-78201258110259677832015-07-25T16:08:00.000+01:002015-07-25T16:08:26.879+01:00Utterly Simple PieYou'd think that having some visitors would help control the courgette mountain but the Stripey kittens, for it was they, are not huge fans of the vegetable. The boy kitten went so far as to say he hated the wretched things and would not eat them.<br />
<br />
I ignored that and made this regardless. We had the extra benefits of a greater variety of herbs to flavour it and hunger being a fine sauce for appetite it was all eaten up, even by the courgette hater. Simpler really is best.<br />
<br />
<br />
First published in August 2009 Something for the Courgettes<br />
============================================<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/penguinbush/3801934430/" title="Courgette Cottage Pie by penguinbush, on Flickr"><img alt="plated pie" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3803763402_b5206f3341.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
This year, I thought cleverly, I'll only have one courgette plant. That way they will never overwhelm me. How stupid was that! Even with two of us here we are slowly being taken over by sinister cucurbits. Last night it was time to take action.<br />
<br />
They make an easy and light family meal if you slice them thinly, sweat down with an onion and herbs until softened and toss in a handful of chopped fresh tomatoes or mushrooms, whatever you have.<br />
<br />
Put them into an ovenproof dish and top with mashed potato. Cover the mash with grated vegan cheese, breadcrumbs, crushed nuts or nutritional yeast, any, all or a mix of what you fancy and a drizzle of oil. Then cook in the middle of a hot oven until golden and fragrant.<br />
<br />
Serve with green beans (thistle fluff optional!) and a nice Chablis.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-17364428527399980022015-07-25T15:56:00.001+01:002021-08-07T11:28:27.878+01:00Something for the Courgettes<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/penguinbush/3801934430/" title="Courgette Cottage Pie by penguinbush, on Flickr"><img alt="plated pie" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3803763402_b5206f3341.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
This year, I thought cleverly, I'll only have one courgette plant. That way they will never overwhelm me. How stupid was that! Even with two of us here we are slowly being taken over by sinister cucurbits. Last night it was time to take action.<br />
<br />
They make an easy and light family meal if you slice them thinly, sweat down with an onion and herbs until softened and toss in a handful of chopped fresh tomatoes or mushrooms, whatever you have.<br />
<br />
Put them into an ovenproof dish and top with mashed potato. Cover the mash with grated vegan cheese, breadcrumbs, crushed nuts or nutritional yeast, any, all or a mix of what you fancy and a drizzle of oil. Then cook in the middle of a hot oven until golden and fragrant.<br />
<br />
Serve with green beans (thistle fluff optional!) and a nice Chablis.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-85651857938284611932015-07-19T13:19:00.002+01:002015-07-19T13:23:32.359+01:00Middle Eastern Style Courgette DipA mere 24 hours later and I emerge sweaty and exhausted from a tussle with the killer cucurbit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38958864"><img alt="steaming courgettes" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/88/64/38958864.6978286a.500.jpg?r2" height="333" title="steaming courgettes" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
A courgette dip or spread seems like a practical use for the monsters, at home on a mezze table or as a filling for sandwiches and I've collected a few versions of recipes for this over the years.<br />
<br />
The simplest form is just to use the courgettes in place of the chickpeas in hummus bi tahini, more popularly known as Hummus or Chickpea dip and widely available in various ghastly spritzed up versions all over the world. Call me old fashioned but the simple original is best for chickpeas, courgettes may need a little more help. <br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
750g courgettes, peeled or not, your choice. I liked the extra sprinkles of green produced by leaving it on.<br />
50g tahini (or in my case, smooth peanut butter, I'm sure tahini would be better)<br />
Juice of 1 lemon<br />
1 large clove of garlic, mashed<br />
Green chilli to taste (French chillies are very mild)<br />
Pinch of cumin seeds<br />
Salt to taste <br />
Olive oil, chilli flakes, onion rings to garnish. <br />
<br />
Method:<br />
Chop the courgettes into chunks and place in a steamer. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes until they are softened and pierce easily with a knife. Leave to drain and cool.<br />
<br />
Throw the flavouring ingredients into the food processor. It helps to mash down the garlic with the salt first to avoid lumps later. Feel free to add more garlic if that's your thing.<br />
<br />
Add the cooled courgettes to the processor bowl and process until your preferred texture is achieved. I left mine a little less than perfectly smooth for interest. To be honest despite cooking by steaming the courgettes were still a bit wet. You might usefully squeeze the moisture from them before processing to make a thicker more pleasing dip.<br />
<br />
Test for seasoning, adjust as necessary (more salt, more lemon perhaps) and spread into a wide bowl. Drizzle olive oil on the surface and sprinkle chilli flakes and fine onion rings attractively. I used some chilli oil which worked well.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38958862"><img alt="m'tabbal koosa" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/88/62/38958862.81c88ab7.500.jpg?r2" height="295" title="m'tabbal koosa" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
It's quite nice. Trouble is this made shedloads, at least six times the amount in the picture and you'd need a whole party to dispose of it.<br />
<br />
Ideas to consider for next time, if there is one. Char grill the courgettes before blending and consider using a touch of mint in the flavourings, I think that might add a cool note that would give it a bit of distinction.<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-64625688464306215072015-07-18T10:48:00.001+01:002015-07-18T10:48:53.801+01:00Summer of Doom<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38948280"><img alt="courgettes" nbsp="" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/82/80/38948280.683c923e.500.jpg?r2" title="courgettes" width="450" /></a><br />
<br />
It's barely started and already the courgettes (or zucchini if you must ) are beginning to overwhelm. Each year I gather more recipes designed to handle the glut and each year I fail to try them, leading to a compost bin laden with food waste. Yes, I am to blame for all that.<br />
<br />
So this year, for the benefit of all, I thought I'd do a season of courgette recipes. Even so I don't suppose for one minute I'll be able to <i>eat</i> all results but I'll have a better idea about what might work for company.<br />
<br />
I'm heading into the kitchen today get started on this. Back soon.<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-49237244299734184142015-06-08T10:59:00.000+01:002015-06-08T10:59:07.610+01:00Banana Bread revisitedI forgot a bunch of bananas this week so had need of my banana bread recipe and went back into the archive to retrieve it. Originally posted July 2010 it's definitely worth coming back to again and again.<br />
<br />
============================================<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/4774078782/" title="banana oat bread by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="banana oat bread" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4774078782_77b13d43a2.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Remember all those <a href="http://thecatofstripes.blogspot.com/2010/07/smashing-radishes.html">bananas I bought at a bargain</a>
price the other day. I've made six loaves of this bread from them since
then, using 18+ bananas and there are still bananas in the freezer and
all the fruits that were eaten by guests in the interim. Didn't we do
well?<br />
<br />
This bread isn't a world shattering revelation of
a recipe but it's tremendously popular - which is just as well, really.
The method is simple and the basic bread would lend itself to all sorts
of innovative additions if you had a mind to it although the novelty of
the basic banana flavoured loaf hasn't worn off yet in this house.<br />
<br />
It's also packed full of oats which render it positively healthy as a food. What are you waiting for - make it now!<br />
<br />
You will need:<br />
<br />
290g flour - I have used plain white and a fine wholemeal, both work<br />
100g granulated sugar - white, brown, Demarara or muscovado, your choice<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
11g baking powder, see method <br />
150g rolled oats<br />
3 ripe bananas (or 4, see method)<br />
125ml non-dairy milk (or water)<br />
25ml light flavoured vegetable oil<br />
<br />
1 9x5 (2lb) loaf shaped baking tin<br />
<br />
Mix
together all the dry ingredients. The oats I've been using are jumbo
oats but Quaker porridge oats would also work. Don't use instant
porridge powder because I think it would be horrible.<br />
<br />
100g of sugar is plenty in my opinion but you can bump it up to 125g if you have a sweet tooth.<br />
<br />
Salt is always optional.<br />
<br />
Baking
powder - people get so worked up about their raising agents. In France
levure chimique is sold in little sachets containing 11g. This is plenty
to raise this loaf. If you don't have a sachet, two flat teaspoons of
baking powder is sufficient. If you don't have baking powder then mix
together 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) with 2
teaspoons of cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), use 2 teaspoons of
this in your loaf and throw the other one away! Simple, non?<br />
<br />
In
another bowl mash the bananas until gloopy. Mr. Stripey likes to find
bits of actual banana in his bread and this is what the fourth banana is
for. Don't mash it, add it in little bits just before the batter goes
into the tin.<br />
<br />
Add the milk (or water, nobody ever died
from using water instead of soy milk in banana bread) and oil to the
banana mush and stir together. Then add the whole lot to the dry
ingredients and mix well to combine. It should make a nice wet batter,
add a very little extra water if you feel the mix is too stiff.<br />
<br />
I line my tin with a piece of baking paper, just the long sides and bottom but you can grease the tin if you prefer.<br />
<br />
Put
the batter into the tin, rap the filled container on the work surface
to settle the mix and bake in a medium hot oven, about 180C for 50
minutes to an hour. I'm sorry that's a bit vague but the oven here isn't
exactly temperature controlled. Test your loaf after 50 minutes with a
skewer and if it comes out a bit wet with uncooked batter be prepared to
give it the full hour.<br />
<br />
After cooking, allow to cool in
the tin for 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. It doesn't
cut well warm but is nicest fresh from the oven. If you keep it in a
sealed container or plastic bag it will slice more cleanly on the second
day but the slices are still a bit crumbly. This hardly matters as
you'll need to break it into pieces to cram it into your mouth.<br />
<br />
Served with apricot jam and <a href="http://thecatofstripes.blogspot.com/2008/05/icecream-and-oranges.html">banana icecream</a> it's a pretty good pudding too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/4774078422/" title="banana bread with banana ice by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="banana bread with banana ice" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4774078422_46bbfa194f.jpg" width="400" /></a>Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-8453136245877582072015-06-08T10:50:00.000+01:002021-08-07T11:28:27.691+01:00Banana Oat Bread<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/4774078782/" title="banana oat bread by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="banana oat bread" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4774078782_77b13d43a2.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Remember all those <a href="http://thecatofstripes.blogspot.com/2010/07/smashing-radishes.html">bananas I bought at a bargain</a> price the other day. I've made six loaves of this bread from them since then, using 18+ bananas and there are still bananas in the freezer and all the fruits that were eaten by guests in the interim. Didn't we do well?<br />
<br />
This bread isn't a world shattering revelation of a recipe but it's tremendously popular - which is just as well, really. The method is simple and the basic bread would lend itself to all sorts of innovative additions if you had a mind to it although the novelty of the basic banana flavoured loaf hasn't worn off yet in this house.<br />
<br />
It's also packed full of oats which render it positively healthy as a food. What are you waiting for - make it now!<br />
<br />
You will need:<br />
<br />
290g flour - I have used plain white and a fine wholemeal, both work<br />
100g granulated sugar - white, brown, Demarara or muscovado, your choice<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
11g baking powder, see method <br />
150g rolled oats<br />
3 ripe bananas (or 4, see method)<br />
125ml non-dairy milk (or water)<br />
25ml light flavoured vegetable oil<br />
<br />
1 9x5 (2lb) loaf shaped baking tin<br />
<br />
Mix together all the dry ingredients. The oats I've been using are jumbo oats but Quaker porridge oats would also work. Don't use instant porridge powder because I think it would be horrible.<br />
<br />
100g of sugar is plenty in my opinion but you can bump it up to 125g if you have a sweet tooth.<br />
<br />
Salt is always optional.<br />
<br />
Baking powder - people get so worked up about their raising agents. In France levure chimique is sold in little sachets containing 11g. This is plenty to raise this loaf. If you don't have a sachet, two flat teaspoons of baking powder is sufficient. If you don't have baking powder then mix together 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) with 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), use 2 teaspoons of this in your loaf and throw the other one away! Simple, non?<br />
<br />
In another bowl mash the bananas until gloopy. Mr. Stripey likes to find bits of actual banana in his bread and this is what the fourth banana is for. Don't mash it, add it in little bits just before the batter goes into the tin.<br />
<br />
Add the milk (or water, nobody ever died from using water instead of soy milk in banana bread) and oil to the banana mush and stir together. Then add the whole lot to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. It should make a nice wet batter, add a very little extra water if you feel the mix is too stiff.<br />
<br />
I line my tin with a piece of baking paper, just the long sides and bottom but you can grease the tin if you prefer.<br />
<br />
Put the batter into the tin, rap the filled container on the work surface to settle the mix and bake in a medium hot oven, about 180C for 50 minutes to an hour. I'm sorry that's a bit vague but the oven here isn't exactly temperature controlled. Test your loaf after 50 minutes with a skewer and if it comes out a bit wet with uncooked batter be prepared to give it the full hour.<br />
<br />
After cooking, allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. It doesn't cut well warm but is nicest fresh from the oven. If you keep it in a sealed container or plastic bag it will slice more cleanly on the second day but the slices are still a bit crumbly. This hardly matters as you'll need to break it into pieces to cram it into your mouth.<br />
<br />
Served with apricot jam and <a href="http://thecatofstripes.blogspot.com/2008/05/icecream-and-oranges.html">banana icecream</a> it's a pretty good pudding too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/4774078422/" title="banana bread with banana ice by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="banana bread with banana ice" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4774078422_46bbfa194f.jpg" width="400" /></a>Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-80963252626547363792015-05-18T10:39:00.002+01:002021-08-07T11:28:30.467+01:00Chickpea meringue<span class="st"><a href="http://www.vegancookery.net/p/about.html" target="_blank"><em>Goose Wohlt</em></a> experimenter, engineer, and food lover from </span><span class="st"><span class="locality">Muncie, Indiana</span>, US, is credited with vegan meringue but he got the idea from </span><br />The fuel for the aquafaba revolution came out of France with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIlp_FUINZI" target="_blank">Le Défi FUDA chickpea challenge video</a> that brought into the light <a href="http://www.revolutionvegetale.com/en/" target="_blank">Joël Roessel's</a> 2014 discovery of the foaming action of chickpea liquid. from <a href="http://aquafaba.com/history.html" target="_blank">Aquafaba site</a>Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-20549179345360856952015-05-14T14:09:00.000+01:002015-05-14T14:09:19.085+01:00Cooking in a chimineaThis is a rather picture heavy and recipe short post. For Christmas I was given (from my wish list) a cast iron chiminea; I envisaged it providing a welcome shot of heat on those wonderful summer evenings when it's too nice to go indoors but the sun has been down a touch too long for comfort. Like any new toy it has both foibles and features.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141550"><img alt="chiminea and wood" height="400" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/50/38141550.f5069d5b.500.jpg?r2" title="chiminea and wood" width="324" /></a> <br />
<br />
The drawbacks have been mostly mechanical, the fire grate bars are too widely spaced and allow many of the smaller embers to fall through before they're done, the mechanism for controlling air flow seems to be purely decorative and like most fires nearly all the real heat is lost up the chimney. It doesn't like damp wood, or large wood, or natural charcoal because the small irregular bits fall straight into the ash but when it's happy it does burn quite well.<br />
<br />
The feature, that I didn't think we'd ever want to use, is a cooking surface, made of iron that swivels on a pin in and out of the firebox. It didn't seem a practical way to cook for a barbecue where it's traditional to cook vast quantities of food for serving to a crowd but with a change of focus I realised that for two of us it was perfectly adequate and much nicer in a way, cooking together at the side of the dining area instead of having one person on constant duty at the roaring barbie.<br />
<br />
So I planned a tasting menu, several small plates each cooked with different implements to test as many chiminea cooking possibilities as I could in one meal.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141548"><img alt="aspargus parcel on fire" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/48/38141548.6a7c8b56.500.jpg?r2" title="aspargus parcel on fire" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
It's quite difficult to keep a steady heat going, charcoal might be easier but we need to get some briquettes or change the grate for one with narrower spaces. Paul had to chop more wood twice during the meal as the small pieces burned up so quickly. A double wrap of foil helped protect this asparagus in vegan spread and balsamic vinegar from burning before it was cooked.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141546"><img alt="cooked asparagus" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/46/38141546.03348a78.500.jpg?r2" title="cooked asparagus" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
This was the last asparagus we can take from the garden this year, it was delicious.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141542"><img alt="skwered mushrooms" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/42/38141542.07316aa7.500.jpg?r2" title="skwered mushrooms" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Mushrooms on skewers were next. The blackened leaves are mint that in the end didn't contribute much but the mushrooms were tender and not too sooty.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141538"><img alt="mushrooms in sauce" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/38/38141538.2b8db8db.500.jpg?r2" title="mushrooms in sauce" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
They were served with a peanutty saté sauce.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141536"><img alt="onions with oil and balsamic" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/36/38141536.74f44208.500.jpg?r2" title="onions with oil and balsamic" width="400" /></a> <br />
<br />
Skewered onions didn't work quite as well as I hoped. I was trying to recreate a dish we'd had in a Turkish restaurant in Bedford but a more concentrated heat is probably needed to caramelise the onion petals and oil and balsamic vinegar not a very good substitute for pomegranate syrup which isn't readily available in deepest Normandy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141522"><img alt="Aubergine in a cage" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/22/38141522.ad91716a.500.jpg?r2" title="Aubergine in a cage" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Aubergine steaks in the cage. They were marinated in kimchi juices and scored before cooking.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141518"><img alt="Aubergine served" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/18/38141518.8f78275a.500.jpg?r2" title="Aubergine served" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Served with chopped kimchi and a borage flower. I liked this but it wasn't quite right and again cooking the vegetable all the way through without burning the outside was difficult.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141534"><img alt="sausage and potato in a de buyer pan" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/34/38141534.6d6f029c.500.jpg?r2" title="sausage and potato in a de buyer pan" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
A sort of campfire sausage and potato fry up came next. The potatoes were parboiled and sausages a couple of the home made gluten sausages in the previous post rescued from the freezer. My excellent little de Buyer cast iron pan (another Christmas present) fits nicely but always remember to have an oven glove handy when cooking in iron over an open fire.<br />
<br />
It was served with a rhubarb tzatziki that wasn't photographed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/38141510"><img alt="bananas in their skins" height="267" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/15/10/38141510.0a5eadc4.500.jpg?r2" title="bananas in their skins" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
The traditional end to many barbecues, bananas in their skins straight over the fire. We ate these with a brandy infused syrup. <br />
<br />
Although the preparation was just as intense as any ordinary barbie the actual cooking and eating experience was much more laid back with only the need to photograph adding complications. Worth doing again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-21772745118744151192015-04-30T13:21:00.001+01:002015-04-30T13:22:43.491+01:00Sausage inna bun<a href="http://www.ipernity.com/doc/19781/37939196"><img alt="sausage inna bun" src="http://cdn.ipernity.com/200/91/96/37939196.68af0c1d.500.jpg?r2" height="267" title="sausage inna bun" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Made some gluten sausages this morning from the excellent <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2012/01/vegan_sausage/" target="_blank">PPK recipe</a> except I substituted the beans with some leftover Mexican style rice from my dinner last night and the fennel seeds (which are a truly excellent and inspired flavouring) with some more cumin and rosemary as my fennel had gone mouldy. Yes, it's hard being a food snob in rural Normandy. I also made the mix into eight smaller sausages because I find solid gluten a bit intimidating in quantity and only take lonely solo meals. If you don't have white beans or leftovers you can also use chickpeas or even frozen green peas instead. I know this, because I've done it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it all worked beautifully and my split sausage filled a quarter baguette nicely. Cheers.<br />
<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-64716183533405142182015-03-01T13:58:00.003+00:002015-03-01T14:00:20.744+00:00Oranges of Seville (revisited)<br />
A trip to the garden centre today turned up some end of season Seville Oranges. They looked in good order so we bought some and I'll be making marmalade this year after all. Here's the recipe I always use, as excellent now as it ever was.<br />
<br />
<br />
=========== First published Jan 2008 ============= <br />
<br />
Marmalade is a peculiarly British thing. The French have an orange jam but it's nothing like the robust, slightly bitter, jellied spread that Brits adore with their breakfast toast.<br />
<br />
January is the month of Seville oranges and, since due to an oversight, I'm in the UK at the moment I'm not sure if they're in the French shops or not but here, we made a special trip to a local supplier to secure our stocks for this year's marmalade.<br />
<br />
The method I've used for longer than I care to remember is an adaption of a recipe from Farmhouse Cooking, a book of the TV series from way back in the 1970s. I looked it up again as research for this post and was surprised to discover just how far I've deviated over the years. The original recipe calls for a pressure cooker which I don't have and 50% more sugar than I use. Still, the reason I started using it was because the fruit is cooked whole, which in my opinion is a really sensible way to go about it, preserving all the juice and making slicing the peel into shreds easy peasy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/2197435134/" title="peels by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="peels" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2197435134_58cdf59811_m.jpg" width="198" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/2196646557/" title="boils by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="boils" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/2196646557_c02097cb7f_m.jpg" width="198" /></a><br />
<br />
So for 7 or so jars of marmalade you'll need about 7 Seville oranges, a lemon, 1.7 litres water (that's three pints!) and 2kg sugar.<br />
<br />
You'd be hard put to find a recipe for marmalade that doesn't include a lemon. It's really not necessary if you've got proper bitter Sevilles but I've decided I quite like the lift a small amount of lemon peel gives to the finished product so if I have one handy then I usually include it. The total weight of fruit I used was 1.2 kg.<br />
<br />
Scrub the fruit really well, especially around the stem end, then put it into a really big saucepan (I make jam in a 9 litre pan) with the measured water. You should have just enough water to submerge the fruit although as it tends to float it won't look as if it's enough. Bring to a simmer and cooked, covered, for about 45 minutes or until the fruit is completely soft. If you have a pressure cooker and you want to do it that way then reduce the water by a tad, and cook for 20 minutes at 15 pounds.<br />
<br />
Remove the fruit from the hot liquid keeping the water in the pan, drain (reserve the drips and return to the pan) and allow to cool for a while. The next stage can be done while the oranges are hot but it's dangerous work. A hour's cooling should be sufficient but you can leave them overnight if necessary.<br />
<br />
Cut the fruit in half and scoop out all the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Put the scooped out bits back into the saucepan with the reserved liquid. Bring this back to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes while you chop the peels as you prefer. I usually do long thick shreds but you can cut it as thick or thin as you like. A cross cut to bring the shreds into cubes can be good and makes spooning the marmalade out of the jar and spreading a bit easier.<br />
<br />
When the pot of water and seeds has had its simmer, strain the whole lot through a nylon sieve or jelly bag to remove the seeds. You can rub the pulp through to collect all the orange flesh you like although for a sparkly clear marmalade you shouldn't really squeeze too hard. You should be left with a couple of pints of richly orange flavoured and pectinated liquid. <br />
<br />
Put the liquid and the sugar back into the pan and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Then add in the peel and over a gentle heat bring everything back to a boil stirring continuously as you do.<br />
<br />
Boil hard for 10 minutes, you shouldn't need more time than that and test for a set on a cold plate. Remove from the heat and divide into your sterile warmed jars. A jam funnel is really useful because of the shreds of peel which can be wayward about going into their pots. Use a ladle and fill all the jars one ladle at a time, this gives the preserve time to cool and stops all the peel rising to the top as it sets. Seal while hot.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/2196647065/" title="spreads by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="spreads" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/2196647065_424ddc1e5f.jpg?v=0" width="400" /></a>Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-90360684431365618512014-09-14T09:43:00.000+01:002021-08-07T11:21:08.629+01:00The edge<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/3785638616/" title="fermenting cucumbers by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="fermenting cucumbers" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3785638616_d0166537aa_b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
The harvest is really picking up now. This year I'm growing pickling cucumbers. Our usual recipe makes a very strong pickle, sharp with vinegar. It's easy, robust and long lasting but it does make your mouth pucker up. Even if it's in a good way, these very piquant pickles are limited in their uses and not for everyone.<br />
<br />
The answer is to make the sort of pickles known as the half sour. These are fermented in brine and their own juices producing a lactic acid cured pickle that is sour without the vinegar strength of brewed condiment. However, making these old fashioned fermented pickles isn't without its difficulties. I've shied away from them in the past because I don't want to die of botulism or have to throw out tubs of foul and rotting vegetables when something goes wrong. Chiding myself for being a wimp, this year I've taken our lives in my hands and made some anyway.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of recipes in books and on the web. With the best of my understanding of the science behind it all this is the trial recipe I've made for our first couple of litres of dill cucumbers.<br />
<br />
1 litre water<br />
50g sel de guerande<br />
60ml cider vinegar 5%<br />
1 head dill<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
1 grape leaf<br />
grind of mixed pepper and coriander.<br />
Enough small (about 10cm long) pickling cucumbers to fill the jar.<br />
(large ones can be cut into spears if needed)<br />
<br />
Make a brine by mixing the cold water with the salt and vinegar. These proportions are quite important, the salt and vinegar work together to allow the beneficial bacteria to reproduce whilst inhibiting the undesirables. The grape leaf also has its part to play in this so include 1 or 2 per litre of brine if you can.<br />
<br />
Clean cucumbers thoroughly, paying particular attention to the flower end. Trim a tiny sliver from where the flower was. This is because the enzyme which causes the fruit to decay is in its highest concentration at this point. If you have some bigger fruit divide into smaller sections so that the length and thickness of all the pieces is similar. This makes sure that everything will pickle through at about the same time. <br />
<br />
Pack cukes into a 2 litre jar, no rubber ring, interspersing with the leaves and spices. Then fill up with brine. Reserve spare brine for topping up. Close lid and set to ferment. Do not seal the jar. It's important that air can get in. A sealed jar may explode and/or encourage the formation of unpleasant things like botulism spores. You really don't want that. <br />
<br />
To hold the cucumbers under the liquid improvise a glass jar or small plate as a weight or use a strong plastic bag filled with brine at the same concentration and sealed as a bung.<br />
<br />
Sit the jar in a plastic container in case of spills. After two or three days at room temperature small bubbles will start to form, the liquid will become cloudy and the cucumbers will change to an olive green. Expect to have to clean scum from the top of the jar and from around the weight each day. It's a bit gross but as long as the cucumbers are beneath the brine and nothing starts to smell unpleasant all is well. Add some of your reserved brine as necessary to keep the jar full of liquid.<br />
<br />
After five days to a week the pickles will be cured right the way through and if you cut one open there will be no white or 'unpickled' parts visible. You can eat it now!<br />
<br />
Clean up the jar, top up again with more brine if necessary and store without air tight sealing in the fridge. The pickles will be at their best after about 10 days and should be finished up within the month. If you want longer keepers it is possible to heat treat them but I'm not the woman to ask about that.<br />
<br />
I do find this quite scary but the actual pickles are very nice to eat and I'll be continuing to experiment throughout the summer.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-8253444952471876712014-07-07T13:41:00.000+01:002014-07-07T13:45:23.405+01:00Jam<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/14572412896" title="mahonia berries by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="mahonia berries" height="267" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3853/14572412896_c95d8d5820.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Time was I would have placed this recipe on <a href="http://www.catstripe.co.uk/" target="_blank">the other blog</a> as although the fruit isn't foraged it's not the sort of thing you'd be likely to obtain on any market. However, entries here are a bit sparse and to be honest this is some of the closest I've come to real cooking for quite a while so here it stays.<br />
<br />
This year a shrub in my garden has had an excellent crop of berries. The plant is <a href="http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/98703/Oregon-grape-Charity/Details" target="_blank">Mahonia x media Charity</a> which is sometimes known as the Oregon grape. I prefer not to use that name as the parents of this plant originated between China and Burma and have no relation to Oregon at all. The true Oregan grape is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahonia_aquifolium" target="_blank">Mahonia aquifolium</a> and for the purposes of the recipe there is very little difference in the two plants for fruit, I'm just a pedant.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the flowers come out in the autumn and any fruit set is mostly lost over the winter. This year it was a very mild winter and there are lots and lots of these racemes of little purple berries covered in a waxy white bloom that leaves them looking rather ethereal, or a bit like grapes if you're more prosaic. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/14408845348" title="fruit and sugar by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="fruit and sugar" height="267" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/14408845348_3e6e7ec90f.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Of course, the rain was tipping down when I decided to harvest some and so I took a bare minimum before giving up the battle. The picture at the top shows, I think, on mature reflection, about 600g (1.3 lb) but I didn't weigh them.<br />
<br />
Rinse the fruit. Strip the berries off the little stalks, I used a fork as you might for red currants and place in a large stainless steel saucepan with just enough water to reach the top of the berries, no need to make them float.<br />
<br />
Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until soft. Now you have a choice; my original plan was to make a jelly and I still think this is a good idea as the colour is lovely and it would be a fine product but (and this was my mistake I'm hoping you'll learn from) after carefully mashing and straining the fruit to collect clear juice I looked at the luscious pulp, had a taste and decided the seeds weren't too bad really and the waste of the fruit criminal so I mixed them back together again and went for jam.<br />
<br />
There is a third way which is rub the whole lot through a mouli or sieve which would homogenize everything and remove the seeds but I didn't do that.<br />
<br />
Add sugar, 800g per litre of pulp+juice (1lb per pint (20 fl.oz.)) and stir until fully dissolved. Bring to a fierce boil and cook for 10 minutes or so. There is loads of pectin in these babies so a set is guaranteed without stress. You could play with that ratio and drop the sugar content a bit if liked. The jam might not keep as long but there are other benefits, like being to eat more of it at a sitting.<br />
<br />
Because of the change of plan from jelly to jam I'd not prepared enough clean jam jars to take the considerable yield of conserve. Don't be me, for that much fruit you'll need about five 400g/1 lb jars.<br />
<br />
So what does it taste like? Fruity, very pleasant and rich but not distinctively enough for instant identification. Given the excellent set and subtle flavour it might be useful to add a handful of these to other lower pectin fruits like strawberries to improve their texture.<br />
<br />
<b>Mahonia Berry Jam</b><br />
-----------<br />
600g Mahonia berries, stripped from their stalks<br />
1kg sugar<br />
<br />
Large preserving pan (needs to be big as jam boils up high)<br />
5 x jam jars, sterilised with clean good lids<br />
-----------<br />
Put the berries in the pan with enough water to just cover them. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft.<br />
<br />
If making jelly strain the pulp through a jelly bag, discard the fruit detritus and measure the juice (you'll have about 700ml for this quantity)<br />
<br />
If making jam, measure the pulp and all its liquid. This was about 1400ml for me.<br />
<br />
Add sugar in ratio 4 parts sugar to 5 parts fruit (therefore 560g sugar for jelly, 1100g sugar for jam)<br />
<br />
Stir to dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat, bring to a full boil and cook, stirring carefully and occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Test for setting and boil a little longer if needed (but I very much doubt you'll need to). Divide into the jars and seal immediately. Provided the seal is good these will keep a year or more without further processing.<br />
-----------<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/14409025927" title="jam on bread by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="jam on bread" height="267" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3916/14409025927_7d7a9b2a06.jpg" width="400" /></a>Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-72236089552586588562014-05-01T14:19:00.001+01:002014-05-01T14:19:29.287+01:00A load of puff.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWriXos-ObXCA1v-P8jKXjVTnyW4Uw_NQJpUadzA-GyEYr1dYAkhqx9xxT11ZtnwKJENv22d6T5mU30uEaxfFz6TegZ1TkOvDgLT7ROqsN4MN4OMpSgoHs4aNnTX6bJQco7Mx/s1600/chickpea+and+mushroom+pat%C3%A9+puffs.jpg" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWriXos-ObXCA1v-P8jKXjVTnyW4Uw_NQJpUadzA-GyEYr1dYAkhqx9xxT11ZtnwKJENv22d6T5mU30uEaxfFz6TegZ1TkOvDgLT7ROqsN4MN4OMpSgoHs4aNnTX6bJQco7Mx/s1600/chickpea+and+mushroom+pat%C3%A9+puffs.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-51340105409671159352014-03-04T11:07:00.001+00:002021-08-07T11:28:28.353+01:00Lunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5om13DuN5ez2ft4U7AIS3zlkV0VFvk3T9lIrH1O5ckIMJv-i83dM8j0cGakpR0y-Bo5cyAn0TIR8Di_IU4ekPWvxlgd6EnfiHWXHqHu6XFtcfksBHsRUbtck-CEE7fdsGH3FV/s1600/lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5om13DuN5ez2ft4U7AIS3zlkV0VFvk3T9lIrH1O5ckIMJv-i83dM8j0cGakpR0y-Bo5cyAn0TIR8Di_IU4ekPWvxlgd6EnfiHWXHqHu6XFtcfksBHsRUbtck-CEE7fdsGH3FV/s1600/lunch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Avocado on home made sourdough bread. Just a spritz of cider vinegar and a little salt.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-86271275160473673342014-03-04T11:07:00.000+00:002014-03-04T11:24:36.083+00:00Piedmont Peppers<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/12924915154/" title="piedmont pepper by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="piedmont pepper" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/12924915154_f2cda133d0.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
We went to the <a href="http://thegaterestaurants.com/hammersmith.php">Gate, Hammersmith</a> a few days ago. I've given up writing reviews of restaurants because it's usually a social occasion that gets me out of the house and it's difficult to reconcile my natural enjoyment of being with friends and being a good guest with my (apparently) unrelenting standards when it comes to the food and ambience of the venues. My expectations of catering establishments are probably a bit higher than they should be, in other words, I'm really quite a picky food snob. So, let it go.<br />
<br />
However, there wouldn't be a blog post without me expressing some sort of personal opinion and so it was that when I read the menu I was surprised to see the old stalwart of Piedmont peppers nestling in amongst the starters. These are inextricably linked with <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/news-and-features/delias-biography.html">Delia Smith</a> who popularised them on one of her early cookery programmes and I'm afraid they suffer as a consequence in my mind but actually it was the sainted <a href="http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000008540,00.html">Elizabeth David</a> who is credited with bringing the recipe into the canon thirty years earlier than Ms. Smith so I suppose I should rein in my sniffs of disapproval. Even so, it still seems like an odd choice for a modern restaurant.<br />
<br />
Reader, I chose that starter, just to see if they'd put a twist on it - the original recipe contains anchovies so it had to have been modified for a vegetarian clientele. As far as I could tell, they'd replaced the fishy umami with a paste of tomato puree and sun dried tomatoes which gave a good solid stuffing to the peppers, albeit a little one paced, but I was disappointed that the cooked pepper itself was still rather crunchy and given the lusciously soft finish of the traditional dish seemed undercooked as a result.<br />
<br />
A niggle is as good as a shove to the discontented, so I made some at home so that Mr. Stripey could enjoy them as they should be with me. (He'd had some sort of tempura artichoke while we were out, how I envied him.) <br />
<br />
Piedmont Peppers for vegans.<br />
<br />
serves 2<br />
<br />
2 large red peppers, thick walled.<br />
4-5 medium well flavoured tomatoes<br />
Tomato purée if needed <br />
Olive oil <br />
Garlic<br />
Capers<br />
Black pepper<br />
<br />
Slice the peppers in half lengthways to make four pepper boats and arrange in a sturdy metal baking tray with sides to catch the juice (or face cleaning your oven later!)<br />
<br />
Slip the skin off the tomatoes and remove any tough cores at the stem end. I've wondered about using good quality tinned tomatoes during the winter when fresh ones are so insipid. If you did try that pierce the fruit and allow them to drain for a bit before using otherwise they will be too wet. As it was I had fresh tomatoes and put half a teaspoon of tomato purée in the base of each pepper half before filling with the rest of the ingredients.<br />
<br />
Slice the tomatoes into quarters or eighths if very large and use them to stuff the pepper halves, then arrange slivers of garlic, as much as you like, between the pieces of tomato. I used capers as an alternative to the anchovies but I can't see why some shreds of good black olives would be out of place. Season with freshly ground black pepper and then put a dessert spoonful of good olive oil into each filled pepper. Add it slowly so it fills the cavity and doesn't just run off over the sides.<br />
<br />
Bake uncovered in a hot oven, about 200C, for an hour until everything is deliciously soft, starting to caramelise and the pepper's juices are mingling with the oil.<br />
<br />
Serve warm or at room temperature with bread, or as we did with oven chips and green vegetables.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21656963.post-35659106157088901392014-01-17T13:03:00.000+00:002014-01-17T13:03:19.391+00:00Run Rabbit Run Paella<br />
<i>First published Monday, 6th October 2008. We had paella as one of the dishes during the festive season, it was just like this and very good. </i><br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
This morning I watched a rabbit haring across the yard. I'm guessing s/he was avoiding the hunters, out in force, well all the time it seems but certainly from sun up. The sun is just going down now and I can still hear shots. I'm rather hoping they're shooting at the rude mushroom pickers who invaded my patch an hour ago but that might just be a little too serendipitous.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I was taught how to make paella, in Valencia, by locals and they positively searched out the boniest bits of rabbit and chicken to start their cooking because paella is a poor persons' dish and nothing but the scrawny bits of animal would give the right flavour apparently.<br />
<br />
And what about the poor animal? A shrug. Animals are for eating, if you can get hold of one. However, they did concede, that if you were very poor (or mad) you could make a reasonable paella without the killing, because the really really essential parts of the meal were the rice, beans and saffron. The rice should be a shorter grain, the Spanish have their own rice which is ideal but risotto or even round rice will do. The saffron should be as liberal as you can afford.<br />
<br />
In honour of my small friend Peter (or maybe Petra?) I decided to make paella for my dinner.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecatofstripes/2918373053/" title="run rabbit run paella by catofstripes, on Flickr"><img alt="run rabbit run paella" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2918373053_531ecbba08.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
It's the easiest thing in the world to make, ideal for sharing and great for picnics if you have a knack with a fire (or one of those handy gas rings).<br />
<br />
For this one I fried off a small onion, some garlic, a handful of chopped pumpkin pieces, enough rice (a bit too much in fact for one, but it'll be fine for breakfast) and some rosemary, then added enough boiling water to cover. Give it all a stir. <br />
<br />
Add some beans. I had fresh shelled haricot. If you need to use dried beans they'll need cooking before you get to this stage. Frozen ones are fine. <br />
<br />
Chuck in the saffron. I never bother to soak it first, but you might if you wanted to. Make sure to put the soaking water in the pot too! Other herbs you might add are oregano or basil. I also popped in a little lemon thyme which was rather nice but don't overdo it.<br />
<br />
Then to mimic the Spanish habit of including found food (like snails for example) in went half a dozen fresh chestnuts, peeled and chopped into quarters, a small handful of green nasturtium seeds and a couple of mild green chillies chopped up. A few mushrooms wouldn't go amiss in this autumnal selection but I didn't fancy them. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
<br />
Let everything cook, stirring from time to time until the rice is tender and moisture nearly gone. You may have to add a little extra water during cooking if it's drying up too quickly. Five minutes before you estimate it will be done, add a couple of tomatoes cut in wedges and just before serving stir in a big handful of chopped parsley.<br />
<br />
Serve with lemon wedges and eat with a spoon from the pan.Catofstripeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08626451503696948747noreply@blogger.com2