Salady odds and ends

To celebrate the Jubilee, I give you :

Coronation Slaw

110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

salt and black pepper

30g ready to eat apricots, finely diced

30g sultanas soaked in mango and apple juice

50g mayo

50g sour cream

1 tsp mild curry powder

squirt of lime juice

1 tbsp mango chutney

If there's one thing that gets on my wick it the huge lumps of woody cabbage you always find in shop bought coleslaw.

If you are of a similar mind and decide to try this recipe, I promise you that attention to detail is worth the effort. Here's what I mean :

First up slice a “cheek” of cabbage – a sharp paring knife is the best piece of kit – smaller and more easy to control – with care!

The recipe given will give you a box of slaw – measuring approximately 11cms x 6.5cms x 5cms. One box lasted me a week, a spoonful here and a spoonful there – you'd be surprised how well it fits as a side to lots of main dishes and particularly as part of a sandwich.

But first – an insignificant piece of kit you might think – say hello to your new best friend - the julienne peeler - every serious cook should have one!

Here's another thing that gets on my wick – entirely related to shop bought coleslaw – carrots either sliced so finely they are mush or so chunky and uneven you have to make an unscheduled trip to the dentist – without being ridiculous your slaw should be of a similar size.

Carrots bleed if you grate them – not to mention pebble dashing every nook and cranny in your kitchen – how is it possible that grated carrot can jettison so far?

Ta dah – enter the julienne peeler.

Here it is, along with the uniformly sliced strips of carrot it produces :

A neat piece of kit and inexpensive too.

The result of all your hard work looks like this :

Of course you could, if you prefer, dust off one of the gazillion attachments that belongs to your food processor/mixer for which you paid an exorbitant price and, if you can remember which bit goes where, use the slicer cum grater. Oh and create a washing up mountain to boot!

Next - it's too fishy …

For the following idea combine ingredients so that the fish doesn't overpower – in particular seasonal new potatoes, delicious served as part of a warm salad.

As an added bonus the recipe can be made with sour cream or if you want to be a little more health conscious use a low fat crème fraiche.

Warm smoked mackerel salad

Serves 2

350g new potatoes

1 tsp horseradish cream

juice of 1 lemon

2 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and

flaked (200g approx)

black pepper

100g sour cream

bunch of spring onions – approx

85g when trimmed and finely sliced

handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

OR use baby spinach

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Whilst the potatoes are cooking mix the sour cream, horseradish cream and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with black pepper.

Drain the potatoes and cut in half lengthways – let them cool and then tip into the sour cream mixture so that it covers the potatoes – the mixture will loosen. Add the flaked smoked mackerel and the spring onions and combine gently. Sprinkle with finely chopped flat leaf parsley and serve whilst warm.

Ps. If there is any left, box it, fridge it and lunch it next day! If you like cold leftovers so be it – if you don't then just pop into the microwave (at home or the office) for a minute to warm through and instant lunch!

I think that's one or two boxes ticked!

Here's a photo of one I made earlier.

Sides for your “Salads”

Spanish Spuds

800g potatoes, cut into cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

1 garlic clove, chopped finely or

1 tsp garlic paste

1 medium red chilli, seeds removed

chopped finely

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

Pot of soured cream to serve

Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion until it colours. Add the garlic and spices, fry for 2 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and tip into the mixture. Turn to a high heat and shake the pan so that the potatoes are covered with the onion/spice mixture. Cook for 10 minutes until tender. Serve with soured cream.

This side would be a great addition to your sharing plates – bags of flavour, particularly if you're serving a fish platter. Different to the traditional tapas dish “patatas bravas” in serving with the soured cream and not tomato sauce. In addition to which the soured cream is served on the side of the side – if you get my drift – some like it, some don't.

The recipe given is for a large quantity – it's difficult to say how many servings – I would say eight to ten – you could halve the quantities if you wish but I've learnt from experience that whatever is leftover you'll absolutely, definitely and without doubt use!

Side for your “Salads”

Did you think that chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) were just used as an ingredient in hummus – think again!

Cheeky Chickpeas!

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

2 tbsp olive oil

salt

Pre-heat your oven 210fan/230c/Gas 8

Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Lay the chickpeas on kitchen roll and pat dry.

Place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss them in the oil. Season with salt. ** Add optional spices.

Spread the chickpeas on a non-stick baking tray and bake for 30 minutes – shake gently after 15 minutes – check again after a further 10 minutes – the chickpeas should be golden brown – note to self, do not walk away! Ovens vary as do the size of the actual chickpeas and you do not want them to burn and spoil.

Check out these photographs.

If you like spice you could mix together a pinch of chilli, sweet paprika and garlic powders or any spice you like – sumac would work well. Sprinkle the spices over the chickpeas and mix well at ** above.

You could use them as texture to top a salad – warm or cold – or just munch away from the bowl – I warn you they are moreish!

On the cold front ...

… and the green front

Fabulous Fattoush Salad

Making sure I cater for everyone's taste – try this on for size.

Fattoush is another Lebanese salad, this time cold.

You'll find different versions, all hit the spot, here's one of them :

Serves 4

200g radishes, sliced thinly

half a cucumber, diced

200g cherry tomates, halved

2 shallots, finely diced

Romaine lettuce, shredded into 1-2cm pieces

2tbsp chopped mint

100g Pomegranate Seeds

25g walnuts or pistachios, toasted and chopped

half green pepper, finely sliced

2 pitta breads

Dressing

2 cloves garlic paste

juice of half lemon

3 tsps sumac

150ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Mix the dressing and set aside.

With the exception of the pitta breads place all the remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl and mix gently. Add the dressing and toss the salad . Toast the pitta breads and then cut into small strips, add to the salad bowl and mix again.

I think pomegranate seeds look glorious in any dish, however not so enjoyable to eat - if you feel the same way you can omit the Pomegranate Seeds and use the Pomegranate Dressing in place of the Dressing given above.

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Generous pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle!

If you can't get hold of Romaine lettuce use Little Gem instead.

Happy slicing and dicing!

Perfect Pide

If you are going to go to town with your sharing plates then it would be rude not to include sides too.

Here's my first bread suggestion - mentioned in Mmmm – Mezze - Pide – I think it's actually pronounced pee-day. I first made this whilst training and it is truly scrumptious and well worth the effort.

You can choose whether you use the salt, oil and sesame seeds as a topping or roll in semolina and then sprinkle over it before baking.

Pide

one sachet of easy-blend yeast – 7g

pinch of salt

700g plain white flour

plus extra

1 egg

100ml olive oil

30g sesame seeds and coarse sea salt

for garnish or 2 tbsp semolina to roll

plus extra to sprinkle

Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast and the olive oil reserving a little to brush over the bread prior to proving.

Mix until the dough forms into a firm ball, leaving the sides of the bowl. Cover with a clean damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Lightly oil two baking sheets.

Knock down the dough - divide into two, shape each into a round ball and then roll each in 1 tbsp of semolina . Roll out into two circles and place on the baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sea salt, the reserved oil and sesame seeds. Alternatively you can sprinkle with additional semolina. Leave to prove for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Pre-heat your oven 210c/190fan/Gas 7.

Using your fingertips make dimples all over the surface – as you see in focaccia.

Bake in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and when the base is tapped the bread sounds hollow.

Sounds good to me!

Radio Recipes - 22nd March 2021

As promised here are the recipes and the bits and pieces mentioned during my chat with Bernie Keith, on his Radio Show, The Bernie Keith Show, BBC Radio Northampton on Monday 22^nd March, 2021 at 10.45am.

Eggs Benedict – but not as you know it

Here's a photo of the finished dish – if you'd like chapter

and verse on poaching an egg, check out the Egg label

Fast Fish Pie

Serves 4

2 large baking potatoes – stab carefully with a

paring knife, wrap in foil and bake for 1 hour at

180fan/200c/Gas 6 – already done!

Set aside to cool then slice thinly – skin on or

off – personal choice

500g of fresh fish, wrapped in foil and baked for

15 minutes

If you want to cook ahead you could bake your

fish for the last 15 minutes of your potato baking

time – don't forget to use your timer!

Cool the cooked fish and then place in a sealed

container ready to use

Your fish can be a mixture of whatever you choose – for example, mix smoked haddock or cod with salmon and prawns – it's whatever floats your boat – pardon the pun. If you're using cooked peeled prawns as part of your 500g of fish then don't add them until you're assembling your pie.

Next up the sauce for your fish :

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and Gruyere)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring and add the mustard – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly. Your sauce should be a stiff consistency.

You can make the sauce ahead, fridge or freeze.

When you're ready to assemble, preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

You can use foil trays – 24x24cms to serve 4 or smaller if you want individual servings, otherwise a square casserole.

Open up your foiled fish and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Break the fish into chunks, gently, then season with black pepper.

If you're using cooked, peeled prawns, now is the time to add them – if you're using frozen prawns make sure they are properly defrosted in the fridge and discard any defrosting liquor.

There will be jelly from the cooked fish – discard or include – it's all flavour and will combine with the sauce you've made. If you've not used any smoked fish then you may want to add a sprinkle of salt. Add your Mornay sauce and fold to mix, gently.

Tip the mixture into your tray or casserole.

Add the sliced cooked potatoes, add a knob or two of butter and ground black pepper. If you're feeling really decadent then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with vibrant fresh veggies, preferably steamed or, dare I say, with a coleslaw or, if feeling really Northern, mushy peas!

A final word on fish.

Some may say it's extravagant to use cod loin in a fish pie – they'd be right. However if you're trying to convince your family to eat fish it would be a good idea to use a fish that doesn't have any bones. Using smoked fish with non-smoked gives a far less “fishy” taste. Shop smart if you can and a reminder that Aldi's range of fish – including cod and haddock loin too – is excellent and the best value. The trick here is the delicious strong cheese sauce. Tick, tick and tick!

Oh and by the way the Dijon mustard is optional but it does give an excellent zing so worth a try even if you're not a fan of mustard generally. It adds flavour without blowing your head off.

My final tip - each of the elements for this filling and the pie as a whole can be made ahead, all that remains is assembly, and whilst I probably shouldn't be advocating eating supper in front of Netflix all that's required is a deep bowl and a fork – delicious comfort food!

Here are a few photos :

Balsamic Onion Jam - 4 of everything!

4 medium brown onions, finely diced

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp unsalted butter – 15g-30g

as a guide my “tablespoon” was exactly that -

from the cutlery drawer

the large frying pan measures 29cms/11” in diameter

and is non-stick

Using a large frying pan, cook the onions in the butter over a medium/high heat, stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes until they are opaque. Add the vinegar and sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the onions are cooked down to a jam-like consistency for 20-25 minutes. Do not cover the pan at any stage.

The recipe will give you 300g of jam.

Cool and place in a sealed container or a jar with a tightly fitting lid and keep in the fridge.

Here's a photo of the finished relish – ta dah!

Finally, a sweet treat – Chocolate Orange Fudge

Chocolate Orange Fudge

Takes 1½ hours/ make 50 pieces

400g dark or milk chocolate, broken into small

even sized pieces

25g butter

397 can condensed milk

2 tsps of Valencian Orange Extract

100g icing sugar

30g cocoa powder, sifted

Line a 20cm square shallow tin with baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. In a non-stick saucepan melt the butter and gently warm the condensed milk, then add the melted chocolate and mix until smooth, followed by the Orange Extract. Beat in the icing sugar until blended and smooth.

Put the mixture into the prepared tin, spread evenly into the corners, smooth over the top and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. Remove and cut into small squares and dust with cocoa.

Hints and tips

Here's my tip – the recipe says “line a 20cm square shallow tin ...”. dip a teaspoon into the melted chocolate and place a tiny blob in each corner of the tin and then glue the parchment so that it stays put.

Here's another … make sure you sift the icing sugar otherwise you'll finish up with tiny white spots in the fudge.

And another … to remove the slab of fudge use an ordinary fish slice. Gently ease the slice along each edge of the tin and then tip it upside down. If the slab of fudge won't comply do not lose your temper just repeat with the slice and it will surrender!

Cut your fudge into squares – the size of the square is up to you. The recipe states you'll get 50. They'll be large. I cut the slab in half and then each half gave me 36 pieces approximately 2x2cms – a total of 74 pieces. My tin has curved corners so I straighten each edge so that all the squares are exactly that, no “curved squares” if you get my drift!

Place the squares of fudge onto kitchen roll to dust with cocoa and leave space between each square for even coverage. Use a tea strainer or a small sieve, tapping the edge gently to dust.

Here's a couple of photos :

I hope these ideas have helped and may be inspired some of your own!

Stay safe and well, x

Radio Recipes – 13th January, 2020

As promised here are the recipes and the bits and pieces mentioned during my chat with Bernie Keith, on his Radio Show, The Bernie Keith Show, BBC Radio Northampton on Monday 13^th January, 2020 at 10.10am

Bubble and Squeak (Squeak)

This is a “fly by the seat of your pants”/”live dangerously” recipe! Normally I wouldn't give a recipe, it depends on what you've got leftover, how many mouths you are feeding and how big are their appetites!

Squeak

Serves 2

250g (ish) cooked potatoes, sliced or cubed

125g cooked sprouts, finely sliced

1 medium onion, finely diced

Salt and black pepper

20g unsalted butter & glug of rapeseed oil

125g of diced chorizo

1 egg per person

Glug of malt vinegar

Water for poaching eggs

You'll need one large frying pan for the Squeak

- preferably one that can be transferred to the oven

One small frying pan for the chorizo

One small saucepan, with water and a glug of

malt vinegar

Melt the oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the diced onion and sauté on a medium heat for 2/3 minutes. Add the potato and mix together, sauté for a further 2/3 minutes fold in the sprouts and cook for a further 2/3 minutes. Transfer the Squeak to a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Heat the small frying pan then add the chorizo and fry on a medium heat.

Bring the water to the boil, add the vinegar and turn down to simmer, ready for the poached eggs.

As soon as the chorizo begins to crisp immerse the eggs bring to the boil and set your timer for three minutes – long enough to heat your serving bowls!

You can serve this dish as large or as small as you like – Jackson Pollock style or posh :

The old ones are the best!

Here are two more variations on the theme of Bubble and Squeak – they are all “much of a muchness” as we say – they are all delicious, made from leftovers or, as I prefer to say, “deliberates”.

Pea and Spring Onion Champ

1.5kg Potatoes, scrubbed

100g butter

500ml/18 fl oz milk (or if a richer consistency

75% milk to 25% double cream)

450g frozen peas

75g spring onions, chopped

4 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and black pepper

Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain, peel and mash. You could use a ricer for absolute “lump free”. Add half the butter – 50g, after mashing or ricing. Place the milk/cream in a pan with the peas and onions and boil, gently, for 4/5 minutes. Add the parsley, take off the heat.

Add the potatoes, keep some of the milk back – you may not need it all. Season to taste and beat until creamy and smooth – add more milk if required.

Serve piping hot with a knob of butter melting in the centre.

P.s. If you wish you could add grated mature cheddar cheese.

Colcannon

Savoy cabbage, finely shredded – half a cabbage

approximately 350g in weight

30g butter

Bunch of spring onions finely chopped

1.5kg Maris piper potatoes,

Salt and black pepper

There are no exact weights here – you may have leftover mashed potatoes and cabbage – it really doesn't matter.

If you've not got leftovers, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain, peel and mash. You could use a ricer for guaranteed lump free.

Put the cabbage in a pan with the butter and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until tender, stirring frequently.

Add the spring onions and cook for another minute or two. Mix with the mashed potato and season well.

If you've cooked your potatoes ahead or are using leftovers, pop the completed dish into a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 20 minutes. You could use oven-proof ramekins and serve straight to the table.

Dorset Apple Cake

225g cooking apples, peeled and chopped

slice an extra apple to decorate the top

juice of half a lemon – 1 tbsp

225g plain flour

1½ tsps baking powder

115g unsalted butter, diced

165g dark muscovado sugar – gives a dark

Chrismassy style cake or use light for a lighter

version – golden demerara too – reserve 50g of this

for the topping

1 egg beaten

2-3 tbsp of milk

½ tsp ground cinnamon

25g ground almonds

Preheat oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Grease and line a 8” round cake tin.

Toss the apple with the lemon juice and set aside. Sift the flour and baking powder together then rub in the butter until you get breadcrumbs then add the ground almonds.

Stir in 115g of the sugar, the apple and the egg, mix well, adding a drop of the milk at a time to make a soft doughy mix.

Transfer to your tin.

Finally, mix the reserved 50g of soft brown sugar, sliced apple and cinnamon and arrange on top of the cake mix.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

As is obvious this cake uses cooking apples – you'd never know – they are soft and taste like plump pieces of squidgy toffee apples.

More pluses - this cake is good warm or cold – serve with vanilla ice cream, clotted cream, custard or a combination of all three. It keeps well. I made it on a Friday and double wrapped in foil when cooled. By Tuesday it was as good as Friday – just that there were only two portions left!

I'm not a huge cake eater but I loved this. It's a perfect Winter comfort blanket with a cuppa on a chilly afternoon which is why it's now known as Comfort Cake!

If you want to see a photo or three, check out the Cake label on the blog 5/10/19.

Calvados Dessert Sauce

as a drizzle over the Dorset Apple Cake

50g caster sugar

20g unsalted butter

40g Cox apple, peeled, cored and

diced

80ml of pressed apple juice

½ tsp of arrowroot, diluted in a drop

of water

1 tsp Calvados

Heat the sugar in a small non stick frying pan (I used a pan measuring 23cms/9” approximately) until it's a dark golden caramel. Stir in the butter and the diced apple. Cook for 30 seconds – do not interfere with the pan – resist the urge to prod. Add the apple juice and bring to the boil. Add the slaked arrowroot, a drop at a time until it thickens. Remove from the heat and add the Calvados.

This is a perfect drizzle for the Dorset Apple Cake. If you want more than a drizzle then make double the recipe!

The drizzle will keep – I covered the pan when cooled and fridged it. When I wanted to serve the sauce I warmed it gently.

Enjoy!

Radio Recipes – September 2019

As promised here are the recipes and the bits and pieces mentioned during my chat with Bernie Keith, on his Radio Show, The Bernie Keith Show, BBC Radio Northampton on Monday 23^rd September, 2019 at 10.10am

Beautiful beetroot. A much under-rated veggie.

I get that cooking fresh beetroot is a bit of a faff. I roast mine, it's cleaner and you don't have to stand around watching it boil on your hob. All you need to remember is to set your timer. The other benefit with roasting beetroot is that you can, once again, cook it ahead so it's ready whenever you are.

Choose beets of a similar size - preferably as small as possible and roast in foil – 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for an hour and then test with a paring knife, leave to cool and then peel. If your beets are larger then you may need another 15 minutes, then test again. Peel, box and fridge when cool. Note to self – wear gloves!

Here's my favourite beetroot “side” recipe, adaptable for so many dishes both hot and cold :

Bazzin' beetroot relish

300g of cooked beetroot

peeled and cut into small cubes

1 sharp eating apple, peeled, cored and cut

into small cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

75g soft dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

Don't forget to use gloves when prepping your beetroot!

Mix well and place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan – 16cms in diameter. Simmer on a low heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. Box and fridge until ready to use.

Bazzin means fantastic in Manchester/North West speak – much better than awesome! Speed is the key here and if you've got 30 minutes to spare you won't be disappointed!

I use this recipe all the time and all year round – anywhere you want a relish or a side it fits the bill - from baked salmon or honey glazed gammon to plain and simple with bread and cheese.

If you don't have the time, there's a plan b - use the 300g organic vac packs of beetroot you can get in the supermarket – good too when it's out of season - I try and choose beetroot that is approximately the same size – drain and discard the liquid.

The Shepherdess

Serves 4

This is my favourite vegetarian version of a Shepherds Pie – known as The Shepherdess!

500g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

180g vac pac chestnuts, quartered

1 medium onion, finely chopped

celery salt and black pepper

a generous pinch of dried tarragon

3 cloves of garlic paste

a glug of dry sherry or red wine – 15ml approximately

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

30g butter

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

300ml double cream

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic paste, season with celery salt and black pepper and cook until the onion has softened and begins to colour, 5 - 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season again then add the tarragon and butter and cook for 5 minutes, turning the mushrooms so that they are covered in the oil and butter. Add the dry sherry (or red wine) and reduce so that the mushrooms absorb the flavours. Add the chestnuts and balsamic vinegar and mix well until reduced and syrupy. Add the cream, bring to the boil and then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes so that it reduces a little and thickens.

Now for the choice of lid – I know that tradition dictates that it should be mashed potato as a topping. I prefer sliced cooked baked potatoes and I'd be tempted to add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese – 40g. You can also use our old favourite the puff pastry lid. Individual pies are fab – cut out circles of pastry to fit your dish.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 25 minutes.

Another thought … chestnuts have a certain sweetness – you don't have to use them – if you'd prefer not then add another 250g of chestnuts mushrooms.

As a guide I used a pie dish measuring 27x19x5 cms or 10½x7½x2” in old money. The recipe gives you approximately 800g of pie filling (1.764 lbs in old money).

If you prefer a scaled down, individual version, here's another idea. It uses the mushroom and chestnuts in the sauce as a base. I'd suggest blitzing the mushrooms and chestnuts so you get a finer texture for the base. In my house “parrots” are very popular – that's parsnips and carrots mashed together, well seasoned with salt and black pepper - I use celery salt, it has a fab flavour – don't forget a generous knob of butter (or two) too! That completes the next layer. For the topping, since I've always got baked jacket potatoes in my fridge, ready to use I add a layer of cooked, sliced baked potatoes and garnish with the Parmesan and parsley.

This is a fly by the seat of your pants recipe – add a layer of any cooked veggies of your choice that you happen to have in your fridge. I always cook more veggies than I need – here's where it pays off!

You'll get 6 individual pies, based on the 800g of filling mentioned above and a pie dish

measuring 10cms diameter x 5cms deep (4”x 2” in old money).

Freeze and use whenever. If you're a lone veggie as I am these scaled down Shepherdess pies are perfect for the freezer not to mention convenient – it works for me.

A mushroom tip - you can enhance the flavour, even with those past their best, by adding a splash of red wine or very dry sherry when cooking.

The Cornish Pasty!

The pasty has been around “recently” for about 200 years but history says that they were with us well before in some form. A Cornish pasty has to be the ultimate in “portable” food. Cornish tin miners took a pasty to work every day – it's hard to comprehend that they walked long distances to the mine, then down the shaft for a long shift. It was hard, gruelling work and the pasty provided sustenance.

There are loads of stories and superstitions and golden rules too for the contents of a pasty and the making of the pastry itself.

It's difficult to know where to begin – some of the stories are based on fact, some fiction and others somewhere in between – I'll give it my best shot and hope you enjoy the read – who knows you might have a go at making a pasty!

Cornish tin miners eventually had to search elsewhere for work when the mines closed. They moved around the UK and all over the world too – for example, between 1861 and 1901 it's estimated that 250,000 Cornish migrated to Australia. It's not surprising therefore, that you'll find pasties, or versions of them, all over the world. There's a very successful company in Australia “Cousin Jacks Pasty Co.”. In case you were wondering where “ Cousin Jacks” comes from – it's an affectionate nickname for Cornish people – “Cousin Jennies” too.

Legend has it that there are “Knockers” or “Knackers” - mischief making leprechaun like creatures who lived deep in the tin mines, knocking on the walls and supports. They could be good or bad depending on your point of view. To some, the knocking served as a warning of impending disaster and so protected the miners, to others these mischief makers caused cave-ins. Which brings me to the “end” of the pasty. The miners would save, literally, the last bite - the end of their pasty and throw them deep into the mine to either appease the bad knockers or thank the good. A help or a hindrance?

Not to be confused with the “end” of a pasty - there's also a “corner”. A “corner”, is said to be a portion of a pasty saved to eat later on in the long shift – larger than we'd call a corner, probably about a third of a pasty.

The iconic crimped crust of a pasty isn't there for decoration. Mining was a dangerous occupation and arsenic poisoning was not unusual. There were no bathrooms – you couldn't just pop off and wash your hands before lunch, the miners' hands were ingrained with dirt and chemicals, arsenic being one of them. The miners held their pasty by the thick crimped crust to prevent being poisoned. How smart is that.

Iconic is the word – a delicious, complete meal in a pastry blanket.

The Cornish Pasty – the golden rules

This series may seem a tad long winded but these culinary masterpieces should not be rushed!

The filling is always raw and is baked at the same time as the pastry. The pasty is a meal in itself and in Cornwall it's actually considered an insult to serve them with anything else.

The meat content should be diced, never minced. The beef should be either chuck steak or skirt – also known as blade. A pasty should contain 12.5% beef. The vegetables should be finely sliced of a similar size so they cook evenly and the potatoes should be an “old variety” which will “fall”. Use strong plain flour – the sort used in bread making. As you can see, this is not an expensive meal – at it's roots the pasty evolved from humble ingredients that were plentiful and nutritious. The meat element was the most costly which is probably why the percentage of meat is as small as it is.

Think of the pasty as a pressure cooker – you need to release steam – place a small hole in the top of the pasty. Don't be tempted to tuck into your pasty straight from the oven – trust me – the inside stays hot for a long time.

Pasties are usually personalised with initials – top left, others say top right – who knows! It does however date back I think to the miners when some owners provided large ovens at the surface to keep the pasties hot for the men. A useful tip for today if you're tweaking the filling to suit your family and friends' preferences!

You'll read all sorts of “do's and don'ts” about pasty pastry and to be fair, there's no right or wrong way, all I can tell you is what follows works.

Here's the basic pastry recipe :

Pasty pastry

This recipe will give you four eight inch (21cms) pasties

450g/1lb strong white bread flour

large pinch of salt

100g/4oz of margarine

100g/4oz lard

175ml/3^rd pint water

cling film

Place the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add 25g/1oz of lard and rub into the flour. Grate or slice the rest of the fats into the bowl and stir, using a round bladed knife. Pour all the water into the bowl and mix together with the knife. Keep the dough in the bowl and using your hand bring the dough together and knead using the heel of your hand. Tip the dough onto a sheet of cling film and use the film to bring the dough together in a fat circle. Wrap the dough twice in cling film, bag and fridge. Chill it for at least 30 minutes.

Before we go any further I can hear you exclaiming – LARD! - what is she thinking. You don't have to use lard, for me and other vegetarians out there, use either Trex or Cookeen – panic over! The lard is part of the original recipe. I used unsalted butter instead of the margarine.

For those who are used to making pastry, no matter how basic, this will seem an odd method. I promise you it works. Not only does it work I'd say it's the best result I've ever had.

For example, it doesn't matter if you fridge it to chill for 30 minutes and, surprise surprise, you get distracted and remember two hours later. It does not affect the end result.

A tip – as you can see the recipe gives you four pasties from the batch of pastry. When you're ready to roll (sorry!) cut the pastry into four equal portions. At this stage you can please yourself – make two pasties and then wrap the remaining two separately in cling film, bag and freeze for another day.

Take the frozen pastry out of the freezer the night before you want it and fridge it.

It behaves impeccably – just as if freshly made.

My favourite snippet is that pasties keep hot for a long time – not rocket science I know – but apparently if you want them to keep hot even longer wrap them straight from the oven in either greaseproof or baking paper and then a clean tea towel. The story went on saying that a pasty made in Helston would still be “hot” when arriving in Exeter. Sounds a bit like a fairy story. It takes 2 hours to drive from Helston to Exeter and approximately 100 miles.

Whilst I didn't drive the distance I did wrap a pasty as it said and left it for two hours. Guess what … it does work and the pasty, whilst not piping hot was more than warm – sounds ridiculous, is there such a temperature between warm and hot?

The series on the Cornish Pasty including photos begins with “Portable Summer Food” - 12th to 28th May 2019.

Rocky Road – again

I can't resist experimenting with different ingredients and I know that the consensus is “if it ain't broke don't fix it” but they also say “the exception proves the rule”.

Rocky Road – Take 33! - I know I exaggerate

225g each of dark and milk chocolate

300g shortbread

100g mini marshmallows

7g freeze-dried raspberry pieces

4g freeze-dried strawberry pieces

175g soft butter, unsalted - cubed

4x15ml tbsp golden syrup

150g brazil nuts, chopped

I used a foil tray bake – measuring 32 x 20cms.

Place the shortbread in a bag and bash away – a mixture of size of crumb is what you want.

Tip the crumb into a large bowl and add the marshmallows together with the raspberry and strawberry pieces. Add the chopped brazils.

Meanwhile, place the plain and milk chocolate, butter and golden syrup into a large saucepan and melt on a low heat.

Remove from the heat and leave on a cool surface for a minute or two and then tip the crumb et al into the melted chocolate and mix gently to ensure that the crumb mixture is covered. Tip it into the foil tray ensuring that it reaches all the corners. You will have a lumpy surface.

Fridge it for at least 2 hours – longer will not be a problem – cut into squares, large or small!

Enjoy!

www.miammiamcookery.com