What to cook in hot weather …

Cast your mind back to last weekend and Sunday 19^th July in particular when, during soaring temperatures exceeding 30 degrees plus in the UK, it was the British Grand Prix and we were expecting friends to watch and then eat afterwards. Many of us don't look forward to entertaining generally but in recent times getting back into the swing of it has been hard work!

It suddenly struck me that I had to plan a menu to serve relatively quickly after the race which didn't involve me melting in the process and take into account other nightmare considerations - like serving food that is difficult to control temperature-wise in extreme heat - as an example - a prawn salad is not a good idea!

I made two decisions – a flash of inspiration me thinks – the first – definitely no salad and second it's going to be curry. You might not think it but curry is an excellent choice in hot weather – eating hot to stay cool – the heat of the spices makes you sweat - or should I say glow - and sweating cools you down. The science bit – circumin in turmeric helps promote good circulation helping to speed up your blood flow and cool your body down.

I always plan my entertaining with the dessert and then work backwards – strange I know but it works for me. The extreme hot weather actually helped my decisions. Two courses, straight into the main and then dessert. I took advantage of seasonal fresh fruit, in this case bowls of strawberries and cherries, together with a bowl of crushed Amaretti crumb, everyone helps themselves. My final element was a lemon pot – zingy, chilled and a perfect palate cleanser too after curry.

I decided on two curries – here's my final main menu :

Butter Chicken

Rendang with potato, onion and peas

Pilau rice

Naan breads

Mango chutney

Raita

I could make both the curries in advance and fridge. Each of the curries “stood alone” if preferred or together if you like a combination of flavours. The rendang catered for the veggie – me! Served in bowls at the table everyone, once again, could dive in and take whatever they fancied.

Okey dokey, lets get organised!

Chilli con pollo – photos and a tip!

Shopping is always a voyage of discovery – in this case I owe a thank you to my Editor Lucas for the following recommendation!

Mildly Spiced Taco Mixed Beans in

a tomato sauce courtesy of Aldi 55p for 395g

Here's the chilli con pollo – Sally loved it

my work here is done!

Finally, a small tip. If you're trying to tempt a person to eat don't overface and serve a thumping great bowl of chilli, whilst generous, it doesn't work, can be overwhelming and have an adverse effect. There'll always be more if their taste buds are tickled. Less is definitely more!

Next up – what to cook in hot weather

Chilli con pollo – method and optional extras

First up, the method.

Seal the diced chicken in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness.

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add back the sealed diced chicken and then simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn off and then leave to cool. At this stage you can freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity or, if you're serving the whole pan set aside in a cool place and when you are ready to serve fold in the beans and pop the frying pan, uncovered into a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 20 minutes – check and stir after 10 minutes.

If from frozen, defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans or any of the optional extras!

For the optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop.

Then there's the photos and a tip!

A variation on a theme …

 … and back to our friend Sally's recovery.

When you're recovering from serious illness, your palate changes – food that you loved previously no longer hits the spot and doesn't taste the same. This could be due to various elements, from medication you take to not being active and not wanting the red meat you used to enjoy.

Sally loves chilli con carne which I've made for her during her recovery. Sally happened to mention that she'd “gone off” red meat. Hmm, I can do something for her – not revolutionary but an adaptation of an existing recipe, hence chilli con pollo – in other words chicken chilli.

It's the same as my original “posh chilli” recipe - a fast chilli served in a bowl, topped with a spoonful of sour cream and baked bread on the side – or fries or wedges if that's your bag!

It can be made ahead in a large frying pan on the hob, requiring re-heating only and adding any variations of your choice. If you have a frying pan that is suitable for the oven too, then so much the better.

Chilli con pollo

Serves 4

500g diced chicken fillet

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder

(to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

A word of warning – DO NOT slow cook tinned red kidney beans, they should be added at the final stage.

Method and optional extras up next

The new ice cream – the decadent optional extras!

Never let it be said that I don't try to think of everyone and cover every base.

One of my favourite additions to the standard vanilla ice cream is to add salted caramel sauce. Some may say it might be a step too far and they may be right, however I think it's personal choice and after all, it is meant to be a summer treat!

The fast option - use a jar of salted caramel sauce (260g) – easily available at most large supermarkets – fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect with your chocolate and pecan blobs.

The “fastish” option. If you'd like to make your own salted caramel sauce here's my recipe :

110g/4oz unsalted butter

225g/8oz soft dark brown sugar

275ml/10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

1½ tsp salt

Heat together the butter and sugar. When dissolved add the salt and whisk in the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce and you can portion and freeze for convenience. Yippee – more for another time!

Finally … the sprinkles.

My favourite home-made sprinkle is praline – used largely for adding to and flavouring cream, ice cream, butter cream or whatever takes your fancy. You can use it in large pieces or shards or blitzed into a coarse powder. It keeps well so long as you transfer it into an air-tight jar. Should the mood take you it can even be blitzed into a paste.

Praline

75g/3oz almonds, unblanched

75g/3oz caster sugar

Place the sugar into a frying pan (I used a pan measuring 28cms/11” in diameter) and then the almonds on top. Heat the sugar and almonds on as low a heat as possible. Resist the urge to prod/stir/mess with! Patience is eventually rewarded the sugar begins to melt and when the almonds begin to “pop”, and your sugar is a good colour - turn it out onto a non-stick sheet (or oiled slab if you want to be posh). The melting of the sugar takes approximately 20 minutes.

Leave the praline sheet where it is until it is well and truly set. You can then break it up and blitz into a coarse powder or as you wish. It's stating the obvious I know – you'll get 150g/6oz of praline.

Please note that when blitzing you will need ear plugs and warn anyone nearby that isn't totally deaf they soon will be – it's worth the noise – the result - tiny bits of twinkling toffee – the ultimate sprinkle.

I did say they were decadent optional extras!

What did the taste testers say?

...”You've done it again – another yummylicious ice cream … it takes time to savour the vanilla ice cream before you nibble away at the pecan nut and chocolate … very moreish but not too much as it's very satisfying - a little goes a long way … no sneaking out to the garage with a teaspoon for this ice cream!”

Coming up – chilli con pollo

The new ice cream and the finishing line

As promised, here's the basic ice cream recipe :

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and using an electric hand whisk, whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, like pipeable whipped cream. Fold in the chocolate dipped pecans.

At this point you need to decide on size of pots and a small individual version would be a really good idea. Here are a couple of examples :

easy peasy for serving!

the perfect treat in the perfect size pot!

Freeze for at least 6-8 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer and allow to soften for 10 minutes before serving.

Then there's the decadent optional extras!

A new ice cream – your chocolate choices!

Here's my usual tip at this stage – to prevent your baking parchment from sliding on to the floor glue it into place using a tiny blob of the melted chocolate in each corner of the baking sheet.

When your melted chocolate has cooled slightly, add the pecans and fold in.

Using your ¼ tsp measuring spoon place tiny blobs of the mixture onto the parchment and pop the sheet into the fridge to chill. I can hear you saying, that'll take ages – I suppose it depends on your definition of “ages”.

If you'd like to see the result of the laborious task I'm recommending, take a look :

 

I think it's worth the effort!

There is a “plan B”. Instead of creating the blobs tip the mixture onto your glued parchment. If you're using this plan you may need two baking sheets. As a guide I'd suggest a size 30x30cms/12x12” approximately x 2 sheets and the parchment should be a similar size. Using a palette knife divide the mixture between the two sheets and then spread it, as thinly as you can, over the parchment. It matters not if it's irregular shapes and sizes. Fridge the sheets for at least 2 hours, to cool and set properly.

Lift the parchment from the sheet and place on a large chopping board or similar surface. I used a Chef's knife to cut random shards of the mixture, as small as possible.

Alternatively you could gather up the parchment and crumple into tiny bits and pieces.

I wouldn't recommend using your hands to break up the mixture bearing in mind that the heat from your hands will cause it to warm and bend!

Have a look at the result of plan B :

The world is your ice cream here -

you could combine the blobs and the shards

The finishing line …

A new ice cream … a summer treat!

This new ice cream combines my old favourite, the basic vanilla no-churn recipe, with an added surprise folded through.

The vanilla ice cream recipe is repeated for ease of reference, later on, but first comes the element that needs to be made ahead. Toasted, salted pecans, dipped in dark chocolate.

Toasted, salted pecans

75g unsalted butter

100g pecan halves, blitzed to a crumb

sea salt flakes

Heat a small knob of butter in a pan and when foaming, tip in the pecans with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or till toasted – you will smell them when they are ready. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

Here's a photo of blitzed toasted, salted pecans :

ready for the chocolate!

You'll need :

150g dark chocolate, minimum 50% cocoa solids

¼ tsp measuring spoon

a baking sheet lined with parchment

But first a quick reminder about melting chocolate.

You can melt your chocolate in a microwave – I prefer to create washing up by melting it in a large, squeaky clean glass bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. It's important that the simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. It should be the steam from the water that melts the chocolate.

Resist the urge to prod and stir, leave it be. You can use a heatproof spatula when you can see that the chocolate is melting. Taking care to use oven gloves, lift the bowl onto a heat resistant non-slip mat – you may also find it useful to lay a tea towel on top of the mat so that you can dry the bowl – leave the chocolate to cool slightly.

Next up – dipping the chocolate and choices

The real thing … Tuesday morning breakfast

or is it brunch?

Remember me telling myself at the outset to “get a grip”?

I'm out shopping and excited at the thought of the kids' visit. As usual I have my list or should I say lists!

Picture the scene – I'm in front of the racks that hold the pre-packed bread, staring at the Warburton's thick sliced white when fear strikes and I have a pixie on my shoulder, whispering in my ear … do you have enough food? How many loaves of bread do you need – one or two?! Seriously I stood in front of the racks for what seemed like an eternity and I couldn't decide whether to buy one or two loaves – really! Yes, really.

Common sense prevailed and I bought two – how pathetic!

I made the right decision. After arriving on Sunday afternoon the kids were hungry and I made them sandwiches. On Monday, after going out for breakfast they needed sandwiches at lunchtime and … on Tuesday morning I made them Croque Monsieur without the ham! Plant based spread can be used in cooking so perfect instead of the traditional unsalted butter to lightly fry the Croque Monsieur. I spread the Warburton's bread with a dairy free Dijon mustard – Grey Poupon and then added the Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese, lightly fried the sandwiches on both sides and served. A note about the cheese – cheese with trace levels of less than 0.5 grams of lactose such as Cheddar or Parmesan can be digested by many people who are lactose intolerant. The more mature the cheddar i.e. “extra” the better.

The Croque Monsieur may not have suited the purists out there but who cares – rules are meant to broken – or adapted.

I don't mind admitting that I was stressed – it's a long time since I felt pressure and really it's nothing compared to what, in my case, I've always done. It just goes to show how hard it has been and it's going to take a while to get back in the saddle.

Can I make a suggestion – when you're thinking about entertaining give yourself a break and keep it simple, very simple – you won't be sorry.

Exhausted!

P.s. A message from Cheryl … just wanted to say that I have eaten more fried cheese and mustard butties since being at yours than is probably healthy but soooo good.

My reply … hey, they're a favourite here too – you could add finely diced onion – delish!

Ooooo!

Up next … a new ice cream

The real thing … Monday evening dinner

 and it's pie night courtesy, once again, of M&S Plant Kitchen.

I think you've got the idea here, a lactose intolerant vegetarian, vegetarians x 2 and a meat eater – a perfect time to road test pies!

The boys had the “No Steak Pies” the girls had the Mushroom Pies. I said nothing to H - the only meat eater. After he'd eaten his meal I confessed … it was really good and I'd definitely eat that again. If you have a very fussy meat eater – by that I mean a person who doesn't want to see any visible sign of fat on meat, just tender morsels -

here's the answer!

Take a look at the No Steak Pies :

I should mention too that there's a meal deal – a main, side and a dessert for two for £8. I have to say that I had one of the mushroom pies and in a word – delicious. Interestingly the pastry, which I fully expected to be leaden and thick was the complete opposite, light and crispy – just the right balance. Well done M&S!

The dessert option I chose from the M&S Plant Kitchen meal deal was Churros with a cinnamon sprinkle and a chocolate dip. Inhaled would be a good word!

Breakfast on Tuesday … or is it brunch tomorrow morning?

The real thing … the pizza

I included the pizza in the Sunday menu because I wanted some feedback on a pizza that I'd actually discovered at my Sister's when I visited recently.

There are two of us in this picture – me and my Nephew Lucas, Editor in Chief, IT Guru and a vegan/vegetarian/lactose intolerant. Confession time … I loved the lunch deal they used to serve in Pizza Hut – the salad bar, loads of pizza choices on the hot plate and a couple of pastas too. That memory evokes good pizza … here it is and the good news … it's vegan, a stuffed crust and a very dangerous product!

I give you Chicago Town Tomato Stuffed Crust Takeaway Pizza – Saucy Vegan with Sticky BBQ Jackfruit – not a scrap left – yum!

Here's what it looks like :

This is the best shop bought pizza I've ever

eaten and I'll always have one stashed in my

freezer. There's only one problem … I eat more

than I should!

Moving on … Monday evening dinner and pie night

The real thing … what happened next?

You'll notice that the menu for both Sunday and Monday evening contains M&S Plant Kitchen products. If you're thinking of sampling vegan ready-meals and products or just want a meat or dairy free option this range ticks all the boxes.

Years of being a vegetarian has taught me that no-one had any idea of what to serve. The “vegetarian” diner was almost like an outcast – if I had a £1 for every bowl of badly cooked pasta with yesterday's tomato sauce thrown over it and served up I'd be a rich girl! Now, thank goodness, there are good quality vegetarian and vegan choices and for those who have specific dietary requirements too.

My plan was to serve Chicken Kiev and No Chicken Kiev – the object of the exercise being that everyone gets the same, but different!

Here are the photos :

The “Kievs” looked exactly the same and, more importantly, they were both excellent and catered for each guest – poultry or not, milk or not!

Then there's the pizza ...

The real thing – the menu continued

The table is booked for breakfast on Monday morning and the plan is normally that afterwards the boys go their way and we girls have a wander whilst it's not busy – just like old times!

Fast forward to dinner, Monday evening :

Monday evening dinner

it should really be called M&S Plant Kitchen dinner!

No Beef Steak Pies

Mushroom Pies

Yet more roasties!

Plant Kitchen Sweet Potato Fries

Steamed veggies – cauliflower, broccoli and carrots

Roasted Rhubarb

Fresh cherries

Plant Kitchen Churros with a cinnamon

sprinkle and a chocolate dip

Tuesday morning breakfast/brunch

Croque Monsieur – minus the ham and using

Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese

… and breathe!

What happened next ...

When the dress rehearsal became the real thing!

In April I wrote about a friend's birthday gift – delivering dinner to her. At the time I speculated about the time when we'd be able to cook for our family and friends again and “do you remember how … the birthday menu is a dress rehearsal”.

Here's the real thing.

The kids (big kids) are coming to visit – staying two nights – yippee and hurray!

Then the light began to dawn – other than planning and cooking the birthday menu I hadn't cooked and entertained guests for the best part of 18 months – gulp.

Get a grip – stick to what you know and plan a menu, from beginning to end and then make a list – or three.

I'm taking my own advice and keeping it simple – they arrive on a Sunday, not quite sure of an eta – I'm thinking early afternoon so I'll be providing an evening meal. We generally have breakfast out too so I booked a table for Monday morning.

Here goes :

Sunday's menu

Roast potatoes

Pizza

Chicken Kiev and “No Chicken Kiev”

Avocado

Beetroot Relish

Roast corn on the cob

Home-made coleslaw

Tomatoes

Lettuce and cucumber

Sweet baby peppers

Warm pitta breads

Fresh strawberries

Vanilla Swedish Glacé

At this point I should explain that my Dil, Cheryl (Dil = Daughter in law) is lactose intolerant and vegetarian.

The menu continued ...

What next for the chicken … the sandwich slaw

Here it is :

Asian Coleslaw

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

if you want to create a basic slaw stash then

double the amounts given above

3-4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

½ tbsp rice wine

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp peanut butter

½ tsp chilli powder

4 tbsp fresh coriander

Combine all the above ingredients except the fresh coriander.

Marinade for at least an hour – 2-3 is better still!

Just before serving strain off the excess liquid, stir in the coriander and serve!

Add some sweet potato fries or wedges sprinkled with Chinese 5 Spice seasoning.

A fab idea for a weekend “dive-in” style of supper – plonk everything on the table and let everyone assemble their own favourites.

It's the simple things in life - very often the least effort produces the best food!

When the rehearsal became the real thing ...

What next with the chicken?

First and foremost – strain the stock, bag it and freeze, ready to use on another day. The strength of the stock has intensified and just gets better.

Back to the chicken and my memory is serving me well. In 2018 I shipped the original slow cooked version (stripped) up North when visiting the kids, that chicken was used to make what became known as “a sandwich for the soul”.

You now have a fast version of that chicken using the roasting bag method and who doesn't love a sandwich. The only task you have is to shred the chicken, hardly exhausting!

Here's a list of other ingredients you'll need.

At the top is good fresh bread, the sort that can be sliced into doorsteps – in other words thick slices of bread!

Then there's the “who likes what” list :

Who likes what?

It wouldn't be a sandwich without the extras, here are my

suggestions and it is not an exhaustive list!

Avocado, sliced or mashed to suit, with lemon

juice

Crispy bacon – and bits are better!

Good quality mayo

Beef tomatoes, sliced thinly

Beetroot relish or slices if you prefer

Any salad item you love – spring onions, shredded

iceberg lettuce

capers, cornichons

A slaw of your choice – up next is an Asian

recipe that will compliment your anise infused

shredded chicken

There's an old saying, Jewish in origin I'm sure, that chicken soup is good for the soul. We now have a sandwich for the soul – back then I'd never seen food disappear so quickly and, more to the point, my other benchmark, silently!

Tender, moist chicken - full of flavour – what's not to love.

… the slaw

The final catch up with the “back burner” bits

One of the most versatile of proteins is chicken – fillet in particular. If you are a regular to the blog then you'll know I'm a huge fan of slow cooking a whole chicken, particularly using star anise in the cavity.

However, sometimes you don't want the whole chicken but want the “slow cooked” tenderness and all those flavours but faster. Hold that thought … I give you, the roasting bag! Not a new invention I know but recently I tried an experiment to see whether I could replicate those slow cooked chicken anise flavours.

Have a look at the bags :

 

the cover speaks for itself!

£1.25 for 10

Here's my recipe – if you can call it that, more of an assembly!

Roasting bag chicken fillet

225g chicken stock

3 chicken breast fillets (570g)

2 roasted garlic cloves

2 tsps of star anise powder or 3 whole star anise

Pre-heat the oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

I found that if you place your roasting bag in a deep sided roasting tin and then follow the instructions below it keeps all the ingredients together, safely and conveniently.

Mix the star anise powder and roasted garlic together to form a paste and add to the stock. (If you're not using powdered star anise then just drop the whole spice into the bag with the garlic and the chicken). Place your chicken fillets in the roasting bag and pour in the stock, gently! Tie the end of the bag with the strip provided. Ensure that there is plenty of air in the bag and snip one end to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 40 minutes.

Have a look :

before roasting

after roasting – the stock is deep and rich

and infused with star anise

What next with the chicken?

Sally's favourite Homity Pie – the leftover pastry

I don't like wasting food and I never waste pastry.

In my kitchen I've got tart tins of all sizes – perfect for my leftovers.

Here's the tart tin I used :

the tin measures 10cms in diameter x 2.5cms deep

I had enough leftover pastry to line three

tart tins

bagged and ready for the freezer, for another day!

I had leftover filling too and yep, boxed and into the freezer.

A very satisfying use of all the ingredients and the best bit – Sally loved it!

Now for the next piece of kitchen kit ...

Sally's favourite Homity Pie – the dish

I wouldn't normally use a foil pie dish, in the interests of recycling and climate change et al but when I do I re-use them. However in this case the “pie dish” needs to be easy for Sally – easy to place on a baking sheet in and out of the oven – there's nothing more frustrating in recovery when you can't handle a container because it's too heavy – as light as possible and practical is the key.

With that in mind I sourced this dish :

a dish fit for purpose!

with the pastry lining

and then the filling

cooked and ready to eat!

Then there's the leftover pastry ...

Sally's favourite … Homity Pie

I normally make Homity Pie for special occasions – my recipe serves 12-16 depending on the size of slice! I decided to make the same amount of pastry but scale down the filling – here goes :

Sally's Homity Pie – makes 2

Pastry

200g plain wholemeal flour

100g unsalted butter

pinch of baking powder

ice cold water to bind

Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder until it resembles breadcrumbs, then gradually add a glug of water and use and round bladed knife to bring the pastry together.

You can use a processor if you prefer – I'd then tip the pastry directly onto clingfilm and bring it together to form a ball, then wrap and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Ahead of the game

Bake 3 large jacket potatoes, then cool, peel and dice finely

and place in a large mixing bowl

250g onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic – finely chopped or roasted

paste

1.5 tbsp rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

2.5 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley – 1.5 tbsp for the

filling and 1 for the topping – use less if you are

using dried

150g of grated cheese – I use a mixture of mature

Cheddar, Gruyere and Red Leicester – 100g for the

filling and 50g for the topping

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil, add to the potatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Add the cheese and parsley, mix thoroughly.

Roll out your pastry and line a greased pie dish measuring 18x14x4 cms (7x5½x1½”) .

Tip your potato mixture into the pastry case and pack it down tightly and flat – it will look as if you'll never get all the filling into the case – persevere – you will succeed.

Top with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Bake in a pre-heated oven – 190fan/170c/Gas 7 for 40 minutes – check after 20 minutes.

Next up … the pie dishes