A message from America …

… thoughts turn to Autumn and the Fall.

On holiday in Maine my American friend found a recipe for vegetable soup which included the making of a stock.

“Here's another question for you … considering the extra ingredients and time, is it worth it? Time v flavour. I usually use canned stock.”

Here's my reply :

I don't think there's anything wrong with using a good quality bought stock – it's whatever suits you best.

You asked about extra ingredients and time – is it worth it. The short answer is yes it is. I don't spend days in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove/hob but, if I'm around doing other stuff then it's the perfect time to make a stock. One small tip – I never move far without having my trusted kitchen timer around my neck – I'd be more than a little upset if I got distracted and burnt it!

I make a huge pot and then freeze it in practical amounts. It's not just fantastic in soup but as a base for sauces and an ingredient in other dishes too – part of our forthcoming Autumn Schedule. I roast my veggies first and then throw everything into a stock pot.

Each to their own – it's worth the effort and you produce a supply of stock for your treasure chest – just think how virtuous you'll feel.

It's funny we should be talking about soup. Today has been the coldest for three months or so – 3 degrees! Back to jeans, a shirt and a fleece.

Roasted veggie stock recipe up next.

Middle Eastern Promise

You know that I have this continuing obsession with variations of Rocky Road. The last version was earlier this year using shortbread with freeze-dried raspberry and strawberry pieces.

Here's my latest effort, using Turkish Delight cut into small squares, pistachios and apricots, both finely chopped - 150g/5oz of all three, replacing the classic Brazil nuts, glacé cherries and mini marshmallows.

If you're not familiar with the recipe then check out the Easter label where you'll also find a list of suggestions to “Design your own Rocky Road”.

I have a confession to make – I added mini marshmallows too – any true Rocky Road purist knows it has to have marshmallows!

I hope you like what you see :

An aside … this week was my regular visit to my Beautician (and friend) – hey a girl needs all the help she can get. Anyway she asked what was on the “class menu” - I always begin at the end – I'm strange that way. I didn't get any further - to say I received a rapturous reaction puts it mildly – the Middle Eastern flavours are a real hit and I had no idea so many people loved Turkish Delight – note to self for my “home-made” Christmas Gift List!

The paté report

I promised I'd report back after “A rant and a mushroom paté”.

It was class this week and I made the paté so my friend got to taste it – fingers crossed. I'm delighted to report, “it's as good as the one they've stopped making … hits the mark for sure!”.

Before we finish with paté I decided I'd include another favourite – it's another veggie recipe but even the meat eaters enjoy this despite the initial raised eyebrows. It's a great combination of flavour and texture and the fastest paté you'll ever make.

Cream cheese and cashew nut paté

1 carrot, finely grated

225g/8oz cream cheese

110g/4oz roasted cashew nuts, crushed to a rubble

not a dust!

1 tbsp of chopped chives

salt and black pepper

black olives – pitted and sliced – optional

Mix all the ingredients together, box and fridge, leave for 2 hours to firm.

Spread on whatever takes your fancy – rice cakes, gluten free cheese oatcakes, toast or even as a sandwich filling – finally my personal favourite, a toasted bagel.

I served tasters of both the patés with soda bread and they took goodie bags home too!

My work here is done.

Incandescent!

Further to my recent rant about supermarkets discontinuing products – please now replace rant with incandescent!

Whenever you hear the big shots from the big supermarkets spouting, they always utter the same mantra – “we care about our customers” yadda, yadda, yadda.

Last week I was putting the final touches to the preparation for my forthcoming class. I'd promised Arancini – aka Italian rice balls made with leftover risotto, stuffed with Taleggio cheese. I decided that I'd plate up with a balsamic glaze.

Like everyone else I take shortcuts occasionally and so added the glaze to my shopping list – guess what - one big fat gap on the shelf where it should have been. There was every form, depth and quality of balsamic vinegar known to man and then some. The assistant couldn't say whether it was discontinued or when the shelf would be re-stocked.

Actually it was immaterial since I needed the glaze there and then.

Someone should alert these people to the fact that their customers do not have the time, or the inclination for that matter, to spend 2 hours trawling around supermarkets looking for a product that they have been pushing at us for some while – food fashions clearly don't last that long these days.

What a cheek – here's my solution – make it yourself :

Balsamic Glaze

50g/2oz demerara sugar

250ml/9 fluid oz balsamic vinegar

Place the sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan (19cms or 7½” in diameter) and heat slowly, stirring allowing the sugar to dissolve. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes – until the glaze is reduce by half. It should coat the back of a spoon. Decant into a clean jar with a lid – fridge it.

It looks like this :

You know how they say something good comes out of something bad – oh brother it certainly does. I won't be buying balsamic glaze any more so there!

P.s. If you'd like chapter & verse on the arancini check out the Italian label - “My antidote” for the recipe and a step by step photo guide.

Making the most …

of that Miso Marinade :

Miso Roasted Chicken

Serves 3

3 chicken fillets – approximately 150g/5oz each

Miso Marinade – here's a quick reminder

3 tbsps miso paste

2 tsps soy sauce

2 tbsps mirin

1 tbsp dark soft brown sugar

Mix the ingredients thoroughly into a paste. Box and set aside. Add the marinade to the chicken an hour before roasting to give it time to infuse, use one large strong plastic food bag.

Foil tray, 23x23cms or 9”x9”

Make up the marinade - set aside and fridge it until an hour before you want to cook.

An hour before cooking place the fillets into the marinade, seal the bag and ensure that they are coated – fridge until ready to cook.

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

Tip the fillets and the marinade into the foil tray, cover with foil. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Place the tray on a baking sheet and into the oven. At the end of the time take out the tray, remove the foil, turn the fillets over and place back into the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve with whatever takes your fancy - go on a fridge forage or serve on top of stir fried noodles and veggies or rice if you prefer - I foraged and discovered sweet peppers and baby new potatoes and roasted them both.

Here's my dish :

Oh – I didn't use all the chicken fillet so it's in the freezer – another meal for another day.

P.s. Check out chicken fillet deals – I got 950g (2lbs approximately) – 6 fillets for £10 – great value.

The moral of this missive ...

… speed was essential here – I hadn't got the time before I went away to do anything la-di-da or fancy and I now realise the benefits – it's a win, win and oh a win.

Other than the slow cooking of the braising steak there's no work involved - the mash and turning the stock into a gravy beyond all gravies is easy, peasy.

In dividing the steak and stock in two if I haven't heard by the time I return home what the arrangements are I'll just pull out one steak and one stock for H's supper.

Then of course it might be a “sarnie situation”. H is despatched to the butchers to corner the bacon market.

We've now got it all covered. I hope you're keeping track here.

Safe journey home from Whizzer's – there's nothing quite like a mission!

Still no word about arrangements so as already mentioned I pulled out steak and stock. Lunchtime – with apologies for lateness it's an overnight stay if that's okay – of course it is. Break neck speed to the freezer retrieving remaining steak and stock.

Just the mashed potatoes and reduce the stock for gravy to do later. It's a good job I pulled out a frozen cheese sauce to go with a beautiful cauliflower – just in case. Note to self, steam the cauliflower whole, set the timer for 20 minutes then lift out and leave on several layers of of kitchen roll to enable it to drain completely.

… and breathe.

Here's the dish :

Served with cauliflower cheese and petit pois.

Verdict … “beautiful”.

Was it worth the fifteen minutes I spent prepping the braising steak for the slow cooker … you betcha!

P.s. You might want to offer your guests a spoon too, to scoop up the leftover gravy. In the North we have a less refined custom but much more satisfying – use small pieces of crusty bread to dip and mop up the remains.

Here's SPUD

… aka Shepherd's Pie Upside Down.

SPUD

Shepherd's Pie Upside Down

940g braising steak – 1kg will do it doesn't

have to be precise

980g beef stock - ditto

Glug of rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

2 x beef stock pots

salt and black pepper

I zoomed to the butchers and bought 3 x trays of cubed braising steak for £10. A good start! A little patience is required here – using a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil, place braising steak in the pan – it should sizzle – season with salt and pepper. Don't overload the pan, brown the meat and then set aside in your slow cooker making way for the next batch and repeat until you've browned all the meat. If you insist in ramming it all into the pan it will turn grey and stew – it's not a good look.

Add a litre of water to the juices left in the frying pan, bring to the boil then add the stock pots – stir until melted – pour carefully into the slow cooker with the meat. Pop the lid on and slow cook for four hours.

Switch off, cool and then divide the stock between two “pour and store” freezer bags and divide the meat between two in strong freezer bags.

Place your treasure in your chest (freezer) to await further travel arrangements!