Moving on …

Lockdown may be easing but we're nowhere near any sort of “normal” and I use the word loosely! There are no coffee shops, pubs or restaurants properly open yet although there's some suggestion that may change in the middle of June. The bad news is we still have to cook and as the weeks go by it's getting harder to feel inspired, let alone cook our meals.

The weather has been more than kind which in a way has made life a little easier – a BBQ gives at least an illusion of freedom alfresco.

Over the last few weeks I've given menus hoping that the suggestions given might spark ideas but with no recipes. I've picked a recipe from those menus that I think you'll find useful for happier times to come.

We are all dreaming of the day when family and friends can get together in the same house and when that day dawns feeding them too. The last thing we'll be wanting to do is to eat into - sorry for the pun - that special time by spending it in the kitchen so what follows is an idea which you can approach in different ways.

The following dish is definitely in the “crowd pleaser and lip smackingly good” categories – it never fails.

Tarragon Chicken

Serves 4

4 chicken fillets

drop of Rapeseed/Canola oil and a knob of butter

500ml/1 pint of chicken stock

2 cloves of garlic, mashed (optional)

Bunch of spring onions, finely diced

1 tsp dried tarragon

Fresh tarragon – chopped – approx 2 tbsp

160ml/¼ pt/5 fl oz approx Vermouth or dry white wine

120ml/4fl oz double cream/heavy

celery salt and white pepper

drop of Rapeseed oil/Canola and a knob of butter

You'll need a large frying pan – preferably one you can transfer to the oven. Heat the rapeseed oil and butter and seal the chicken on both sides and set aside. Add the spring onions to the pan with the mashed garlic and dried tarragon - stir fry for 2 minutes then add the stock and the vermouth, let it bubble up, add the salt. Add the chicken breasts back to the pan. You can cook the breasts on the stove or in the oven. If you're using the oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 20 minutes but take care when removing the hot pan! Remove the fillets and wrap in foil to keep hot whilst you bring the liquid to the boil, add the cream and the chicken breasts – simmer gently for another 10 minutes and sprinkle with fresh tarragon and white pepper.

Next up – the alternatives and some hints and tips too.

Time for cake …

… there's a recipe on the blog called Grandad Jack's Tea Loaf – tea loaves are great – they contain eggs but no other fat. The moisture comes in the steeping of the fruit in hot black tea overnight.

You have to be careful that you get the balance of ingredients right – if a tea loaf has a downside it's that it can be dry but you won't know that until you've cut it – it's too late.

I'm always on the look out for something different – here's the Orange Fruit Tea Loaf.

Here's the recipe :

Orange Fruit Tea Loaf

for a 900g loaf

300g mixed dried fruit of your choice -

cranberries work well

150g dark brown sugar

grated zest of two oranges

300ml of hot tea – without milk – just in

case you were wondering

1 egg, lightly beaten

300g self raising flour

a pinch of salt

Mix the dried fruit, sugar, orange zest and hot tea together, cover and leave overnight.

Pre-heat your oven 130fan/150c/Gas

Grease your loaf tin.

Stir the egg into the fruit mixture then add the flour and salt. Transfer the mixture into your loaf tin and bake for about 1½ hours until risen and firm. Use a bamboo skewer inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a rack.

Now for a grumble rather than a rant. The recipe is exactly as I found it. When I read it I realised that it mentions “1 egg, lightly beaten”. So often recipes are badly written – not deliberately – the author perhaps presumes the reader will know – NO! Baking is a science and accuracy is important.

I mentioned moisture in your loaf, texture is equally important. I follow my own rule – if it isn't clear always use large eggs.

Hints and Tips

All is not lost if you produce a dry loaf – you'll just have to toast a slice and add butter – breakfast treat?!

I added ½ tsp of orange extract to the mixture. You can definitely smell the orange zest, I just wanted a little extra boost of flavour.

The secret to the success of this loaf is adding the sugar to the mixed fruit, zest and tea and steeping overnight. Other tea loaf recipes I've come across are based on, for example, “2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar” - treating the sugar as a dry ingredient – including it as part of the wet ingredients gives a much better consistency, you can gauge as you're adding the flour gradually to the mixture. “Gradually” is the key, ensuring that the flour is folded in before adding more. I'd already decided to add fresh orange juice if it looked too dry – not necessary!

Old habits die hard – I set my timer for 45 minutes and then turned the loaf tin around. I tested the cake at 1 hour 20 minutes with the skewer which came out clean – out it came. Ovens will vary – a timer will help and remind you to check.

Have a look :

 

As always, taste tested … “the best slice of fruit cake I've had in a long while”.

A great result!

Muse to amuse and exercise for two

I feel just as sorry for our four legged friends at the moment – lockdown and restricted to an hour a day for a walk. I realise that the restrictions have eased a little but some of us are nervous to venture forth.

I'm lucky to have a garden and so went rummaging in the shed – rummage rewarded I dug out Rose's agility kit from way back when. I found hurdles, two tunnels, one short, one longer and then remembered that I'd cobbled together a platform – very scientific, a short plank of wood raised by two bricks at each end. Further research bore fruit – thank you again Amazon and we invested in another hurdle. They are made from sturdy foam so can't hurt – they are so light however that a gust of wind or a stiff breeze might carry them off into the next village! If you see a flying hurdle you'll know it belongs to Rose!

Our routine these days is a morning walk and then around 4pm we have some agility fun – I thought a couple of photos might make you smile :

on the plank – she waits until she's

told to move off

the short tunnel – a treat encourages her

the hurdle – flying high!

It just goes to show what you can assemble with stuff you've got lying around.

A dog will never do what he or she doesn't want to do – I think it's safe to say she's enjoying herself!

Up next … time for cake

Musing VI

Howdy, how are you?

It does seem that things are beginning to change although how we'll adapt to queuing to shop on the “High Street” or your nearest Shopping Centre remains to be seen. We're all nervous of dipping our toe in the water …

I'm beginning this week following on from the “dive in” stir fry in Musing V.

It feels appropriate to serve a retro revival “dive in” weekend dessert treat too – the old ones are the best and this is years old.

A “Pizookie” is a cross between a pizza and a cookie – I've never understood the pizza bit – I know it's possible to buy and make sweet pizzas - you might want to try this after the “dive in” stir fry – keeps the washing up to a minimum!

It's a flexible pud – take it straight from the oven to the table and then spoon scoops of vanilla ice cream into the middle and away you go.

You'll get a crisp “crust” that cracks to reveal a gooey underneath, a molten centre.

Pizookie

Serves 10-12

125g unsalted butter, room temperature

150g light soft brown sugar

100g golden caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarb

½ tsp salt

250g plain chocolate, broken into chunks

Pre-heat oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Put butter and sugars in a bowl and beat (you can use a hand mixer – or, if you want a workout use a wooden spoon and some good old fashioned elbow grease) for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, following by the vanilla bean paste.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients – the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Tip it into the butter mixture, beat until combined, then stir through the chocolate. Tip into a 20cm ovenproof frying pan or a shallow cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. 25 minutes will give you a molten centre, 30 minutes a more set version.

Cool for 5 minutes, then add scoops of vanilla ice cream in the middle – dig in!

The ultimate sharing indulgence.

You can make ahead if you prefer, let it cool and then cut into portions. It freezes well too.

Take out portions as required, pop into the fridge and then when you're ready to serve microwave on high for 20 seconds for the gooey version, incidentally the crispy outer edge becomes chewy – perfect with the goo.

Yet again this treat is filling so you might want to think about cutting small portions to freeze.

Here's the proof :

 

Straight from the oven

It actually looks like a slice of pie made

from pastry – pastry it is not

20 seconds later it looks like this

It might be an idea to hide it in the freezer!

I hope that has made your mouth water – definitely another candidate for the “crowd pleaser” and “lip smackingly good” categories. You'll be very popular with the family!

Okey dokey, down to business – here's the menu for this week :

Spaghetti with home-made meatballs and

tomato sauce – or Alfredo if preferred

Fish pie, with a mornay sauce

Tarragon chicken, cheese and

onion mashed potato, griddled asparagus

and roasted fennel

Chilli – meat or veggie

using braising steak for the meat eaters

and Quorn pieces for the veggies

Serve with rice and/or wraps with

sour cream on the top

Veggie roast

Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, roasted

carrots and cauliflower cheese (from the freezer)

Home-made burgers in brioche buns with

a relish and a slaw and wedges on the side

Pork loin steaks with Calvados Cream Sauce

roasted beetroot, peppers and carrots,

sauté potatoes

By now I must have a certain reputation for “rant of the week” - I wouldn't want to disappoint so here it is! Actually it's a continuation of a previous rant – remember Sicilian Lemon Curd replacing the alien abduction of the Marmite Peanut Butter Smooth? The shelf remains bare.

As is my usual plan I mentioned it to Whizzer – hold the front page – there isn't any in her neck of the woods either! I'll make my own, there are after all more important things to worry about. I'll keep you posted.

A little light relief up next ...

Musing V – “dive in” stir fry seasoning and method

For additional seasoning as always it's a matter of personal taste. As a guide if you're including both tail fillet and chorizo it makes sense to enhance the flavours already there – since chorizo already contains paprika and oregano you could add a little more of each. Italian seasoning works well too which is a blend of sesame seeds, salt, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, onion and garlic. Don't forget the golden rule, gently does it with seasoning – one word – TASTE! You can always add, it's impossible to take away.

Choose any or all of the ingredients mentioned – or add some of your own! You'll need a large frying pan or wok. There are only two elements that need cooking ahead. The sliced tail fillet – heat a drop of rapeseed oil in your pan or wok, seal the slices on both sides, seasoning with celery salt and black pepper – set aside and wrap in foil – set aside the residual juices too. Do the same with the chorizo – fry until it begins to crisp, set aside and wrap in foil, again leaving the residual juices in the pan.

When you're ready to serve heat the meat and chorizo juices to a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry for 2/3 minutes, add the peppers and potatoes and the remaining veggies – continue to cook, making sure you cover and toss so that they heat through evenly – 3-4 minutes.

Add the tail fillet and chorizo and fold through with the veggies – 3-4 minutes. Finally remove from the heat and add a dressing. It might sound strange but mayo works really well folded through – it depends on how many you're feeding and how big your “dive in” is – working on serving four I'd add two tablespoons to begin with, folding through to coat – be gentle – you want your ingredients to hold their shape and not turn to mush.

You're aiming for a temperature of warm to hot - not hot enough to burn your mouth.

To serve – set the table with a large heatproof mat in the centre, place the frying pan or wok in the centre. Set warmed bowls with spoons and forks – dive in.

Lashings of garlic bread on the side would work very well.

Yum!

Musing V – the “dive in” stir fry

I feel I should explain the “dive in” stir fry. This dish falls into two categories – crowd pleaser and lip smackingly good – it's perfect for a weekend supper.

The following might read more like a novel than a recipe … all I can say is it's worth the read. Generosity in every way is what we need – those of us who love to cook by definition love to feed our family and friends so I suppose generosity of portions and love are the key!

It's difficult in lockdown to keep everyone interested in food. I don't think we want fancy and complicated – the reverse in fact but that doesn't mean we don't care about what we cook and serve, it's sometimes easier said than done.

If anyone mentions a stir fry I immediately think of a base of either rice or noodles – not everyone's bag. Here's my version which doesn't use either.

When the day dawns you're able to entertain your family and friends again this dish is perfect – you want to spend time with them so a recipe that enables you to prep ahead and takes minutes to stir fry and serve, has to be the answer!

There are no given amounts here – you can expand it as you wish and I've given ideas for alternatives along the way. Scale up or down depending on how many servings you want and how big the appetites are.

The “dive in” Stir Fry

New Potatoes

Jersey Royals are now in season!

Cook until firm and then peel. When cooled cut into similar sized cubes. An ideal way of using up leftovers too especially since you've used them with the Maple

Glazed Chicken – think ahead!

Red Onion

One medium as a guide, chopped finely or a

bunch of spring onions if you prefer

Baby Sweet Peppers

De-seeded and finely diced – red, orange

and yellow – great colours!

Garlic

A clove, crushed or 1 tsp of garlic paste

Veggie options

Asparagus is in season too – snap to remove the “wooden” ends then trim so that they are all of a similar size. Blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two then plunge into a bowl of iced water. Drain the asparagus and wipe off any excess water with kitchen towel. Box and fridge until required.

You could use fresh peas or broad beans, podded and blanched as above. Don't forget to peel the outer skin from the broad beans.

Mange tout, sugar snap peas and baby corn will all work well – treat the same way as the asparagus – make sure they are of a similar size so they cook evenly.

Tail fillet of beef

The tail fillet is each end of the whole fillet – the

tapered ends

If you're fortunate enough to have a “real” butcher if you ask

nicely he'll sell you tail fillet which is a lot cheaper than the middle cut

slice the fillet thinly – leave in slices or cut into strips ready

to season and seal for the stir fry

Chorizo

One loop of chorizo sausage, peeled and then sliced at an angle. You can use

diced chorizo if you prefer – it's probably more convenient since all the

work is done for you which is what I used

At this point you are ready to rock and roll as soon as you like -

prep completed the whole dish takes about 10 minutes, max.

Seasoning and Dressing

You'll need celery salt and black pepper and home-made

mayo or, if you don't want to bother try Farrington's Mellow

Yellow Mayonnaise to complete the dish

I'm not finished … read on

Musings – V

Can you remember what life was like before lockdown? It has changed our perspective I think and everyone I speak to refers to “the new normal”, whatever that means.

I've always been very close to my Sister, Whizzer and both her boys. Only geography separates us - Northamptonshire and the Peak District. Since the lockdown began Whizzer has taken to sending me parcels – I don't know whether it's deliberate – I must ask her – they always arrive on a Saturday, the start of the weekend (if you can remember what day it is).

Last Saturday was no exception – inside the box, among other treats was a sight I never thought I'd see – yep, you've guessed – the Marmite Peanut Butter Smooth!

Feast your eyes!

Absolutely!

H asked when I was going to open the jar. A sharp intake of breath on my part and I then explained that I needed to gaze lovingly at my jar for a while and revel in its magnificence – it's like new shoes (or in my case a new handbag) that have been your heart's desire for ages. When and if you're lucky enough to own said shoes or bag you don't wear the shoes or use the bag – you drink in the loveliness.

H thinks – and he's probably right – that I'm as mad as a box of frogs – no news there!

This weeks Musing Menu :

Steak & Onion pie

Smoked Salmon Stack with

avocado

asparagus

poached egg

Pizza – my version

hoi sin sauce

mushrooms, mozzarella, black olives

Maple glazed chicken

New potatoes

Mixed veggies – spring onions, sweet baby

peppers and mange tout – sliced finely to a

similar - stir fried

Nasi Goreng

Sandwich stack with wedges and sides

The dive in stir fry

Instead of a rant this week, a new subject – nature notes.

Picture the scene, I'm taking Rose out for her one hour walk. We live in “gardens” that are circular, split into two semi circles, with one road leading out onto the High Street. As we turn to walk onto the High Street I can see two birds on the ground. Initially, it looks as if they are having fun. As we drew closer I realised that there's a sparrowhawk on top of a baby thrush and the baby is in trouble. I ran towards them shrieking like a banshee and waving like mad and the sparrowhawk, startled by this racket, flew off. We reached the baby thrush who was, not surprisingly, stunned by the ordeal.

We stood and waited, quietly – even Rose - who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. My antics were rewarded when, after couple of minutes, the baby shook itself and flew into dense shrubbery – that was close.

I cannot say how wonderful a sight it was to see the baby fly off, seemingly not hurt – right place, right time!

A big grin, a warm heart and a good deed for the day.

Back soon, stay safe and well,

Love xxx