Editor's Pick #3: Winter Menu - Treat of the Week!

Editor's note: It might not have escaped many but in the UK at the moment it's flipping cold! In-keeping with the recent brilliant weather, the next Editors pick is rather cheating as it's two recipes in one, but they go together so brilliantly they cannot be separated. Cream cheese and cashew nut paté and soda bread. Whack these out on a Sunday afternoon and you will be invited back again! Bit odd if you lived there in the first place but it's always nice to know you're still welcome.

My treat of the week is a simple, veggie recipe and one of my favourites – cream cheese and cashew nut paté – it has to be the easiest paté ever – here it is :

Cream cheese and cashew nut paté

1 carrot, finely grated

225g cream cheese

100g roasted cashew nuts, crushed to a rubble – not

to 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.

Serve on whatever takes your fancy – rice cakes, gluten free cheese oatcakes, toast or even as a sandwich filling – a toasted bagel would be good too.

Freshly baked bread is the perfect partner to the paté so here's an extra treat for a “comfort” lunch – soda bread!

The following Soda bread is the easiest and fastest, faff free recipe and the most reliable I've ever used.

Soda bread

170g self raising wholemeal flour

170g plain flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

290ml buttermilk

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

Tip the flours, salt and bicarb into a large bowl and mix.

Make a well in the centre, pour in 290ml of buttermilk and mix quickly with a large fork until you have a soft dough formed. You may need an extra drop if your dough is too stiff but take care it should not be too wet or sticky.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.

Form the dough into a round a flatten slightly. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.

Slice an “x” on the top of the loaf and bake for 30 minutes – the base should sound hollow when tapped.

I use St. Ivel low fat buttermilk which comes in 284ml pots. If the dough is a little dry, add a drop of milk – just a drop! You can always add a drop more if required – you can't take it back.

A tip – Instead of flour I sprinkle semolina on the baking sheet and sprinkle a little over the loaf before baking, for a crusty top.

If you're thinking of making soup, serve it with thick slices of toasted soda bread, buttered of course.

Editor's Pick #2: Mie To Follow

Editor's note: Noodles, spices and veggies, along with whatever you have cluttering up the fridge and needs a zhush and an evening date with flavour. One stop shop for "I fancy a takeaway but surely I can do that myself?". Well, you can - read on for the Mie Goreng, treat yourself to a couple of extra ingredients on your next shop and you won't be disappointed.

Here's the Mie Goreng - the noodle version of the Nasi Goreng. The Mie includes two ingredients you may not have come across previously – kecap manis – aka sweet soy sauce and sambal paste – a paste made from chillies and spices and both ingredients are easily available in larger supermarkets.

Mie Goreng

Serves 4-6

3 eggs

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, finely sliced

Drop of rapeseed or vegetable oil

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or tsps of paste

2 carrots, finely sliced (you could use cooked leftovers)

2 spring onions, finely sliced

Pinch of ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 red chilli, seeded removed and finely diced

1 tsp sambal paste

250g medium egg noodles, cooked

30ml dark soy sauce

60ml kecap manis

100g beansprouts

350g cooked prawns, defrosted

100g chopped roasted peanuts to garnish (optional)

Beat the egg lightly with the 1 tbsp water. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or frying pan. Pour in the egg and cook until set underneath, flip it and repeat. Slide the omelette out of the pan on to a board, roll up into a cigar shape and slice into strips – set aside.

Heat a large wok or frying pan and add a drop of oil. Add the onion and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and carrots and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add a drop of water to prevent drying out.

Add the sambal paste, coriander and cumin and fry for 20/30 seconds – again you can add a drop of water if required. Add the cooked noodles, spring onions, beansprouts and prawns – turning until warmed through. Add the dark soy sauce and the kecap manis and repeat.

N.B. For a vegetarian version, substitute the prawns with 300g of shredded Chinese cabbage – aka bok choy or pak choi and 1 yellow pepper (cored, deseeded and diced). Sweet baby peppers – red, yellow and orange – would work well too.

Serve straight from wok or spoon into individual bowls and garnish with the omelette strips and peanuts.

You could add sliced water chestnuts and/or bamboo shoots. If you've other leftover vegetables or cooked chicken or meat – dice and add too.

Editor's Pick #1: 3 Cheese Dainties (and photos).

Editor's note: Christmas is coming up fast, and it doesn't seem a year since the last one! For those of us that are foregoing fisticuffs in Woolworths over the last black and white portable TV, a suggestion long championed by MiamMiam is the homemade gift. Moreover, the homemade edible gift. Why guess what someone wants (and pray they haven't bought it themselves already) when you can spend a couple of hours making something they're guaranteed to enjoy. What follows is a recipe that not only tastes amazing, but looks the business into the bargain.

This is the latest of my cheese and onion variations on a theme and perfect for a snack or part of a “picky bits” supper during the festive season and the last recipe in this Brown paper packages … Christmas Box series.

3 Cheese dainties

100g mature Cheddar, 75g Red Leicester

and 75g Gruyere, grated

1 large onion, finely chopped

drop of rapeseed oil

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

celery salt and black pepper

1tbsp of Dijon mustard

1 x 320g puff pastry sheet

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp Nigella seeds

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

Use a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil and then add the onion and sweat on a low heat for 5 minutes until softened. This element can be prepped ahead, cooled, boxed and fridged until required.

Unroll your pastry sheet on a board or work surface – don't remove the pastry from the paper liner – it's perfect for your baking sheet for cutting out, filling and then lifting on to your tray and baking. No mess! The sheet will give you 15 circles using an 8cms/3” cutter. You may need to re-roll the pastry for the final 3.

Add the cheeses, seasoning, mustard and parsley to the onion. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle, edge half the circle with the beaten egg, then fold to create your dainty, use a dessert fork to edge the dainty then egg wash. Use two teaspoons to form the filling, it helps to keep it firm and easy to place. Make a mental note where you begin to egg wash, leave for a couple of minutes, then repeat. Place the tray of dainties in the fridge until required.

Sprinkle with Nigella seeds and then bake for 20 minutes – check after 15, until golden brown.

A word of warning … it's very difficult not to consume these when taken out of the oven – you might want to plan another batch!

If you want to make ahead, having double egg washed and fridged, you can then freeze them on the tray until frozen and then bag, ready for when required. At least that way you won't be able to eat them all!

Here's a photo or two …

here they are, double egg washed, edged

and sprinkled, ready to bake or chill if you prefer

Note to self a small cake fork is the best kit to edge

the dainties

fresh from the oven!

bagged and tagged – ready for the Christmas

Box

From “The Ivy The Restaurant and its Recipes by AA Gill”.

It's rare if I don't alter a recipe in some way – the greatest compliment I can give is not to interfere.

Quite simply the best fishcakes in the whole world!

The Ivy Fishcakes

(makes 8 – freeze what you don't use)

800g dry mashed potato, no cream or butter added

650g salmon fillet poached in fish stock and flaked

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tsp anchovy essence

3 tsp English mustard

salt and black pepper

Plain flour for coating

Mix together the potato, half the salmon, the ketchup, anchovy essence, mustard and seasoning until smooth. Fold in the rest of the salmon. Mould the mixture into 8 round cakes and refrigerate.

When you're ready to serve preheat the oven 180fan/200c/gas 6. Lightly flour the fishcakes and fry them until they are coloured on both sides. Bake for 10/15 minutes.

Quick tartare sauce

Hellmann's mayonnaise – approximately two

heaped tablespoons

Caper paste – 1 teaspoon

Cornichons – two, finely diced

Capers to taste

Mix the caper paste with the mayo and fold in the

diced cornichons and capers

Better still what about serving with a mornay sauce – excellent scaled down as a starter with the mornay drizzled over the top of the fishcake with crispy potatoes.

Then again how about a spoonful of pea pureé – mushy peas to me – set a small fishcake in the middle and then a liberal drizzle of curry sauce – yum!

Russian Fish Pie – a reminiscence

This recipe takes me back – to my school days!

Russian Fish Pie is not your everyday dish, it's a treat. Recent research shows me that it is very similar to Coulibiac – also Russian in origin. The original pie consisted of cod in a stiff parsley sauce placed in the centre of a puff pastry square, glued with egg wash and brought together to form four triangles all in one. My preference is to use a mornay sauce and to use a variety of fish.

Here's my version :

Russian Fish Pie

Serves 4

1 x 500g packet of puff pastry

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

Approximately 500g of mixed fish –

smoked cod loin, salmon, and prawns.

¾ pint/450 ml milk

¼ pint/150 ml cream (you don't have to use

cream, increase to 1pint of milk if preferred)

salt, 8 black pepper corns

bay leaf

50g unsalted butter

50g plain flour

1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard

150g (75g each) Red Leicester and Mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Roll out your pastry into a large square (approximately 24cm x 24cm) and place on a non stick (or greased and lined) baking sheet.

Poach your fish in the milk and cream, season with salt, black peppercorns and bay leaf on a medium heat for 5/10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fish, flake, allow to cool and set aside in a large bowl. Strain the liquor.

Melt the butter and add the flour to form the roux and cook for 2/3 minutes then gradually add the poaching liquor and cook the sauce on a low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens (it should coat the back of your spatula) add grated cheeses and mustard. The sauce should be stiff. Set aside to cool.

Tip half the sauce over the flaked fish, add the prawns and fold gently so that all your fish is coated. Reserve the remaining half of the sauce to pour over the pie.

Using a slotted spoon place the mixture in the centre of the pastry. Egg wash the edges and pinch together to form 4 triangles in a square. Egg wash the completed pie and bake in the oven for 40 minutes – check after 30 minutes. Cut into 4 individual triangles and serve.

Russian or not it's really moreish and the portions are generous so think carefully about what you would serve with it – a spot of fusion as an idea – a winter coleslaw I think would go very well – the rich pastry and filling with a crispy, crunchy fresh slaw – you could even kid yourself that it's healthy – ish! In reality it's about as far from Russia as you'll ever get. The recipe probably came from Coulibiac – a Russian dish consisting of salmon, rice, mushrooms, onions and dill encased in pastry.

Notes :

I always make more mornay sauce than required for the fish – it's an indulgence to have extra to pour over the pie.

An optional extra is to add chopped hard boiled eggs.

If you are using cooked, peeled prawns don't add them until you are mixing your sauce with your cooled cooked fish.

Now for the finest fishcakes …

A Hungarian rhapsody

I'm sure it's no surprise that the “Hungarian” refers to goulash. This time of year when it's turning cold it's difficult not to get bored once you've exhausted all the old favourites.

Here's my latest thought, “zhuzhed” a little. These days goulash seems to be served with rice or, spatzle (a soft egg noodle). I'm an old fashioned kinda gal with certain dishes and goulash is one of them. I like to serve mine, as was done in the 70s, with new potatoes. The ultimate comfort food however you want to serve it – by the way don't forget the sour cream - stirring in or even a blob on top – optional of course.

Hungarian Goulash

Serves 4-6 depending on size of appetite

900g braising steak, diced

glug of rapeseed oil to seal the beef

1 large onion, chopped as finely as possible

*8 tbsp tomato ketchup

*2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

*1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

*2 tsps salt

*2 tsps Hungarian sweet paprika

*½ tsp mustard powder

300ml water

2 beef stock pots

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

small tub of sour cream - optional

Use a large frying pan and seal the steak in the rapeseed oil – in small batches – if you overfill the pan you will finish up with grey steak and it will “stew” - not nice! Set the batches aside in the slow cooker. Soften the onion for 2 minutes and then add to the steak.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the ingredients marked *.

Using the same frying pan – and therefore any residual juices, add the water and the stock pots, bring to the boil and stir until the pots have melted. Add the mixed ingredients * and pour over the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

At the end of the cooking time, using a slotted spoon, remove the steak from the gravy. Mix the cornflour with water and stir into goulash and cook on high to thicken.

Add the steak back into the thickened gravy and you're good to go.

Perfect for the hungry hordes!

The rummage!

A trawl through the back catalogue produced some excellent ideas – here goes.

This is what you do when you haven't got a clue!

I'd got a shortcrust pastry sheet in the fridge. It's a start. An odd onion here and the remnants of cheese I've always got in my fridge - the usual suspects are Gruyere, Mature Cheddar and Red Leicester and I think we're getting there. I can't say I've favoured shortcrust pastry for pies, I automatically use puff. You know what they say “a change is as good as a rest”. Finally, that old faithful the cooked jacket potato or four!

Hmm I know this is probably sounding predictable and you'd be right. Experience has taught me that when it's a horrible grey and cool day there's nothing like a pie, especially when it's cheating using a ready-made sheet and easy - whether it's with shortcrust or puff.

Here's my thrown together recipe :

Rummage Pie – Serves 4

300g grated hard cheese, mixed – whatever

is in your fridge – 125g Mature Cheddar, 125g Red

Leicester and 50g Gruyere

1 medium onion, finely diced and softened

with a knob of unsalted butter until opaque

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 medium jacked potatoes, baked, peeled and

cut into small cubes

black pepper

1 shortcrust pastry sheet – 320g

1 egg, beaten

To assemble :

Make sure you take your pastry out of the fridge to allow it to “warm up” - you'll find the pastry is easier to use and won't crack. Line your pie dish with half the sheet – you may need to roll it a little to fit – for guidance my pie dish measured 27x9x5 cms approximately.

Tip the cubed potatoes into a large mixing bowl, season with black pepper. Add the mustard to the softened onion and then mix with the potatoes. Add the grated cheese and your filling is ready for the pie dish. Add your pastry lid, egg wash and fridge until you're ready to bake. Don't discard the beaten egg. Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas6, egg wash the pie again and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

I apologise unreservedly to the shortcrust pastry sheet – it made an excellent change and I'll definitely use it again.

Note to self – add to list of freezer emergency kit!

Next – Hungarian rhapsody ...