Tapenade

Depending upon which part of France you are, this can be highly fragrant with mountain herbs and fresh, almost acidic olives or rich and creamy, more butter than olive.

The former is made with finely chopped green olives, cultivated and wild herbs alike, anchovies in some and with capers and olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste and each household seems to have its own recipe proportions.

My particular favourite is really a very salty, butter based tapenade that took me three or four months to perfect.  My neighbour, Gerri, was half French and half Irish.  A single mother with two jobs and a talented artist, but who never had time to cook like "Mama" who, on only two occasions, did I meet, before finally giving in a few years later, Gerri moved to France to live with her.

I was already experimenting with food and having not met my food mentor Collete yet, my cooking for Gerri was out of books and the travel writings of Elizabeth David.   

Gerri had said how her mother tended to use a lot of butter, the tapenade was quite bitter but also doubled as a flavouring for roast birds and simple fillings.

Finally I came up with a very moist (and must admit not very healthy) tapenade.  The amounts below will make approximately 500 grams of tapenade.  It should last more than a couple weeks in the fridge and if you are using it for toast or crudités or as a base for tapas, I would leave it out for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

• One block (approximately 250 grams) of softened unsalted butter
• 150 grams of mixed green and black pitted olives, chopped finely
• 20 grams of parsley, finely chopped
• 10 grams of thyme, finely chopped
• 10 grams of marjoram or oregano, finely chopped
• A small jar of anchovy fillets in oil, chopped and then mashed
• 10 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Three dessert spoons of capers, chopped
• One medium onion, finely chopped
• One large chilli without seeds, finely chopped (optional)

All of these ingredients are combined thoroughly.  No salt is obviously required and the proportions, especially the amount of butter interchangeable or partly imitable with olive oil.  If the tapenade is to be used for roasting, especially to cover chicken, turkey or game, I tend to exchange half of the butter for olive oil and, if used on red meat, add rosemary and crushed bay leaves.

Retro starter: Leek vinaigrette

Leek vinaigrette, a blast from the past and after my first taste of it was not impressed.  Thankfully, someone came to the rescue.

A very well spoken friend of a neighbour of mine cooked this dish for me as an evening dinner.  I wasn't sure that this could be meal in itself.  The leeks were boiled into submission and the vinaigrette was corn oil, sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard.   I think there was some dried herbs sprinkled over it as a nod for garnish.  Neither my neighbour or I didn't want to look ungrateful so we tucked in.  The best part of the meal was the wine, a very good Cote du Rhone and the company, of course.

A little later, probably a few weeks, I mentioned the experience to a work colleague, I think I must have blocked it out of mind until then.  Margaret, one of the senior administrators who was always (or seemed to be) bringing in cake, laughed a very croaky laugh and wrote down a list and I still have it to this day.

• Two large sized leeks, the outer layers taken away and divided according to the leeks' size
• Olive oil, few spoons
• One clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Two tablespoons of chopped parsley
• One pinch of salt
• One pinch of pepper
• Three tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• Three tablespoons of good white wine
• Two large "knobs" of very cold butter

The leeks are steamed for fifteen to twenty minutes, depending upon their thickness,  Ideally two regular sized leeks cut into thirds should serve a two as a starter.  About 100 mls of the water should be kept for the following stage and the leeks drained and kept warm.

A small amount of oil is put in small saucepan to warm through and the finely chopped garlic is put in first.  The wine and vinegar, along with the reserved water should then be added, along with just over half the parsley, the salt and the pepper.  The liquid should be reduced by half and then taken off the heat. 

With a "firm hand" the first knob of butter should be whisked in and then the other.  This should allow for a thick, warm, vinaigrette.  Whisk a little more butter into the liquid if the thickness isn't to your taste.

In addition one chopped anchovy fillet along may be added along with the garlic and is cook until anchovy has started to melt.  The other stages are the same, except you do not add any further salt.

The leeks are then served on warmed dishes with the thickened sauce spooned over and a small scattering of fresh chopped parsley over the top.

Baked Peppers with Mint & Black Eyed Beans

The small (and not so small) family run food stores across London have started a new revolution in choice over the past ten years or more.  Slowly, local residents have woken up to the fact that spices, herbs (both dried and fresh) and fresh vegetables are cheaper and that in many cases are of better quality and variety than the big supermarkets.

Across my small part of South East London, Penge, Sydenham, Beckenham and Crystal Palace, not only are there good quality small food stores that have been run for years by families, but also a new breed of Deli and specialist food shop.  In fact, if you have spare money to spend these days, there are is a shop for all pockets.

My current favourite (and has been for some years now) is the Penge Food Store, funnily enough opposite Sainsbury's on the same road.  I go there most Saturdays, buying an assortment of peppers, fresh herbs and other vegetables as well as my supplies of spices, olive oil and cheese.

One of my favourite dishes to serve with grilled meat is a mixed pepper and black eyed been bake, which takes less than 40 minutes to cook but tastes like it should have been in the oven for a lot longer.

The quantities below are enough for two people as the sole vegetable, or if serving with additional greens, possibly four.

• 500 grams of mixed peppers (I normally include both red and green paprika and the almost luminescent green sweet peppers for this dish.  The green paprika has a kick - not as much as a chilli, but a warmth that cuts through the sweetness of the rest of the dish).  Chopped across the peppers so you have an assortment of multi-coloured rings
• 100 grams of small aubergines - chopped
• Three large garlic cloves - chopped
• One regular tin of black eyed beans
• 20 grams of mint - chopped
• One teaspoon of dried thyme
• A good pinch of salt
• A good pinch of black pepper
• 100 grams of courgettes - sliced
• 50 ml of good olive oil
• 50 ml of cold water

In a deep oven dish, place all the ingredients (minus the water) and combine thoroughly, cover and leave to marinate for about an hour at room temperature.

Then pre-heat the oven to 180c.  Add the water just before you place the covered dish into the oven.

About half way through your 40 minutes, stir and check that the bake has not become too dry.  Return to the oven and then switch off after 40 minutes.  Allow to settle until you are ready to serve.  

Great with Lamb chops or thick slices of roast beef.

For something a little different, about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add slices of goats or ewes cheese on the top and bake with the lid off.  Serve unleavened bread or pitas.

Fresh vegetable stock

Flicking through old diaries and old scraps of recipes is always one of the things that I find most enjoyable on a lazy day.  Sometimes, it can be very frustrating though, as my notes have not always been complete.  My recent rediscovery of some notes about the differences between Spring and Winter stocks has made me scratch my head about some of the origins of my diary entries.

 

However, one thing I do regularly, sad as it may seem, is brew Spring stock.  It tends to be light and vegetable based as I find I can add a chicken carcass or fish bones to it for meatier recipes as required.

 

However, a good light, herby, vegetable stock is always my base.  This recipe makes approximately 600 mls of stock.

 

• Three medium sized leeks, cleaned, topped and tailed and cut in half
• Three medium carrots, cleaned, topped and tailed and cut in half
• Four or five large cabbage or kale stalks
• Some mushroom stalks or a small handful of dried mushrooms
• A bunch (approximately one and a half cms diameter worth of stalks) of "woody" herbs.  Amongst these I would include oregano, marjoram, parsley, borage, lovage, thyme
• A dozen black pepper corns and a couple of bay leaves
• Two litres of cold water

If you want a little more punch (perhaps its early spring so you'd like a little more heat, add a stick of ginger and a dozen or so, cracked, coriander seeds).

 

Put all in a pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to simmer and reduce the quantity of liquid by half.  Strain the vegetables and then reduce the liquid further to taste.  I normally reduce it again, by just under half (hence the 600 mls).  Allow to cool and then divide into either 150 ml or 200 ml and freeze.

Kitchen Diary - Spring and Winter Stocks

This is a note I've found from one of my diaries, not sure where it came from but having looked through some of my more traditional cook books, the sense is there:

"A Spring stock is full of flavour, but light and fragrant; sometimes with a little heat, but not of the kind too hot to outshine the warmth of spring.  It is given its fragrance with Spring and early Summer herbs and with a lightness of touch to bring harmony to the freshest of produce."

Conversely;

"A Winter stock is made with body and a warmth to provide confidence through the coldness of change.  The changes of Autumn through to the emergency of Spring once more, should be eased through the foundations of a robust foundation that this stock provides."

Strangely, I don't have a note of either a Summer or an Autumn one.

The recipe for my own Spring stock is here.

A Royal Sunday - Hever Castle

We were just going out for a drive and heading for blue skies on Sunday, we had no predetermined plan.

After a great breakfast at Crystal Palace, we pushed south down Anerley Hill, back through our new home turf of Beckenham and headed towards Biggin Hill.  Beyond this we passed over the M25 and through Westerham and saw the clouds part with blue skies over  Limpsfield way.  The wind direction must have changed and as we drove through the green canopies, the rain began to fall and we drove down towards Tunbridge Wells.  As we came out of our emerald tunnel the sun shone once more and we saw the sign to Hever Castle, it only took us moments to decide our destination.

Having only been there once many years ago, this was new to me.  My previous visit was as an events manager and the visit itself had been cut short due to my director at time needing to leave, and I with him.  So I hadn't actually seen much more than the gardens approaching the main castle itself.

We parked and walked down the hill.  The rolling clouds played patchwork tricks of light across the valley below the castle shone against the shadows around it. 

My partner and I headed for the main building, only being delayed slightly by the show of knights on horseback. 

No cameras are allowed inside the castle so the variety in the maze of rooms you will need to experience for yourselves.  But worth the visit, especially the insights to the histories of the ancient residence and the more current family backgrounds of the Astors, made an excellent backdrop to such a grand building.

The gardens were the crowning glory (no pun intended).  The Tudor gardens being framed by hedges and the rose garden and Tudor chess inside these being the focal point for me.

The water maze, a great treat for the kids and adults alike was compact, but very good fun.

However, the one thing that did strike me, and which I hadn't had any experience of before was the Italian walled garden.  I think the pictures (at the end of this blog) speak for themselves.  But with its hidden alcoves, its swathing lawns and beautiful vistas, it was where we spent the most of our time.

Overall a great afternoon and less than an hour from home in Beckenham. 

An experience I would definitely recommend.

For more details go to the Hever Castle website.

Sauce Ravigote

I've been thinking a lot about cold sauces lately.  Not the vinaigrettes or mayonnaise but some more classic ones that can be used with cold meats, fish and vegetables.

I came across this when having one of my impromptu "teas" with Colette.  I had known her for few months by this time and it was soon after her son returned to Paris after Breouch -gate.  I had poached chicken the previous day, used all but the two legs and a wing and had mentioned this to Collette early that morning.

"Come over for tea" was in the invitation and "bring your chicken and you shall see what the French do with leftovers!

So there, about five o'clock on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, we sat down to fresh bread slathered with sauce ravigote and pieces of poached chicken placed on top.

You will need:

A pinch of salt
two dessert spoons of red wine or sherry vinegar
six to eight dessert spoons of extra virgin olive oil
three or four dessert spoons of chopped parsley, thyme and/or tarragon
a small onion finely chopped
two small gerkins, finely chopped
two to three dessert spoons of capers, also finely chopped
a little more salt and some pepper to taste

All the ingredients should be chopped quite small.  I've had "chunky"  before and it's not the same.  I've also had a version that was blitzed and smooth, again not the same.

The initial pinch of salt should be desolved in the vinegar first (if you like your sauce a little more tart, I would add a maximum of an additional spoonful, otherwise add more capers and gerkins instead.

Combine well and this should serve three or four people of with enough for a starter or two people to accompany a main course of cold meats, fish and raw vegetables.  Lovely...

Halloumi and grape salad

I'm not sure where this salad comes from specifically.  I had assumed Malta as this was the first place I had seen and tasted it.  But since those early days I've come across versions of it when on holiday in Spain, Greece, Morocco and Turkey.

It's fresh, and I like the salty/sweet sensation you get and it's relatively quick and very good to eat as a starter or as a light lunch.

The first time I came across this brilliantly good dish, I must admit, I was a little worse for wear.  I think I was nineteen or twenty and it was one of my first trips travelling on my own.  I'd had a few too many wines the previous night and was staying in a family run b&b in the old town of Valletta.  I was more than a little dehydrated and had already consumed at least two litres of water in the hour I had been awake (it was noon and I was sitting in a little shaded courtyard feeling very sorry for myself).

MaMa took pity on me, and made me this little lunch and served it, with very cold, very small, very sweet, rose.  To this day, I am not sure whether it was the salty halloumi or the hair of the dog that actually did me the best service.  I like to think it was probably the a little of both.

For the dressing:

Five or six dessert spoons of good extra virgin olive oil
The juice of a large lemon
Four grams of chopped thyme and/or dill
A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper
A good pinch of fine sugar

For the salad:

150/200 grams of mixed leaves
200/250 grams of halloumi (cut in 1/2 cm slices)
75-100 grams grapes (halved)
Four grams of chopped thyme and/or dill

In a large bowl, place the dressing ingredients and whisk. 

In a large frying pan, fry the halloumi until brown on both sides and place on kitchen paper to cool slightly.

Back to the bowl, refresh the dressing by whisking lightly and take about a third out and reserve.  Add the leaves, grapes and remaining herbs and toss.  Divide and place on your serving dishes and place the halloumi on top.  Drizzle the remaining dressing over the cheese and serve.

Variations:

There are three additions to the above that I've experienced so far. 

In Greece and Turkey, thinly sliced red onion has been added to the dressing and "cooked" at room temperature until the Halloumi is ready.  The Halloumi is tossed with the salad and not lain on the top.

In Morocco, the salad has sliced onion (although rather large pieces) with the leaves and is tossed in the regular way.  In Agadir, they add chopped dried fruit in addition to the fresh grapes.

In Spain, I've had a similar salad, except with rather large watermelon pieces are used and not grapes, and the salad leaves are not prevalent, instead they seem to be there to add colour, so not really a variation and more of  a melon and halloumi salad instead.

I hope you enjoy it.

Gorgeous Roasted Vegetables and Feta

Gorgeous roasted vegetables never tasted or looked so good.

Using finger aubergine cut into short lengths, their skins retain some of their bright purple hue if you only bake them for 20 minutes or so.  The addition of red and green paprika and some slices of courgette, bathed in fresh, extra virgin olive oil, this is a real treat.  To maximise the flavours just sprinkle a little salt and leave covered to one side for up to an hour before putting into the oven.

The oven should be pre-heated to 180c and should take no more than 20 minutes.  Add your feta after this and place back into the oven for 10 minutes with the heat switched off.  As the oven cools the feta will become soft and the will partially melt with vegetables.

As you put these into the oven, take a cupful of couscous or bulgur wheat and add warm water and cover for 30 minutes.

Great served with a simple tomato salad.  Very ripe tomatoes, chopped up roughly, with a small pinch of salt, a generous helping of olive oil and two dessert spoons of good sherry vinegar.  Stir and leave to stand for 20 minutes before serving.  For a little punch, grate an inch stick of ginger into this too.

Is this the colour of Summer?

I Love London: St Pauls

Gnocchi with Ricotta & seafood

A great and very quick supper.

500 grams of gnocchi
125 grams of ricotta
one egg
three small onions - halved and thinly sliced
250 grams of mixed fish portions (cod, smoked mackerel and salmon)
two large cloves of garlic - roughly chopped
one good pinch of salt
olive oil & knob of butter
five grams of chopped oregano and sage, kept separate
125 glass of good dry white wine

In a pre-heated 180c oven and in a foil envelope place the fish, half the onions and the sage.  Seal the envelope and bake for just 15 minutes adding a small amount of the wine in the base.

In a pan of water brought to a rolling boil, place the gnocchi and drain as soon as they come to the surface.  If fresh this will take a just a few minutes, if frozen a couple of minutes more.

In a deep saute pan, add the butter and a little olive oil.  On a medium heat, add the remaining onions, garlic and oregano.

In a small dish beat together the ricotta and egg until smooth.  Taste the wine to ensure it is not too tart and add the remainder of the wine to taste, again beat until smooth. 

To combine the dish, turn the heat in the saute pan to low, add the ricotta mixture and add the Gnocchi.  Turn out the fish and also gently fold into the mixture.

This should serve two people generously with a green salad.

Fresh tomato with sage, tagliatelle

Quick, simple and full of flavour and great for a light lunch for one

• Take one or two very ripe large tomatoes, chopped roughly
• One large clove of garlic mashed with a good pinch of salt
• dozen large leaves of sage, chopped finely

On a medium heat with two table spoons of oil and a knob of salted butter, add the above ingredients and warm through.

Whilst this is cooking put one portion of tagliatelle in boiling water and cook until  al dente.  Drain and add to tomato mixture.

Sprinkle parmigiano-reggiano over top to taste.

Other pasta dishes

Penne with Garlic and Chilli
Easy Milanese with Lemon

Another cheeky one - baby chilli aubergines

After work drinks are never going to be the same again... great, believe it or not, with dry martinis or an ice cold limoncello.

This is what baby aubergines (the ones which are only a couple of inches long or less) were grown for!

A great addition to the Cheeky Wednesday experience, although it may take just a spot more than 30 minutes to prepare and cook.

Take twenty to thirty of the little beauties and coat with garlic oil and two finely chopped chillies.  Leave whole and with the stalks on as you will need something to hold them with.  Place on a baking tray in a pre-heated 180c oven for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly and sprinkle with rock salt.

Alternatively, used the long slender "finger" aubergines, bake them as above and portion in one inch lengths, really GOOD!

Also see:  Mid-week cheeky one

Kitchen Diary - Smoky Tea

One of things I've been for most of my life is "a real tea belly" according to my mother.

From the smoky flavoured tea of Grandma Methuen to the more sophisticated tastes of Nanny Jones and the builders' tea of my mother, tea, rather than coffee has played a major part in my life.

Granny Methuen had one of those blacken miniature ranges in her "couch", the sitting room next to the kitchen.  The wood she used was never quite fully dry or seasoned so it would always smoke.  The cottage is still there on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean.

I remember Granddad showing us the vegetable garden almost every time we visited.  We did that a lot, as we lived only two hundred yards or so down the lane.  The garden was always overshadowed for me by the visits to Granny's little smoky sitting room and the tea.

Every time I went there, the tea was strong and had the permanent flavour of wood smoke.  As babies, the tea was "watered down" with milk, but later, when I was in my late teens and I was given lap sang souchong for the first time, the memories it invoked were of her and certain smoky parlour and tea eaten with cake and, if we were lucky, rich tea biscuits.  I say lucky, the cake had to be dipped in the tea because it would remove all the moisture from your mouth if you didn't!

I was quite an adventurous child and I was only four or five when for some reason I decided I wanted to play with my cousins whose house was about two miles away.  So, choosing my moment, I sneaked away.  As I passed Granny's house I remembered to rush past in case she spotted me (after all don't all Granny's have superpowers like in the comics? After all they have the uncanny ability of knowing when you've been bad, so I assumed she could see everything, even through two walls of Pembroke stone).

One of our neighbours tattled though, and by the time I had reached my cousins' house, my older teenage sister was already on her way to collect me.  The adventure was worth it though.  Soon after my mother was telling the tale at Granny's house, and in the corner, I was drinking smoky tea.

Kitchen Diary - Brioche & Tapenade

"Philippe, don't do it that way, do it, so!" the fifty something five foot nothing Parisian pushed her thirty something six foot plus son out of the way.  "See? so simple."

"Look at Ree'chard, he is so natural."

I remember being very embarrassed but this woman was formidable and this was my first time in her kitchen with a third party, never mind her son, who was more than ten years my senior (it was, after all, the eighties).  I had been here more than a dozen times before, but it had just been the two of us.

We were making brioche, my fourth time now and I had been very nervous to start with anyway, having never met her son before, never mind share a kitchen with him.  Philippe was head chef (according to Colette) at a leading Paris hotel.  You wouldn't have thought it the way he cringed.

"Mama, I have not baked brioche in ten years, and I will not be …" the conversation carried on in rapid French and I was left to finish off my project in relative quiet.  I could still hear them in two rooms down the hall but with both the Kitchen door closed and a number of walls between us, I was glad of the peace.

They came back only ten minutes later, having made up like quarrelling school children.   All smiles.  If I remember rightly, the dough was a few hours away from being ready so I had made some almond short cakes to go with our mid-morning tea. 

I was also pleased that Philippe was leaving before the brioche was ready, so far I hadn't made it "light enough".

Colette was a very lively lady, she had caught me sketching her in Battersea Park and had sat for me a number of times before inviting me to her flat overlooking the park.  I had shared my experience of my food experiments with her.  I had even brought homemade tapenade to the home of a French woman born just a few miles east of Marseille and I was never allowed to forget it. 

"After all my dear, do you not know that in the South of France we make the best tapenade?"

Funny, but she never made it for me, but would remind me on a weekly basis (after a few months of being friends that is) that I should bring some round as it was a superior imitation and she didn't have time to make her own.

We would drink tea and eat a lot of cake, and she could be very crude but most of the time Colette would play the "sophisticated" French woman and would love surprising everyone around her by her anecdotes. 

Colette moved back to Paris a few years later and we kept in touch until she passed away just after the millennium reminded us that two thousand years was a wonderful excuse to throw a party.  Unfortunately, I wasn't there with her, but I still have some wonderful memories and my diary entries to remind me of what a wonderful woman she was.

Summer Casserole

This is a refreshing way to use Summer herbs and such a great alternative to bring Summer flavours to what is traditionally an Autumn or Winter dish.

Just prior to the last couple of stages you will think I'm mad as it really doesn't look any different from the normal cold weather fair, but this is pretty sublime.

The secret is the use of large relative quantity of herbs and a large head of lettuce, ideally a robust variety, so use your own judgement as to what you want .  I've used cos here and, when you've tried this, you will realise why.

• 400 grams of lean casserole steak cut into smallish chunks
• 250 grams of pork (I've used neck fillet) cut into smallish chunks
• 1 head of lettuce, chopped roughly and divided so that the heart is more finely chopped that the green leaves
• 6 grams of finely chopped hyssop
• 6 grams of finely chopped thyme
• 6 grams of finely chopped parsley
• 15 grams of torn sorrel
• 1 large courgette, roughly chopped
• 3 good sized cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 small/1 large red onion, roughly chopped
• 200 ml of passata
• 125 ml of good red wine
• 1 dessert spoon of plain flour
• 3 heaped teaspoons of capers
• 4 dessert spoons of olive oil
• Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 170c and then in a heavy oven proof pan on the top of the stove (at least 3 litres is capacity) use the oil to brown the meat on a medium to high heat.  Do the meat in batches so that you don't crowd it.  This allows the meat to seal rather than steam its own juices.  Lower the heat and, if done in batches, return the remaining meat to the pan and add the garlic and half of all the herbs.     Allow to sweat with the lid on for about 5 minutes. 

Add the flour and stir until it has been absorbed by the juices. Add the passata, capers and chopped lettuce heart.  Stir well and cover tightly and place in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes.

Remove the pan and add the courgette and a little water if the casserole has started to go dry.  At this stage test for seasoning.  If you have used salted capers for example, this may not be necessary.

Place back into the oven for a further 15 minutes and then add the remaining herbs and the rest of lettuce. 

Stir well and cook for a further 15 minutes and switch the oven off.  Again test for seasoning before allowing the flavours to combine further for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ideal for a dinner party as you can be with your guests almost continuously.  Serve with couscous or bulgur wheat.  I normally use the same herb combination that's in the casserole.

Warm Tomato Salad

This is one of those dishes which, especially at this time of year, when you have seen and been inspired by all those ripe and welcoming different varieties of the tomato, that you go home and can't wait to make.  Use as many different kinds as you like but use very ripe ones.  The ones that are just about to turn, the ones that when you bit into them the juices escape and make a lovely red/orange stain on that specially washed shirt you put on just an hour before.

The quantities here assume you, and one other, are eating this as a main accompaniment to fish or poultry.  Especially good because without carbs, this salad really does help put aside the hankering for something "else" after the meal.  That said, this is a great pairing with baked potatoes topped with sour cream and chives.

• You will need 300 grams of very ripe tomatoes chopped into large pieces or halved if already small
• A half bulb of fennel or two to three baby ones, thinly sliced (alternatively use spring onion tops - this adds a heat instead of fragrance - your choice but not both)
• One clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 30 grams of hyssop, also chopped finely (try using a golden or blue sage if you can't get hyssop)
• One large knob of salted butter
• Four tablespoons of of good extra virgin olive oil
• Three teaspoons of black mustard seeds
• The juice of one lemon

Leave your tomatoes and fennel out over night (if you store these in the fridge).  Prepare them as described above and place in a bowl with the garlic and hyssop.  Add two tablespoons of oil and mix thoroughly and put aside.

In a small frying pan, add the remaining oil and the butter and melt over a medium heat.  As the butter stops foaming add the mustard seeds.  When they have been popping for a minute so, add the lemon juice and swirl in the pan.  Take off the heat and pour over the tomato and fennel mixture.

Mix well and serve immediately.

I've also made this amount just for myself, in front of the TV with large slices of buttered toast... Marvellous!

 

Midweek cheeky one?

Or, drinks and nibbles after work...

Or, at the weekend...

Thinking "I could have friends over for drinks after work" and doing the deed is usually far from reality for most of us.

If we live close to our friends then it's more likely, but usually its drinks on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

We all have busy lives but we should also take care to make time for our friends.  Whether we are lucky enough to be able invite people around in the evening (and during the week at that) or if it’s during the course of a weekend, we don't really want to spend hours in the kitchen preparing food, and, more importantly, we want to spend as much time as possible with our guests once they've arrived.

The three tapas style snacks below all take under 25 minutes to prepare and cook and, more importantly, gives a personal touch rather than simply unloading packets from a supermarket, at the very least you can make them a little more specific to your own and your guests' tastes.

Chorizo

 

Always a good standby and always very quick to prepare.  Slicing it up into generous bite size pieces with some additional olive oil and putting a little extra chilli and/or garlic onto a baking tray, adding halved mid-sized mushrooms to soak up a little of that oil and putting these into a moderate oven (say 170-180c) for 15-20 minutes is a really good and simple way to impress. 

Once you've taken these out of the oven and whilst still hot, drizzle with a tablespoon of honey and combine.  The sweet, hot, spicy combination is addictive.

House roasted Almonds (or cashews, or walnuts or a mixture of all three)

With a little oil, add 250 grams of blanched nuts to a baking tray.  Again, in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes. 

Separately, in a bowl, add two heaped teaspoons of smoked sweet paprika, two generous teaspoons of dried thyme or chopped dried rosemary and an equal amount of sea salt. 

Taking the nuts out of the oven add these to the spice mixture whilst still hot and combine thoroughly.

House olive mix

In a shallow pan, add two tablespoons of olive oil and a large crushed clove of garlic whilst the oil is still heating through.  Add a half teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of cumin seeds.  As the garlic is just starting to golden, take off the heat and add the zest and juice of a large lemon (or of two limes).

Separately in a large bowl, thinly slice half a large red onion and separate the crescents.  Add your choice of olives (250 grams) and add the spice mixture.  Mix and allow to cool.

Additions could in include finely sliced chillies and/or sweet peppers.  Just for a little crunch.

Make Do Potatoes

This is really my take on a Spanish dish which is a sort of Mediterranean bubble and squeak.  There also seems to be a similar dish in almost every country I've been too.  If you're not too keen on any of the ingredients below, just leave them out and put some of your favourites in.

You make it with cooked new/small to medium sized potatoes and its best not served chilled, which is convenient especially for picnics and when generally out and about and is a great alternative to sandwiches as you can add all kinds of ingredients.

I'm using just over two pounds or one kilo of waxy potatoes.  These are cooked and allowed to cool down (but not to go cold) before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Obviously if you are adding anything actually needs to be cold (flaked tuna or egg then this will need to be refrigerated afterwards and kept in a cool bag if going to the park, but if none of these ingredients are added you will be fine).  The only real rule to this dish is that the potatoes are completely cold when you add everything else.  The potatoes will then take on the flavours more readily, a little like only dressing warm rice or pasta when making a rice or pasta salad, same principle.

Once the potatoes are ready, leave them in a large bowl to cool down and crush them slightly.  If they are large potatoes, chop them up roughly.

• two tablespoons of capers
• one large red onion, halved and sliced very thinly.  The segments separated out
• two large cloves of garlic, crushed
• one lemon and one orange, just the juice of both
• one teaspoon of fine sugar
• six or seven tablespoons of good extra virgin, unfiltered, olive oil
• 150 grams or 6 ozs of black and green olives (or one or the other if you like)
• one tablespoon of anchovy paste (or not, if you aren't refrigerating this)
• 10 grams or 1/2 oz of finely chopped flat leaf parsley and thyme
• two very large, very ripe tomatoes, chopped (if you don't have very ripe ones, leave out overnight before chopping them up, they will recover some flavour at least) 

The additions should go into a separate bowl and all of these should be mixed thoroughly and left for 20 to 30 minutes for the flavours to combine.  Now add these to the potatoes and combine well.

Additions could include sweet potato (although this makes the mixture a little too wet, so leave out the half the fruit juice and use a ratio of half waxy potato to half sweet.  You will also need to leave out the sugar), tinned tuna or salmon (which makes this very much main salad offering if you need to take a dish to a party), green beans (which adds another vibrant colour to the dish) or try adding tinned artichoke hearts or butter beans. 

Experiment and have fun.   This really is a "make do" Summer salad.