Braised onions with red camargue & wild rice

Baking and then slow braising onions must be one of the finest pleasures to the taste buds, especially if coupled with rice or potatoes.  Using late oregano, with its sweet/bitter taste, simply highlights the warmth that exudes from this dish.

• Olive oil
• 300 grams of small onions
• Pinch of salt
• 75 grams red c & wild rice
• 2/3 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped)
• 7 grams of oregano (chopped)
• 400 mls of vegetable stock
• 50 mls dry vermouth

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and in a deep oven dish place the onions whole (or halved if a little on the larger side) and sprinkle with oil.  Add a pinch of salt and place in the oven on the top rack for about twenty minutes.

Taking the onions of out of the oven add your rice and a little  more oil over them and replace in the oven for a further ten minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up your vegetable stock and take off the heat once hot and add the garlic, oregano and vermouth and allow to rest on the side until you are ready for it.

Taking the onions out of the oven, carefully pour the stock mixture over the onions and place them back.  Turning the oven down 160/165c and braising them for about 40 minutes or until all the liquid as been evaporated or absorbed by the rice.  Checking intermittently (especially towards the end of the cooking time) to ensure the dish has not run dry too quickly. 

Great with an meats, but served here with chicken wrapped is prosciutto and creamed spinach.

Hot Winter Salad with Blue Cheese

One of the pleasures of the upcoming (and for some, already here) cold weather are Winter salads.

Usually with root vegetables, warming spices and with top notes of sweetness either through roasted onions or Moroccan style dried fruits.

This one with blue cheese is a simple one pot supper or glorious starter for two people, which can be dressed up with additional roasted lovelies depending upon your mood or your need for warmth.

Herb/spice mix

• One clove of garlic (or smoked garlic if you have it)
• One teaspoon of sweet paprika (or smoked paprika if you are not using smoked garlic)
• A half level teaspoon of sea salt
• One teaspoon of dried thyme (or a tablespoon of chopped fresh)
• One teaspoon of dried parsley (or a tablespoon of chopped fresh)

Mix/grind these ingredients together and if needing a little more heat add a stick of grated fresh ginger and exchange the sweet paprika with hot.

Vegetables

• 200 grams Pumpkin - diced
• 150 grams of Leeks - diced (I've used baby leeks for this so six or seven cut into four is sufficient, otherwise one medium leek should be sufficient)
• Two medium tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
• Olive oil

Additional ingredients

• Large pieces of diced carrot and halved small onions are also a great addition to the above vegetable mix and provides a little more sweetness to the mix.  Add sultanas or chopped dates to bring a little more tagine style flavour to this dish.
• A handful of rocket leaves
• 75 grams of soft blue cheese cut into cubes
• One tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• One tablespoon of flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 200c and in a oven dish add the vegetables and oil and coat thoroughly.  Add the herb/spice mix and again turn and combined thoroughly before placing in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning the vegetables two or three times during the course of the cooking period.

Taking the roasted vegetables out of the oven and whilst still hot, toss in the rocket leaves and blue cheese until evenly distributed.  Add the vinegar and toss again.  To serve, sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Onion sauce

Onion sauce, evokes simplicity and taste but it is not always so straight forward.

The original recipe I used was based on a Graham Kerr recipe (although his called for monosodium glutamate - which I found a little disturbing), I found that by simply cooking the onions over a gentler, but longer heat, soon made up for this artificial enhancer. 

I must admit, I soon abandoned it soon after and the recipes that follow are tried and tested and are amalgamations of many a dinnter party and simple suppers over years.  As you can see the recipe soon evolved.

A basic onion sauce comprises of onions, a little fat to fry the said onions, flour and wine (instead of, or as well as some stock) and the personal addition of seasoning to taste.  Additionally, in the original recipe, Graham included milk, but unless this is an accompaniment for lighter meats, I don't think this necessary.  However, if you do add some, add it instead of an equal quantity of the reduced liquid stated below.

I have two versions of this sauce, one is relatively simple and I tend to use this as a way of revitalising and reheating cold meats.  The second is literally a more refined onion gravy and is made with a rich vegetable or veal stock. 

With the more basic sauce, slice cold cuts of meat and additional thin slices of onion in an oven proof dish.  Layering between these with a small amount of sauce.  Additions to this could be some chopped caper berries (especially good with roast pork or leftover boiled ham) or chopped black olives (good with beef or lamb).

My leaning towards earthy flavours normally includes fresh or dried herbs in both versions, normally dried thyme and parsley for simple version and a full bouquet for the richer set - the latter normally when reducing the stock in readiness to add to the sauce.  Both versions make about 450 to 500 mls, depending upon the strength of your reduction.

 

Basic method

The liquid:

• 400mls Vegetable stock
• 400mls good dry white wine

In a pan over a medium heat reduce the liquid by a third to a half and set aside.

• 25 grams of unsalted butter
• One large onion, chopped finely
• 1 small clove of garlic (crushed)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 level teaspoon of dried parsley and another of dried thyme (or 1 generous table spoon of finely chopped parsley and one of thyme)
• 2 table spoons of plain flour
• 300 mls of stock/wine

On a low to medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion.  Slowly cook until the onion is very soft and then add the garlic, salt and herbs.  Keep cooking slowly for another ten minutes or so and then add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture has absorbed it.  Slowly add the reduced stock/wine. Cook for a further 20 minutes, slowly simmering and stirring.  The result should be a silky emulsion that easily covers the back of a spoon.

If you are adding milk to the sauce, reduce the amount of stock by a third and then after simmering for a few minutes add the milk towards the end, bringing back to just below simmering point. 

Second method

 

The liquid:

• 350 mls vegetable or veal stock
• 350 mls of good dry white wine
• 100 mls of dry vermouth
• 1 bouquet garnet (2 large sprigs each of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and two bay leaves, one teaspoon of black pepper corns).

In a pan over a medium reduce the liquid gradually by approximately half.  Set aside to cool with bouquet remaining.

• 25 grams of unsalted butter for the beginning of the recipe
• One large onion, chopped finely
• 1 small clove of garlic (crushed)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour
• 300 mls of enriched stock
• 50 mls of dry vermouth
• 25 grams of softened unsalted butter for the glossing at the end

Use the method as above, adding separately the additional vermouth just a few minutes before the end of the simmering time, continue to stir allow to come to just below simmering point. 

Then, taking the sauce periodically off the heat and using a hand whisk, add small amounts of additional butter and whisk into the mixture.  The result should be much glossier version of the first sauce and is ideal to serve on freshly roasted meats as an alternative to gravy.  Equally as good on both red meat and poultry.  With game, substitute a good quality cognac instead of vermouth. 

 

Again, if adding milk, do so in the final stages, in this case after the vermouth has been added and allowed to cook through for a minimum of 5 minutes before adding the milk gradually.

Spiced green vegetables with yogurt

Spiced green vegetables with yogurt

Spice paste

• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of white mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper corns
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 mild green chilli (seeds included or excluded, to taste)
• 1 level teaspoon of rock salt

In a frying pan, dry roast the coriander and mustard seeds along with the white pepper corns until the coriander seeds start to change colour and the mustard seeds begin to pop.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile in a pestle and mortar crush, along with the rock salt the garlic and green chilli, adding a little corn oil to help lubricate the paste.  Add the roasted spices and crack them and make as smooth a paste as possible, but don't worry if doesn't grind right down as this adds to the character of the dish.

Vegetables

• 25 grams of gee or melted butter
• Spice paste
• 2 large white paprika - roughly chopped
• 2-3 green peppers or similar (Sivri/Charleston are favourites of mine) - roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly
• 150 grams of okra, topped and sliced on the diagonal
• 150 mls of water
• 1 large courgette - cut once lengthways and then sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 50 grams of chopped parsley
• 150 mls of thick yogurt (Greek yogurt is my preference but use the type you most like)

To a deep pan, add the gee/melted butter and spice paste over a medium heat.  Add the pepper and onion and stir occasionally until they begin to soften.  Add the okra and half the water, cover and allow to cook for ten to fifteen minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes.  Then add the courgette, and if the pan is quite dry, add the remaining water and all but a few tablespoons of the chopped parsley.  Cover and allow to cook for a further fifteen minutes or so, or until the courgettes begin to go opaque.

There should be very little water in the base - perhaps five or six tablespoons, but if more than this, drain a little away.  Take the vegetables off the heat and add the yogurt and remaining parsley. 

 

Serve immediately, pictured below with Ten bean red curry.  

Ten Bean Red Curry

Background

What to do with a new ten bean mix from Waitrose?  I must admit, the colours of the beans are actually what attracted me to the packet and the thought of doing so kind of Italian bean stew or a bean loaf was my first instinct.

But I had just found a second hand book in a charity shop and had read the article of Madhur Jaffrey's new series in Guardian, and decided by the time I had gotten home that evening that that I would "make a curry".

I love vegetable currys, I "like" meat ones, but I love the flavours of vegetable currys as these (to my taste) tend to be more complex.    This bean curry is an amalgamation of a vegetable curry I was quite addicted to in my past and a butter bean korma that I used to make with onions, mint and yogurt.

For the vegetable curry, just leave out the beans, sieved tomatoes and mint and halve the amount of ginger.  I would double the amount of fresh tomato and probably add a couple of handfuls of spinach towards the end.

Currys for me are a layering process.  First the spice mix or paste, then the onion base (if separate) and then the meat and vegetables.  I get in the "zone" when making highly spiced dishes (be it Asian or north African) as I want the foundation of the spices and herbs used to be just right.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making (and eating) it.

Ten Bean Red Curry

 

Ten Beans

 

250 grams of mixed dried beans (Black eyed beans, black turtle beans, butter beans, haricot beans, lima beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, rose cocoa beans, alubia beans and mung beans) - soaked overnight with two changes of cold water.  Then in fresh cold water, brought to the boil for 15-20 minutes with a whole medium onion and then allowed to simmer until tender.  Drain, remove the onion and set aside.

 

Spice paste

• 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
• 1 level teaspoon salt
• 1 or two dried chillies
• 2 sticks (approximately 4 cm long and 1.5 cm thick/round each) ginger - grated
• 3 large cloves of grated garlic
• 1 table spoon of melted butter or gee

In a frying pan, dry roast the coriander,, cumin and dried chilies until the coriander and cumin seeds start to change colour.  Take off the heat and in a pestle and mortar (or in a spice grinder) crush and reduce to a rough powder with the help of the salt.   Then add the ginger and garlic and fat and combine for a thick paste.

The curry

• Spice paste
• 20 mls of corn oil
• 1 large onion - roughly chopped
• 100 mls of water
• 2 large red peppers/paprika - roughly chopped
• 2 large ripe tomatoes - cored and roughly chopped
• 150 mls of sieved tomatoes (or plain passata)
• 250 grams of roughly chopped aubergines
• 20 grams of chopped mint

In a deep pan, warm through the spice paste and oil and add the onions on a low to medium heat until softened.  Add a third of the water and reduce until it has the consistency of a "sauce", add a further third of the water and repeat the process a further time using all the water.

Add the peppers/paprika and coat with the spiced sauce and then add the tomatoes.  Turn the heat to low and cover for ten to fifteen minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes.  Add the sieved tomatoes and aubergines, stir thoroughly and cover.   Allow to heat through for a further ten to fifteen minutes and add half of the chopped mint and the cooked beans.  Stir thoroughly and cover and cook for a further ten to fifteen minutes and then add the remaining mint.  Stir in and turn off heat and remain covered.   Allow to stand before reheating to serve (on a low to medium heat) for a minimum of an hour to allow the favours to fully mature through dish.

Tis the season to be sociable

I'm a big fan of socialising at home, somehow making just a little effort to entertain and bring friends together seems one of life's pleasures that keeps many of us from going mad.


Whether its a cheeky Wednesday, mid-week drink, a Saturday afternoon in front of the telly with latest DVD release or bringing friends together for a special occasion (Eurovision and Christmas seem to have equal footing in my life), what better way to show you care about your family and friends than to present them food that not only looks and tastes good, but that shows you have thought about them and says "I hope you have a great time".

This message needn't take very long and you can always build a little individual support over a number of days/evenings before, whilst cooking dinner.    For example, whilst re-heating that lasagna from the previous evening's dinner, why not put a tray of halved tomatoes below it, these, along with the olives you bought on the way home and a little crumbled feta makes a great filling for tortillas that, cut the diagonal will make great munch platter along with the regular accompaniments of nuts and crisps and dips.

If you have a little more time to put something together you could look no further than turkey papettes or tarragon parcels, the filling of latter can be prepared much earlier.

Simpler starters and snacks I've listed further below, but remember that the simple method of slow roasting tomatoes can be applied to so many other things that will later be added to any number of dishes.

Try slow roasting small baby onions with just a little olive oil and scattering them with fennel seeds, roasting for 30-35 minutes.   These are perfect tossed with blue cheese cubes and some roughly chopped parsley and added to pastries as an alternative to the chicken in the tarragon parcels.

Roasting your own peppers also brings more options to your table, rather than those bought in jars, you can add your own flavours (garlic, ginger or a little madras or tamarind spice) so that when they come out of the oven, they need no other dressing and can be chopped and added to wraps or used with pasta for a quick supper the following day.

Financiers - my Spanish take on a French classic
Simple asparagus rolls - a little fiddly, but so rewarding!
My three best (and most popular) dips - use them for fillings for pastries as well
A cheeky, spicy addition to pre-dinner drinks - baby chilli aubergines
Summer parties have never been so good - bloody mary tomatoes
Midweek cheeky one - a few ideas for quick tapas style snacks

Almond & Cheese biscuits

You can tell when I get an idea in my head that I can't let go.

Biscuits, both savoury and sweet have been on my mind this week as my partner and I have been been on a "soup diet" and, although I love soup, I simply run out of energy in the middle of day and a banana just doesn't do it for me.

I'm not a sweet tooth person, so chocolate is out and at the very most sour cherries and dried fruits are normally the nearest thing I get to snacking.  So biscuits come into my head, and savoury ones are my preference.

This savoury biscuit is one of my all time favourites, not just because its quick to prepare and great with a coffee, but it has a little "bite" as I normally use hot paprika (or failing this, a little chilli powder).  These are also great with drinks for mid-week entertaining and, because they can be prepared and cooked so quickly, can be made fresh before your guests arrive.

75 grams of unsalted butter
75 grams of ground almonds
75 grams of grated strong cheese
25 grams of chopped almonds
one level teaspoon of hot papriki (or half a teaspoon of chilli powder)
milk for brushing

Pre-heat oven to 180/190c.

Rub the butter into the flour and add the cheese and spice.  This should make a light dough/thick paste.

Either roll out to about half a centimetre and cut into squares or roll into a sausage and divide into about 20-24 rounds/portions.

Place on two buttered oven trays and allow for spread.

Press the chopped almonds into the tops of the mixture and brush each with a little milk.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until just golden brown.

Gin soaked cherry biscuits

Old recipes are in vogue at the moment, but sometimes they don't just make me smile but also cringe.  I love Julia Child and Fanny Cradock, but together, they introduced a level of fat and sugar to both sides of the Atlantic that would make today's health and safety professionals exhale a collective sigh that would probably cause hurricanes all over the globe.

I'm no stranger to to butter (in fact I think I'm a little bit in love with that particular ingredient) or lard and their uses do play a note of attraction in many of my recipes.

One of my old books, by Zena Skinner (dated 1982) and given to me by my very good friend Judith for my birthday this year, has a great recipe for "Melting Moments" a biscuit with a difference, of the four ozs of fat, two and a half were lard.  I think I may have laughed out loud, partly out of joy but also, equally, out of guilt, because this simple recipe made me think of simpler, less complicated times.

A recipe that I have used however, and probably the only biscuit recipe I have used more than twenty times, is a simple cherry biscuit/cookie.  No lard I'm afraid but it does have softened unsalted butter and no flour.

• 100 grams of unsalted butter
• 75 grams of fine white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 125 grams of ground almonds
• 50 grams of of soured cherries, soaked in gin

Pre-heat the oven to 200c

Combine the butter and sugar until it is creamy in texture.  Beat in the egg and the ground almonds.  And then combine with the cherries.

Cook's note:  Depending upon the size of the egg, the mixture should form a pretty stiff dough, if the dough is more cake mix than dough add more ground almonds as the soaked cherries will add a little more liquid.

On a buttered baking tray and using one teaspoon portions of the mixture distribute evenly, allowing for spread.  I like the "rustic" look myself, but if you want tidy, neater biscuits, wet your hands and roll the measures into balls.  Flatten slightly on the tray.

Cook for 15 minutes and allow to cool.

Mushroom Soup

This is soup is probably one of the most loved and hated of all soups.  It can be incredibly simple and quite a sophisticated dish.

If you love fungi then, this soup is up there in the hall of fame and probably on your list of favourite comfort foods.

The basic recipe is one part onions, four parts mushrooms, vegetable stock and seasoning.  Most recipes liquidise it and thicken it and some add sherry or brandy, the variations are almost endless.

One of the things I love about this recipe is traditionally it was a recipe of no waste.  One recipe, which alas I cannot remember where I read it, dated from nineteenth century and described this as a peasant dish and to use your herbs in their entirety.  Ever since I read this, I made sure that when using parsley for this soup, I use the stalks as well as the leaves.

A basic recipe with proportions go something like this:

• 10 mls of vegetable oil
• one large onion, sliced or roughly chopped
• one tablespoon of plain flour
• 200 grams of mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 10 grams of parsley, leaves roughly chopped, stalks finely chopped
• 600 mls of stock or cold water
• salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pan, heat the oil and add the onion and finely chopped parsley stalks until softened.  Then add the mushrooms so that they are evenly coated and just start to turn colour.  Add the flour and "cook" for a few minutes, stiring frequently so that it doesn't catch the bottom of the pan.

Add a third of the stock and keep stiring and, as the soup thickens add the remaining chopped parsley.  Turn down the heat and allow to simmer gently for a few minutes, after which add the remaining stock and cover for about 20 to 30 minutes and then turn off the heat and allow to stand for a further 20 to 30 minutes or overnight.

Prior to reheating and depending upon your personal choice, this is the point you liquidise or not, as now you will add any additional ingredients, including your choice of seasonings.  If you prefer texture to your soup leave your creation be and don't be tempted to bow to convention!

Put your pan on low to medium heat and bring the temperature of the soup up gradually.  As it does so, grate a little nutmeg and and pour in 50 mls of dry sherry or 25 mls of cognac.  Stir and bring the temperature to just below simmering point. 

At this stage add 25 to 50 mls of single cream stir and then taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper, wait a further five or ten minutes and taste again, once you are happy, you are ready to serve.

My own personal tastes only differs slightly from the above, I tend to add a large chopped garlic clove to the first stage with the onions and chopped parsley stalks and add a teaspoon of smoked sweet paprika along with the flour.  I'm a sherry and mushrooms man rather than using cognac.

My friend Marie introduced me to tarragon as a herb of choice for a more textural mushroom stew, which is extremely good.  Less liquid, and has the addition of a bulb of fennel, roughly chopped which is added at the same time as the onions and spears of asparagus which are added at the end.