Giving chai a try
Don’t mistake this for me purporting to be any kind of expert on masala chai. I’m not – my making of masala chai is purely a result of my greediness and nosiness about all things food. A work colleague and I are often in the …
Recent Posts
Very simple banana loaf
Ingredients Method When is a mouldering banana a welcome sight? When you need to bake something, that’s when. Banana-based baking is the ultimate transformation from yuck to yum. Very ripe, very brown bananas might be a bit nasty to look at but think of the …
Spicy chickpeas with tahini and spinach
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained
- 1 x T of olive oil or butter
- 1 x clove of garlic, finely sliced
- 1.5 x t cumin
- 1 x t paprika
- 1 x t cracked black pepper
- 1 x T tahini
- 1 x cup of spinach leaves
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Plain yoghurt to serve if desired
Method
- In a large frying pan, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then the spices and cook for a further minute
- Tip in the chickpeas and turn the heat up to hot. Cook five minutes until the chickpeas brown and char slightly, stirring constantly so they don’t burn.
- Mix in the tahini and swirl until it coats the chickpeas. Add the spinach and wilt it, then squeeze over the lemon juice. This is good with a dollop of yoghurt and stuffed into a pita pocket.
About this recipe
You know those grey rainy Sunday days in winter that feel a bit blah and uninspiring? Yes, me too. Perhaps today is even one of them. This chickpea concoction can help somewhat with zippy lemon and warm spices. It fits in well with many of the thing you might be craving on such a day…popped on top of some hot buttered toast or stirred in with some fluffy rice. I particularly like it stuffed into a toasted pita bread and munched in front of telly, followed by a hot cup of tea. Even better, it makes 2-3 serves, so you’ve already got yourself out of a Sunday task….leftovers for working Monday lunch, sorted. Enjoy 💚
Gluten free lemon, coconut and blueberry muffins
Ingredients: Method: About this recipe I know gluten free baking can seem like a faff but honestly, if you can bear to fork out for some gluten-free flour then you have a lot of options without much effort. Many ingredients that are simply superb in …
Carrot cake
Cake ingredients: Icing ingredients: Method: ‘Carrot’ might not be first up when you think ‘I fancy something sweet’ but they are undeniably delicious and we have their sweetness to thank for carrot cake. Carrot cake in some form or other has been enjoyed for quite …
Roast parsnip, leek and carrot soup
Ingredients
- 1 leek
- 3 parsnips
- 2 carrots
- 1 T olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 T butter
- 2 T each of fresh sage and thyme, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable stock or water
- Grated nutmeg and plain yoghurt, to serve
Method:
- Heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- Wash the leek, parsnips and carrots. There’s no need to peel the parsnips or carrots, but if you wish to so be it.
- Chop the vegetables width-ways into 2-3 pieces. Place into a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix until the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Place vegetables into a roasting tin so they are standing end-up, like little barrels. Pour over any oil remaining in the bowl. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until the cut sides are deep brown and looking caramelised. Remove from oven.
- Heat the butter in a large pot. Stir in the herbs once melted. Add the vegetables and stock / water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and blend using an immersion blender. Grate in some fresh nutmeg and season to taste.
About this recipe
Oh the lovely leek! Truly one of my favourite vegetables this time of year, when the shadows are a little longer and there’s a bite in the air. Leeks are allium family members, related to onions and garlic, but a little sweeter and more subtle in my opinion. They are an ancient crop, likely brought to the British Isles by the Romans. Leeks are the national symbol of Wales, with the origin of this lying in the 6th century when Welsh soldiers wore leeks in a battle against the Saxons.
In this soup, leek is tossed with olive oil and roasted with parsnip and carrot to the point of being deeply golden-brown, bringing out its sweetness. Fresh sage and thyme sautéed in butter provide a flavourful base and the carrot and parsnip provide some heartiness to keep you full.
I blend this only lightly as I like a little chunkiness. It’s only a matter of preference however so if you like your soup smoother, go for it. I add a dollop of plain yogurt for serving, and do grate over the fresh nutmeg if you can – it’s a great pairing with leek. And in Autumn a little spice and warmth, from nutmeg or elsewhere, goes a long way.
Plum and apple crumble
Ingredients: Plum and apple mixture: Crumble topping: Method: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Place the apples, plums, cinnamon vanilla and 2 tablespoons of water into a pot – the water should be covering the base of the pan. Depending on how juicy the …
Home made crackers
Ingredients Method Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line two 20 x 30cm baking trays with baking paper In a medium bowl, mix together masa flour, seeds and the teaspoon of sea salt. Add the olive oil and boiling water. Mix together until all …
Rocket and basil pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup rocket, roughly chopped
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, squashed and chopped up
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Place all ingredients into a food processor or a blender. Process on high speed until it forms a wet, loose texture. If it is dry and clumpy, add a little more olive oil and process again. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
About this recipe
This punchy pesto is a great alternative to salad if you find yourself with some rocket in need of eating. Even if you don’t have rocket to hand, I reckon it’s worth getting some if you fancy making pesto. This is not a strictly authentic pesto recipe given the rocket and almonds, but I promise it’s worth a shot anyway. Pairing rocket with the basil gives it a satisfying peppery kick, and the toasted, chopped almonds give enjoyable hits of nuttiness in between unctuous herby mouthfuls.
Pesto enjoyed a significant surge in popularity in American and British diets in the 1980s and 90s, and rightly so, because it is delicious. It dates back to at least the Middle Ages, and potentially has an earlier relative ‘moretum’ from ancient Roman times. The original basil pesto hails from Genoa and its story is in fact a truly international one. Basil found its way to Italy from Asia through ancient spice routes. Sailors leaving from the port of Genoa took pesto with them on their journeys to promote good health, and I like to think it found favour in many foreign ports.
This pesto is good for the traditional slathering-on-pasta as a sauce and for pepping up a sandwich, but I think it’s particularly good as a dip, scooped up with crackers and crudités. I hope you like it x
Orange and apple muffins
Ingredients Method About this recipe Comparing apples with oranges was the name of the game for my fruit bowl for a while there, thanks to Wonky Box. It got me thinking – oranges are lovely in baking, but I haven’t come across many recipes where …
Mandarin cake
Ingredients: Method: I’ve recently subscribed to Wonky Box – what a delight! It gives me a nice little pick-me-up throughout my week – make no mistake, I am exactly the kind of geek who finds vegetable-related updates exciting. Tuesday’s announcement of which goodies to expect …
Tummy travels
I am just back from a truly fabulous trip away overseas, so please do forgive my gap in posting. While I recover from jet lag and make my way through a substantial stack of dirty socks and other clothing (why does one half of a pair of socks go missing SO OFTEN?!) I’m sharing some happy tummy highlights.
We carved out a decent chunk of Ireland on a map, hired a car and set to it. What a delight. Warm people, stunning scenery and delicious eating. I could not get enough of the Irish brown bread – every place has its own home-made version. Always hearty with a substantial chew and generous side of butter. Dela in Galway was a particular meal highlight with a plate-heaving vege breakfast and mimosa – their home grown tomatoes starred in the relish and my mouth still waters at the memory. Dublin’s 3fe provided very welcome relief for jet lag with excellent coffee and even better food; there were return visits.
A pit stop in Birmingham introduced me to Saint Kitchen…if you’re in Birmingham, go there! I can still taste the delicious avocado smash; I don’t know what they put in it but rest assured I will be trying to recreate it this summer.
A week in Berlin and I feel we barely touched the surface of this extraordinary city…we did give our best shot at eating as much of the excellent food as possible though. Cheap, varied and dependably great are the words that spring to mind and I have too many photos of all of it to bore you with, but please tolerate some snaps of Wen Cheng’s biang biang noodles, coffee and pastry at Godshot and of course excellent beer at Braugier and Prater beer garden.
I missed cooking and have been back in my beloved kitchen so some more of my own food and recipes will be with you soon.
Peach and almond upside down cake
Ingredients: Method: About this recipe My peach and almond upside down cake is dense and hearty with a buttery topping of sweet sliced fruit. Inspired by the retro delight of a pineapple upside down cake, this version is comforting and appropriate for winter, with a …
Pretty red pears
Oh my, when I spotted this beautiful red fruit at the shops I simply could not leave it there – such a gorgeous colour, and somehow I have never sampled one before. This little beauty is a Piqa Boo pear – yes, I agree, what …
Feijoa kasundi (from Feijoabulous)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil
- 1 T tumeric
- 2 T each of ground cumin and chilli powder
- 125g root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 12 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 & 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 kg feijoas, topped and tailed and chopped, but skin on
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 T mustard seeds
- 1 T salt
Method
- Place ginger, garlic, feijoas and vinegar into a food processor and blend until smooth.*
- In a large pot, heat the oil, add the spices and cook until fragrant.
- Add the feijoa mixture to the pot, along with the sugar, mustard seeds and salt, and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil floats on the top (about 30 minutes).
- Ladle into warm sterilised jars. Add a layer of oil to the top of each jar before sealing.
About
I had such a great weekend visiting Whanganui a couple of weeks ago. The highlight was of course seeing our dear friends who have made their home there. One of the many bonuses of staying with them was discovering the Feijoabulous recipe book. Did you know Whanganui has an annual ‘Feijoabluous’ feijoa festival? Well, I do now, and frankly, what a great idea. Sustainable Whanganui not only hosts the festival but also produces a recipe book with plenty of ideas for the glut many lucky feijoa growers experience in a season.
I’m going to have to try a number of these, especially the feijoa vodka. With some leftover, empty jars just hanging around after my recent apple jelly-making, however, the kasundi was a natural first choice. Kasundi is a mustard-rich condiment originally from Bengal. Fragrant, sweet feijoas are a delightful base for the pungent mustard and vinegar in this adaptation. I have found it is particularly delicious eaten rather non-traditionally with some sharp cheddar on crackers; give this a try for a new twist on your platter!
*if you don’t have a food processor, I think you could dice the feijoas into quite small pieces and let sit with the vinegar, garlic and ginger – it would make a slightly chunkier kasundi, but this is not a bad thing!
Cashew butter cookies – vegan + gluten free
Ingredients Method About this recipe Struggling to come up with vegan and gluten free baking ideas? Then let cashew butter be your friend. My lovely Fix and Fogg jar of cashew butter was a gift and gosh I love it. It’s creamy and rich and …
Apple jelly
Ingredients: Method: We’re really in Autumn here now and I’m enjoying the mellow days and slight cooling in the air. I enjoy Autumnal eating – warming soups and stews, sauces and pickles made from the last of the summer tomatoes, feijoas. I was lucky to …
Roasted Andiamo tomatoes
Ingredients:
- Andiamo tomatoes (or other San Marzano type tomatoes)
- Baby eggplants
- Garlic cloves
- Basil leaves
- Olive oil spray or a drizzle of olive oil
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Cut the tomatoes, eggplants and garlic in half lengthways.
Spray a large roasting tin with olive oil spray, or drizzle with olive oil. Place the tomatoes and eggplants in a single layer in the tin. Place the garlic cloves on top of the eggplants and tomatoes and scatter with basil leaves.
Roast for 30 minutes or until tomatoes and eggplants have started to collapse.
About this recipe
It’s not really a recipe so much as my documenting of what I did with a lucky bounty from my parents, who are amazing gardeners as I have documented here before. These Andiamo tomatoes are special; they are a variety of San Marzano – a robust plum tomato prized for its sweet flesh and lower water and seed content. They come from San Marzano Sul Sarno, in the Salermo province of Southern Italy, where volcanic soils are thought to make the tomatoes sweeter and less acidic. San Marzano tomato types are favourites for sauces, canning or bottling whole. I took my Dad’s advice with this batch though, and roasted them – they came up beautifully and tasted delicious with the soft little baby eggplants and a smattering of garlic and basil. I topped toasted slices of Vogels with this mixture and a generous spread of feta. Lip-smacking lunches for days and a daily reminder of my luck in having such generous, green fingered parents.
Warming red lentil and carrot soup
Ingredients: Method: In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and all the spices. Keep stirring to prevent anything burning. Once the coriander and mustard seeds start to pop (2-3 minutes), add the lentils, rice and carrots. Stir to coat in the …
White chocolate & strawberry jam blondies
Ingredients Method About this recipe… I’ve been playing around with this recipe since Christmas. I treated myself to a jar of Roses strawberry conserve to go with festive croissants and needed something to do with the leftovers that wasn’t simply jam on toast. Nothing wrong …
Happy mocktails for a happy 2023
You might have many reasons for choosing a mocktail – driving, dehydrated, just feel like something lighter – and this festive season I decided to give making some a go. I’m new to mixing cocktails and mocktails so do not have my own recipes ready and waiting in my brain and selected two from the New York Times Cooking catalogue. I present you the vanilla and citrus Orchard Thief and a mocktail version of a Dark ‘n’ Stormy.
Trying these out was a lot of fun and has given me some ideas for future experiments. It’s nice to have something different to offer non-drinkers and gave me a chance to master the cocktail basic of making a simple sugar syrup. They were two quite different drinks – the Orchard Thief is sweet and light, served in an elegant flute with a delicious vanilla undercurrent. I was drawn to the Dark ‘n’ Stormy because of its name – sounds most mysterious and sultry! The original Dark ‘n’ Stormy is rum-based and so-named after a sailor thought the contents of their tumbler resembled a stormy sky. This mocktail version is a delight – a sugar syrup base infused with spices, dark cold tea for bitterness and topped up with ginger beer.
So please let me raise a glass to the New Year, I hope 2023 brings us all what we wish for. Happy holidays and good health to all x
Tomato-baked eggs
This is truly a store cupboard staple as it requires things I bet you already have to hand. Even better, it’s a delight for chilly Winter days – it’s warming and filling with a healthy dose of things that will keep you well, including vitamin …
Irish potato bread
I come from a reasonably large family of four kids and I believe this is why I always cook too many potatoes. Potato-duty for family meals was a large scale operation and the mission was successful upon delivery of a large pot or roasting pan …
Mint sauce for your Easter lamb
You can happily enjoy Easter without being carnivorous, what with some of the best things about Easter being non-meaty (chocolate and hot cross buns, loaded with butter obviously). But if you fancy Easter roast lamb, then let me convince you that making your own mint sauce to accompany it is very much worth an extra five minutes in your meal preparation. It’s ridiculously simple and so fresh and tasty.
Mint grows like a happy, verdant weed in my garden. I think our often-inclement climate suits it well and it’s a tough bugger of a herb, so it doesn’t need a lot of pampering. I keep it in pots by itself so it doesn’t take over the other members of my planter boxes beds and top it up with a little water and seaweed tonic when I’m tending to my more delicate plants. I eat it with everyone – in frittatas with spinach and feta, in Thai-inspired salads with basil and coriander, and of course in mint sauce.
You won’t need much for this one at all, it’s largely store-cupboard ingredients and if you don’t have mint at home, it’s readily available in big bushy pots at the supermarket. I hope you give it a try.
Ingredients:
1 cup of mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup of boiling water
1/4 cup of vinegar (honestly, any type is fine – I either use plain old white vinegar, or red wine vinegar if I have it)
1 T white sugar
Salt to season
Method:
Place the mint leaves in a small heat-proof bowl or jug (at least 1 cup capacity)
Pour over the boiling water. Leave to steep for five minutes to soften the mint.
Add the vinegar and sugar. Once cool enough, taste and season with salt to your liking.
Serve with roast lamb – any leftovers keep for several weeks in the fridge, and you can also use it to stir into peas to give them a lift or mixed with plain yoghurt for a salad dressing or sandwich spread.
Spiced plum shortcake
I think we all need a little sweetness at the moment. Summer holidays, and the little dash of optimism and refreshment they deliver, feel like a long time ago indeed. Luckily, I have this spiced plum shortcake recipe stored up from my own summer holiday, …
Some stuff I cooked in 2021
Happy New Year! I was lucky to have a pretty decent 2021, and I know I am in the minority here. It was a shocker for many of my favourite people. Wherever January 2022 finds you (ideally somewhere relaxing and on holiday with many tasty …
Grilled scallopini
My parents are amazing gardeners and I couldn’t resist this little scallopini left over from their crop. Mainly because, what a cute vegetable, everyone! How could you not want to take it home? Little and frilly and kind of like a flying saucer. I’ve eaten them before but not prepared them myself; they are not unlike a courgette to deal with but they are sweeter and firmer on the eating side of things. So, if you find courgettes can be a little bitter for your taste, let me recommend the scallopini to you.
If you’ve read my blog before you’ll know I am a fan of providing a little historical background on my food. Writing this post has lead to me to a veritable treasure trove of information on the Louis Bonduelle Foundation website with its vegetable ABC section. I learned from the website that Scallopini are also known as patty pan squash and, along with promising you a “healthy vacation glow,” they from Central America and are a member of the mighty Curcubitaceace family. Their French name is Pâtisson, taken from the name of a cake baked in a scalloped mould. They are suited to numerous preparation styles, including roasting, sautéing and baking with cheese (although what food does that not improve, I’d like to know).
My method here is summery – fresh herbs and lemon, and you could pop this on the BBQ or, like I did, just in a grill pan on the stove top. Good as a side and hearty enough for a small meal with some bread on the side.
For one scallopini (increase according to number of scallopini you are grilling):
1 scallopini, cut into lengthways slices of no more than 1cm thickness
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 t goats cheese (could also use feta)
1/4 lemon
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Heat the grill to medium hot. While it is warming up, rub the scallopini slices in the oil (I find it easy to use a shallow bowl to do this).
Place the slices onto the heated grill. Turn a few times initially to avoid sticking. Cook for a three to four minutes per side, until grilled to your liking.
Lay the grilled scallopini slices onto a plate or platter. Crumble the goats cheese and scatter over. Add the mint and cracked pepper over the top. Serve with lemon slices to be squeezed over just before eating.
Roasted butternut with tahini dressing
Butternut is such a sweet little name that, even if I didn’t much fancy the taste, I would still have to create a recipe or two in its honour. So, luckily I find it delicious as well as cutely named. Butternut is lighter, softer and …
Home-dried oregano
It was a pretty crappy Summer season in my garden overall, with the grand total of 12 manky-looking tomatoes and two cucumbers (there were three cucumbers, but something ate one of them). The outlier here has been my herb collection. These little guys have gone …
Honey and balsamic roasted carrots, or meh carrots part 2.
For the second recipe in my ground-breaking series on the humble carrot I bring you…honey and balsamic roasted carrots. This recipe is especially useful if you have a number of the little orange critters languishing in your vegetable drawer and they’re getting on the soft side. Slathering them with some umami flavours, some honey and a little olive oil is SO much more chi-chi than a simple slice and boil, and any softness is cleverly covered up. Here I have them photographed as part of a simple meat-and-three-veg, accompanying not only steak but a humble jacket baked potato. They are equally at home sprinkled with feta and some chickpeas for a simple vegetarian supper. And don’t feel you can’t participate if you don’t have any soft, boring carrots to hand – this is also lovely with those fancy baby carrots with the leafy green tops.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 large carrots halved lengthways, or one bunch of baby carrots (leaves removed), scrubbed but not peeled
- 1 T honey
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- 2 T olive oil
- Salt and pepper to season
Method:
Heat oven oven to 210 degrees celsius.
Place carrots in a roasting tin.
Place honey, vinegar and oil in a jar and shake to combine.
Pour over the carrots and shake tin to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes total or until carrots are golden. Turn carrots once or twice during cooking.
Carrot salad with apple cider vinegar dressing, or meh carrots part 1
Happy New Year! Munching on carrot sticks, brimming with enthusiasm for a year of healthful habits? Nope, me neither. And I need to tell you right now that if that’s what you’re after, you’re probably reading the wrong blog. But, I am enjoying some carrot …
Four-ingredient oaty banana hotcakes
I invented these bad guys because I really dislike making traditional pancakes. Delicate thin batter getting stuck to the pan, wedging itself into odd shapes, lumps, burnt bits. The whole experience makes me hot, sweaty and angry. Especially as I am usually over-caffeinated, flapping around …
Covid comfort cooking: crispy potatoes
Hey friends, how are you all hanging in there? Okay I do hope. We are trucking along well Ngaio. The cats remain delighted with having their humans on tap. The husband remains delighted with our hard-working craft beer industry and its willingness to home-deliver. And I remain delighted that I have all I need right here in my bubble. I am a lucky person indeed.
If I had to pick one treat only to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be hot chips. I love all things potato. Mounds of buttery mash, crisply goose-fat roasted potatoes, boiled spuds scattered with a little fresh mint. Mmmm.
I love chips and other deep-fried goodies so much that there is absolutely no way I would ever own a deep frier. There is just too much potential for severe and unstoppable weight gain and frankly a whole lot of experimentation in frying things that were never meant to be fried.
So, lucky for me I have devised the following method of preparing potatoes in the oven which produces a very chip-like result and is very tasty, if I do say so myself. The key here is to get the oil nice and hot before you pop the potato in, so take good note of that part of the method even if you don’t want to follow the rest too closely.
Keep on taking care everyone and I will back with more Covid comfort cooking as time allows.
Oven chips (serves 2 or 4 if a side)
Ingredients:
- 4 medium to large potatoes
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Seasonings if you wish – choose from whatever you have. I am using a teaspoon of fresh chopped rosemary in this batch of chips depicted. Some other tasty suggestions – paprika, chilli powder, ground black pepper, dusting of turmeric
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade.
- Prepare the potatoes – peel and slice into chip shapes as pictured. I find this easiest to do by halving the potato lengthways, cutting each half lengthways again, and then slicing each portion into lengths. Mind your fingers. Season the chips with the salt and any other flavours if using.
- When the oven is heated, pour the oil into a large metal roasting pan. Place in the oven for five minutes.
- Remove the pan and quickly add the chips. Do use tongs to save your fingers and watch out for splashing oil.
- Don’t stir. Place back in the oven and cook at 220 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200.
- This will feel scary, but do not stir the chips at all. The oil will stop them from sticking and by leaving them, you get a lovely browned top and crisped bottom where the chips sit on the roasting pan.
- Once the tops of the potatoes are nicely browned, about another 20 minutes, they are ready to eat. Remove from the oven and serve.
Covid comfort baking: spiced apple scones
Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, fruit can go a little south in the fruit bowl. Things in general feel like they have gone a little south lately. This time a year ago our current COVID circumstances would have been unimaginable to pretty much all …
Love & loss & chicken pot pies
Last year’s multiple hospital trips were more significant than I realised last time I wrote. It turns out that, in the long-running battle between me and infertility, infertility was winning. Well ahead, in fact. In hospital, the charge nurse stroked my needle-studded hand protectively. You …
Lemon thyme cordial for healing
Wheewwww so another nearly two months since my last post with some more drama in between. Two further hospital admissions, including one particularly gripping visit to the emergency room with nurses running, grabbing wheelchairs and shouting ‘code two, code two’ into the PA system, three further blood transfusions, some very strong medication and some rather distressing specialist appointments. During which, in another anaemia fog, it seemed a good idea to send the horrid picture of myself below to my family to reassure them all was fine. Yes, I look awful, or as my sister helpfully put it, like a corpse.
So yes, it’s nice to have a lemon thyme plant in the garden happily doing its thing while its owner it otherwise occupied, and even better to have a nice soothing cordial recipe to hand which takes very little work. Cordials were originally a health tonic prepared by European apothecaries, and then later a liqueur, so all and all I think cordial is a very appropriate thing for me to have to hand at the present time.
It was a delight to do my background reading on cordial because it introduced me to the EUVS online library – a collection of vintage cocktail books for the bar tending profession, carefully sourced, scanned and loaded online so we can all benefit from this treasure trove.
The historical authority on cordial is one William Terrington, author of the definitive “Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks” and spouter of excellent commentary such as “champagne wine has been recommended by the faculty as a valuable mechanism for keeping up the system during exhaustion” and warning that “bad or fictitious champagne is injurious to health.” If you say so, Mr Terrington. Only the best champagne for me on a regular, medicinal basis from now on.
This recipe is really easy, honestly you pretty much put it all in a bowl and leave it for a bit, then dispense into bottles. You can omit the lemon thyme if you don’t want that extra flavour.
Take care lovelies and I will be back sooner and in even better health next time.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon citric acid
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups lemon thyme
3 lemons – juice and peel
2 cups boiling water
Place the citric acid, caster sugar, lemon thyme, lemon juice and peel into a heat-proof jug or bowl with 2 cups or above capacity.
Pour over the boiling water.
Leave it to cool (perfectly fine to do this in the fridge overnight).
Strain and serve. Keeps well for up to a month.
Cape Gooseberries
WOAH. That was a month and a half. The first section was pretty damn fine. My husband and I treated ourselves to a week in Rarotonga to celebrate getting through some rather rubbish stuff over the last wee while, and gosh it was bliss. Rarotonga …
Spicy oat and sunflower bites
Do you get to feeling nibbly late afternoon? Does your mouth start watering as you fantasise about stuffing large handfuls of salt and vinegar chips into your mouth alongside stacks of delicious lovely cheese? Well, friends, have I got a deal for you. Because while …
Quick pickled cucumber
I am busy looking after my garden, or is it looking after me? It’s working hard, growing many of my favourite treats, including raspberries, zucchinis and cucumbers.
My rangy, imperfect little beginner’s garden is very restorative. I can nurture my plants and enjoy some success, accompanied by kaka, tui and of course my funny little rescue cats who always appear from nowhere to supervise my activities. We’ve had a sad time with disappointing fertility treatments and I entered summer in a rather glum frame of mind. My garden has helped brighten my spirits.
On Saturday night I had the pleasure of dining at the beautilful Bresolin. There were some truly succulent dishes, including Sichuan-seasoned lamb accompanied by pickled cucumber. My garden is working hard on my own cucumbers but they are not ready yet, and inspired by my dinner at Bresolin, I couldn’t wait to make some pickled cucumber all of my own. 
This is a really simple recipe and it’s great to have a stash of pickled cucumber to jazz up your summer salads or cheese boards. Most of this batch has gone into my work lunches for the week – try it mixed with white beans, diced tomato and fresh parsely for simple, healthy salad.
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, skinned and chopped – I like it diced, but it works equally well in thin rounds
1 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 T caster sugar
2 t salt
Method:
Mix water, vinegar, sugar and salt together until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add the cucumber and make sure it is all covered with the liquid. Good to go after 30 minutes and will keep for a week, covered in your fridge (as demonstrated here with a lovely beeswax cover I was given for Christmas).
Spicy peach chutney with brandy and red currants
Cheese is pretty much my number one indulgence when it comes to Christmas. I don’t say indulgence with the purpose of getting all judgmental about food (far from it – one of my main approaches in my blog is to enjoy all food without fads …
Unholy guacamole
What I am about to share with you is deeply unorthodox. It’s my own recipe for guacamole, cultivated over the past two decades as I have developed a fully-fledged love of avocados. I always thought the way I made guacamole was pretty standard. You know, …