Walking in the Regents Park during these beautiful autumnal mornings, I get to look at the scenery, watch the birds, smell the roses, and yes there are many still in bloom. About 18 months ago, willowy brunette and I took a walk in the same gardens, when they ( the roses and everything else) were in full bloom. We found some that were not only beautiful roses, but smelt just WONDERFUL. My mission today, not only to walk but to find these roses again. Within The Regents Park, is a second park called Queen Mary’s Garden, which is even more beautiful than the basic park, landscaped with all sorts and Roses, Roses Roses everywhere. And I found them.

I will share their names with you, because many many roses are beautiful but not so many have an aroma.

Our choices are

One other which is beautiful. But doesn’t smell, but I like the name Rock and Roll !

I’m not a prolific cake maker, but when needs must or put in a different way, I am home and Himself likes Cake.

We have done the Citrus cake, the gingerbread the victoria sandwich , the crumble and the ice cream! Time to find something else to satisfy his sweet tooth.

The cake I came up with, is again not complicated.

1. 60 grms unsalted softened butter ( not Lurpak or something similar as it is artificially softened)
2. 100 grms soft fruit, I used blueberries, but raspberries would also be good
3. 75 grms sifted icing sugar
4. 50 grms icing sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder
5. 20 grms sifted plain flour
6. 2 eggs

Heat oven to 180 C / 160 C Fan, and grease a pan , I used a round one 17 cm., I lined the bottom with greaseproof paper.

• Put the icing sugar, ground almonds,baking powder and eggs into a mixer, with whisk attachment. Whisk on high for about 10 minutes. Melt the butter ( don’t let it get too hot) and gradually pour the butter into the mixture, whisking all the time.
• When fully amalgamated carefully fold in the sifted flour.
• Sprinkle your fruit on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes, test for doneness with a skewer.
• Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling tray.

Serve as it is or with whipped cream !

On my daily walk, I did a detour via my local upmarket Supermarket. The first time there since early March! It would appear than many others have not been near either, as things like raspberries, strawberries and much of their fresh fruit were all marked down.

En route to said Supermarket I passed a dress shop and there it was , my Christmas Outfit! I have wondered how the fashion writers in newspapers managed to keep their MoJo up during this time, winter boots here, the newest coats, dresses there, but who goes out? Not us! But here it is, a Christmas Outfit!

Today, Himself decided it was his turn to cook, so what was it to be? He wanted to do something on the BBQ, but what? The main question was what to take out of the freezer. Tomahawk pork chop was the answer. What on earth is a Tomahawk Pork Chop. Well just a really big pork chop! Not sure why they were in the freezer, but there they were. Himself was intrigued. A marinade is called for and sous vide cooking.

His marinade was the following:-

1. 3 cloves crushed garlic
2. 1 tsp ground black pepper
3. 4 tsp allspice1tsp caraway seeds
4. 1 1/2 tsp smokey paprika
5. 1 tbsp white vinegar
6. 1rsp oregano
7. 2r salt
8. 1t hot Chili powder
9. 1 small onion chopped
10. 200 mls orange juice.

Mix all of the above together, then put the pork and the marinade into plastic bags and seal. If using a sous vide machine put them into the sous vide at 145 C for 2 hours.

If just marinating cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Drain off the marinate and grill on a BBQ for only about 10 mins each side.

We served with some Lime and coriander butter, beans and potatoes.

Today we had Brunch within our BUBBLE, Mexican Eggs, or that is what I call it. chunky spicy tomatoey soup with garlic, ginger, spring onions, poached eggs and avocados, served with sourdough toast and coffee, with choice of milk .Sunday Lockdown cocktails, has restarted definitely socially distanced, each on our own terrace, shouting across the void, but this time round the evenings are getting darker and colder.

Tonight we indulged in a kind of Indian Meal, obviously not what any self respecting Indian would serve, but it certainly tasted pretty authentic.

It started out as Tandoori Lamb Chops, but I defrosted Lamb fillets instead, and then things like Brunch and cocktails got in the way and I was way behind schedule, so Tandoori Lamb Chops became Lamb Boti Kabab!

For two you will need

1. 2 Lamb fillets
2. 100 g Full Fat Greek Yoghurt
3. An inch of fresh ginger finely chopped
4. 3 cloves garlic smushed
5. ( or if you have garlic and ginger paste, use about 50 grams)
6. 3 tsp chilli powder
7. 1tsp salt
8. Rind and zest of lime ( lemon will do if no limes)
9. 30 mls vegetable oil
10. 2 tsp Garam Masala
11. 2 tsp cumin powder.

Trim the fat from the meat and cut into chunks.

Mix together all the above ingredients and add the meat chunks. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. ( this is where I had to skip a long marinade, only a couple of hours).

Thread the meat onto the skewers and grill on a high heat for about 4 minutes a side, no more. Lamb cooks quickly.

We ate this with a mustard cauliflower dish. We can call it Cauliflower Gosh. A friend served this to us a few weeks ago, in those days when we could still meet and eat. I thought it delicious and have been researching ever since. It would seem that the whole world ( well not quiet) lay claim to it, from the famous New York restaurant, Lutèce, to Gordon Ramsey, to Marcus Waring, Jamie Oliver and now Yotam Ottolenghi, and now even to me.

The classic version incorporates put lentils, which I love, but they can take time to cook, unless you buy them in a ready cooked packet. So I omitted them. I also used cooking Mozzarella and not cheddar, otherwise I almost followed the rules.

For 2

1. Half a head of cauliflower either cut into florets or try slices
2. 2 tbsp ghee
3. 1 chopped white onion
4. 2 tsp ground cumin
5. 1-2 tsp mustard powder, this is English mustard powder, of,course you can use Dijon mustard if you prefer, but won’t have the same density of flavour.
6. +/-75 grams grated cheese
7. +/- 25 grams finely grated Parmesan
8. Some chopped parsley
9. 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs.
10. Pinch salt

Cook your cauliflower so that it is al dente. I use the microwave with my Lekué vegetable steamer basket, it took 4 mins. Drain and put to one side.

Melt the ghee in a saucepan and sauté the onions until translucent and soft. Add the spices and stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cream and the mozzarella ( or the cheese of your choice) and half of the parmesan. Stir to mix well and then carefully add the cooked cauliflower, mix well taking care not to break the cauliflower into tiny pieces.

In the meantime in a bowl mix together the rest of the parmesan, the Panko breadcrumbs and the chopped parsley.

Put the cauliflower mixture into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on the top and put under a high grill for 2-4 minutes until the top is crisp and golden.

Of course you can serve this with any meal, not a just ” Pretend Indian.”

Not a lot has happened here in Marylebone Towers, we had Pizza Movie night on Friday, homemade of course and last night was yet another fish night.

I have sorted all of the freezers out, one for fishy stuff, one for meat, soups etc and another for cheeses, vegetables, sauces, flavoured butters and creams, herbs and chillies and odds and sods.

Sometimes I feel that I am a bit OCD. Things have to be in their place, sweaters and tops in colour order likewise trousers, in fact all of my clothes and shoes.

Hence the need to sort the freezers, as although I have had the third freezer now for a few weeks, I had not done the sorting and now I have ! Sometimes I think we should have a lockdown, now and again, just to get jobs done!

Onto, our fish dinner. Cod with a crust along with wilted spinach, baby gem lettuce and potatoes. Himself had a choice of dessert, gingerbread, citron cake or mango ice cream ( any or all )

PAN FRIED COD WITH PESTO CRUST ( for 2)

1. 2 cod fillets or steaks skin left on
2. Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
3. 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
4. 2 tablespoons pesto
5. 1-2 Oz unsalted butter
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably Panko crumbs

Mix together the pesto, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, lemon juice and zest. It should be well mixed and could roll into a ball, but not soggy at all.

Melt the butter, dry your fish and when the butter is sizzling, add the fish skin side down. Cook for several minutes, flip over for about a minute, the skin should be crisp , flip back and spoon over the sizzling butter over the fish. Take a ball of the topping and press onto the top of the fish. Place the pan under a hot grill to heat and to crisp up. Serve with salad or vegetables.

A tip about pesto and other sauces. As you might have read above in one of my freezers are flavoured butters and sauces. My mother and her generation never threw away food, it was recycled the next day. Had to be the next day as there was no home refrigeration. Growing up in a house where this was of necessity, I too do not throw food away, but I am helped by modern refrigeration.

Hence Pesto, whether you make your own or use shop bought, there is always left overs! Put a spoonful into ice cube trays and freeze. It doesn’t freeze into a solid cube, but enough to be able to scoop it out and wrap in cling film. Bingo, when suddenly you need just a little pesto,it is not going mouldy in a jar, but ready to use. I have all sorts of flavoured butters as well, but that is for another day.

Lockdown 2 Day three!

Well, I find it quiet odd that there is a lot of hustle and bustle in London. The main road north of me is busy, almost as busy as before. To my Shock and Horror, the Flagship store of Marks and Spencer is fully open ! Shocked yes, because why? Food Hall fine but the rest of the store? Beyond me!

Of course, Sods Law, the day we are banned from playing golf, or going swimming, the sun comes out to give us beautiful Autumnal days.

Walking in the wonderful The Regents Park, is magical at anytime and today was no different. I can hardly believe that I am the City when I wander through, smelling the roses, watching the birds and just enjoying the park.

I decided that this Sunday we will have Indian. Odd that the English will say, Let’s go out for an Indian, or Chinese, but never Lets go out for an English !

Anyway we are going to have some Indian food for dinner tomorrow. I have started ahead of time, simply because I am making mango chutney. Why? Simply because I received another order of the most wonderful mangoes from Spain. This time around have only put a couple of them out at a time to ripen, refrigerated most of the rest ( and given a couple to Miss Molly and Miss Amelia) .

This is easy to make and worth the effort, if you like Indian Food.

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil 
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 red chili , chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 UNRIPE large mangoes peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar

Heat the oil and add the chillies, garlic and ginger, sauté for a minute. Add all the spice, sauté for another minute. Add the sugar, salt and vinegar bring to the boil and then simmer for about an hour until the mango is fully soft and the mixture is well amalgamated. Put into sterilised jars and seal or leave to cool and bag smallish amounts and freezer until you need to use it. It does not have a very long shelf life otherwise. Can be super spicy or not, depends on the chillies, how many you use.

I remember Bonfire Night as a kid, damp, very cold, feet really cold ( no thermal boots or clothing in those days). A Bonfire made from garden rubbish and fireworks. Everyone had their own bonfire and their own set of fireworks. Nowadays, it is deemed unsafe for mere individuals to do this.

Flash back to living in Belgium, for 10 years we hosted a Bonfire Party, for expat families mostly British with kids away at school, but were home for the mid term break. We would have +/- 100 people come. All that they were required to do was to bring a “GUY” ! A guy is more like a scarecrow, a mock up of poor old Guido Fawkes, to be burnt on our Bonfire!

We had 2 Acres of wood Land as out garden, leaves were swept, twigs and branches collected and a huge bonfire was made in a clearing. Himself decamped to a firework factory and I to the butchers to buy an enormous Brisket and tons of sausages.

Brisket slow roasted, pulled and ready to go with coleslaw, baked potatoes , sausages on the BBQ, Popcorn and Toffee Apples.

We always held a “Guy” competition and I am sure we had a prize for the most innovative. Bonfire lit, fireworks let go! I actually think that Himself had more fun than anyone.

The easy thing to make ( without kids around as the toffee gets really really hot) Toffee Apples.

Making simple apples is fine, but have you tried eating one, how do you get your mouth around this toffee. A bit difficult. Maybe OK as an adult but for a child ? The answer is simple. Toffee Apple Slices.

• 6- 8 apples
• 400g caster sugar
• 100 ml water
• 4 tbsp golden syrup 
• It is really useful to have a cooking thermometer to make sure you reach the Hard crack stage.

• Prepare apple slices by coring them and cutting into thick slices. Add an ice lolly stick or chop stick in one side. Cut a little off one side of the apple so it will stand up.
• Add the sugar and water to a pan and heat to dissolve the sugar.
• Once dissolved, add the syrup and check with a sugar thermometer for the temperature to reach 150°C, it is very important for the mixture to reach this temperature to make sure that the toffee is crunchy.
• Remove the toffee from the heat.
• Dip the apple into the toffee so it’s fully covered and rest on baking paper or silicone to cool.

An alternative is once dipped in the toffee quickly dip them in some sesame seeds.

Leave to cool before trying to eat ! Store in a cool place

When finished making the apples, clean up is easy, simply add hot water from the tap with a little washing up liquid and bring it to the boil on your stove. This will bring away any toffee stuck on. Then simply tip all into the sink and that’s it ! No need to scrap off the hard toffee

The heat from the boiling water will bring away any stuck on toffee with ease.

Tip the water into the sink, and it’ll pretty much all be gone. When it comes to washing up, you will then just need to wipe it over, rather than scrubbing hardened toffee off.

Just in case you were wondering how we pulled off our large bonfire party! Belgium has different police for different areas. We lived in a cul de sac in a French speaking area, hence French speaking police, BUT to get to our house they would have to traverse a Flemish speaking area. Oh No, not possible! Likewise the Flemish speaking police could not come and scold us as we weren’t in their area !

After our little Jolly in Scotland we descended to the Lakes. This was only after contributing to Mr. Trumps coffers, a couple of nights in Trump Towers ( aka Turnberry) great golf course, superb staff less said about hotel food the better. Let it be said we found that a picnic with a good bottle of wine, in front of the TV a better bet. !

However, what a different story, in Cartmel at L’Enclume ( Anvil to the uninitiated) and there it was sitting in pride of place next to our table.

L’Enclume was in a different class to Trump Towers, a beautiful space and definitely Covid secure. Starting with our beautiful room, which has been sealed until we entered, comfortable bed and fluffy towels ( wish we could have stayed longer!) The restaurant itself is relatively small with about 15 tables of 2, all set well away from each other. We have barely eaten out since March, a couple of picnics, and once in a plastic igloo, but this was special.

We had been asked in advance of dietary requirements ( we eat anything and everything), so it was very much the tasting menu in all of its glory.

This is Simon Rogan’s Flagship restaurant. We have eaten at Roganic in Marylebone London and at his experimental kitchen in London’s Soho, both of which are excellent.

I was particularly impressed by news of him during our Lockdown, that he and his executives took a 100% pay cut in order to pay everyone else. Meanwhile they cooked and supplied the village with wonderful meals at cost! I wonder if the residents of this beautiful village put on weight ?

And what else can I do, after such a wonderful meal but to share it with you. Unfortunately, I lost my menu, but that have promised that when Lockdown finishes they will send me a new one. Such a shame not remember exactly what we ate!

Therefore from the Top

And the next three

And so it goes on

Yes, we have escaped again, on a road trip to a Haunted Scottish Castle. Bearing in Mind that London has been moved into semi special measures, we are not allowed to Mingle, but that’s Ok, I’ll just mingle with Himself and and Vice Versa.

We are on a reconnaissance trip to this Castle on the East coast of Scotland, delayed from May. Apart from Himself having a contre temps with a kerb negotiating the narrow road around Loch Lomond, (but better than having a contre temps, with an oncoming truck,) we managed to find our castle without too many difficulties.

But back to London, last week was spent trying out a couple of new ideas and recipes. Namely, gnocchis with a twist. I had bought some celeriac with my Vegetables from Watts Farm, without a firm idea what I was going to do with it, be it baked, or remoulade or what ?

I decided I could make gnocchi celeriac with potato would fit the bill.

1. 1 celeriac +/-500 Grams, peeled and diced
2. Equal amount of potato also peeled and diced
3. 5 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
4. Tablespoon of olive oil
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 100 grms flour

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
2. Toss the parsnips and potatoes in 2 tbsp of the olive oil and tip into a roasting tin along with the garlic cloves. Roast for 40 mins or until the veg is completely soft.
3. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.
4. Squeeze the garlic from their skins, discard the skins.
5. Tip everything into a food processor along with the flour and salt, season well, then blitze until well combined and holding together as a dough

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Tip the dough onto a floured surface, cut into four chunks and roll each into a sausage about 35cm long and 2.5cm wide, or there about. Wrap the sausage in cling film secure the ends with string. And drop onto the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the water and leave to cool.
3. When cool unwrap and cut into slices about the thickness of a finger.
4. Dip the gnocchi lightly in some flour.
5. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the gnocchi in batches and fry on both sides. When golden, remove and drain on paper. Repeat until all are cooked.

At this point one can decide if to use them straight away, or as I do, flat freeze them, then when frozen, bag them and put them in the vegetable section of your freezer until you need them. 

Meanwhile, Himself periodically goes Rogue and takes himself off to a grocery store. His store of preference is Selfridges ( for uninitiated read Harrods or the smartest grocery shop that you know). He normally buys me Oysters but this time around it was Shrimp and Squid! Simply marinated and grilled on a Barbecue, ummmm! Delicious!

He knows the way to a Girls Heart, Seafood, Seafood and more Seafood!