Well another week has drifted on by, they have all morphed into one. As luck would have it ( or not, depending on how ones views ) B and Q, the large DIY store is open, so Himself took himself off there the other morning, was third in the “Social Distancing” queue and got what ever it was, he could not live without. That included paint, for the kitchen and TV room, and consequently, having sorted and cleaned all my cookery books a couple of weeks ago, down they came again !

However, Saturday is also my day off, and therefore he could only do the kitchen, as he also had to cook.

He really wanted to make something along the lines of Goulash, Cock au Vin, or Rable de Lievre ( Saddle of Rabbit) all of which were vetoed by me. We settled on Steak Frites with Cream of Mushroom sauce.

I have an assortment of dried mushrooms in the cupboard, Porcini, Trumpete de la Mort, and Chanterelles, as well as various Chinese mushrooms. We took a handful of the dried ones and soaked them in boiling water to soften. Then sliced about 2 oz of fresh mushrooms and mixed together, crushed some garlic and sautéed them all together and put to one side, just to keep warm.

Obviously everybody has a their own special way of cooking steak but given here in Central London the lacking of a BBQ, I would recommend this way. The biggest challenge of cooking anything like this, is the timing. Short Order Cooks have my admiration, as it is not the easiest thing to get everything  done at the right time.

If you do not have a Sous Vide machine to pre cook your steak, or even if you do, then this is the best way forward.

Pat the steaks dry, melt about 2 oz of unsalted butter ( but not ghee) in a heavy frying pan, and let it get really hot, when it is just beginning to smoke, throw on the steaks, it will sizzle and splash, cook for a couple of minutes on each side. remove from pan and keep warm in the oven.

To the very hot pan add another knob of butter and 1/2 a cup ( or thereabouts) of whiskey, stir well to mix up the juices and then add about 150 mls sour cream ( or fresh cream or crème fraiche) and mix well, if too thick, add a drop or two of boing water. Add the mushrooms, and serve  by pouring over the steak. Quick and easy but getting the timing right is not always easy.

Our steaks were Rose Veal from Marks and Spencer. Once upon a time, it was not ethically correct to eat Veal but  the farming industry has turned itself around in that respect. This is an update from the industry.

” British Rosé Veal is, quite literally, a by-product of the UK Dairy Industry. Each Friesian-Holstein cow that produces a calf in order to give us milk, will stand a 50% chance of producing a bull calf which is sadly unwanted, as it is of little or no value to the farmer. Bull calves have historically been destroyed in the first few days of being born. We have been working with farmers since early 2003 to help promote Rosé Veal to our customers as a fabulous, tender and tasty meat and therefore give the calf a chance at life (longer than the average chicken or lamb) and give the farmer a good return to help boost his milk profits. Our calves have often reached in excess of 400kg when processed, looking fully grown, and are over 8 months of age but still class as veal as they are under 12 months. They are reared on straw, which they naturally use to ruminate, and given a cereal ration to supplement their diet, which means that the meat is a pink colour, not the pale, insipid milk-fed veal which may be familiar to those of you who have travelled on the Continent.”

Friday, Day Six, of Week Six. But more importantly, it is Travel Friday, well Virtual Travel and as usual the instigator of this event “Globetotting.com” was up to the task.

She ( the willowy Blond) was born in Belgium and as such returned to her roots. She has actually lived longer in Belgium than in any other country ( including the UK if one discounts school). One of the Belgian heroes is Tintin and his little dog Milou. We as a family pronounce Tintin as the French do more like Dan Dan, but definitely NOT TIN  TIN and Milou ( Snowy in the english version ) is Milu. The books both in French and English have been family favourites for many years. And so it was that the North London branch of the family transformed themselves into characters from the Tintin adventures, including Sammy as Milou. They ate one of the Belgian National dishes, Steak Frites, and no-one makes Frites like the Belgians, followed of course by another anytional dish, Dame Blanche, icecream topped with chocolate sauce and cream !!

The W2 branch of the family appropriately took herself off to the South of France. She actually was born in France though in Normandie and not the south. She decided that Les œufs had to be french, and so that was the limit of her french meal ! But then again maybe it was Omelettes Frites of maybe just œufs brouillé ( scrambled)

And us? We got on our sleigh, pulled by the trusty Rudolph and went to Lapland to get ahead of the game of Toy making !

And Santas favourite dinner, well of course Reindeer sausages with creamy mashed potatoes and onion gravy ! I make onion gravy a lot, ( I don’t eat gravy though) and always make a fair amount as Himself really likes sausages with onion gravy. I don’t really ever eat sausages and consequently not the gravy. Again, my gravy is always a little bit of this and a little bit of that but basically it is

• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1-2 oz butter
• 1 cup red port
• 1 cup red wine
• 1cup stock, any will do
• 2 tabs dijon mustard
• 2 tabs Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tabs any dark red jam, bramble, mixed fruit, cherry
• salt and pepper to taste.

Melt the butter, add the onions and garlic and cook gently for maybe 30 minutes or more for them to turn soft and brown. Add the port, wine and stock and then stir in the rest of the ingredients, and let it simmer until it thickened a bit. No flour or corn flour is needed to thick it as it will thicken by itself.  Use what you need, bag the rest and freeze. Defrost , heat , use, bag and freeze. Easy and will always have some gravy on hand.

Again, I seem to have lost count, doesn’t make sense I know, but when they all blur into one!!

We used to go out for breakfast, not when we lived in Germany, not when we lived in Belgium, and not when we lived in France but we did on a weekend, when we lived in Houston, Texas ( I do have to qualify this as Houston and Texas are very different from saying USA), our girls were small and their delight on a Sunday morning was whether to choose the Yummy berry Toast or the Happy Face breakfast. But then again back in Belgium no, we didn’t go out for breakfast, rather sweating in a swimming pool ( not me you understand) as by then the girls and boy were seriously into swimming and swimming competitions. And so back to Texas, and the interest in eating out on a Sunday had faded, the menu had not changed in the intervening years, but we had.

Moving onto the UK, first home, no outside breakfast, second home, yes, and likewise third home, but now on our fourth and Himself hopes the last, it is again a NO. Except when we went to Mexico, which we did for bout 5 years to visit eldest daughter and family and eating breakfast out was one of the joys of our visits.

On does have a false impression of Mexican food, either by visiting Texas ( see it is there again) where Texmex is definitely, not Mexican food, or even by going to Wahaca, the Mexican chain in the UK set up by Master Chef winner Thomasina Miers. There is nothing wrong with Wahaca, it is just not the Mexican food that we grew to love in Mexico City.

The venue of choice for breakfast ( could also be lunch and dinner) was LARDO, in Condesa, a leafy village in the centre of Mexico City. Their Menu for breakfast alone was outstanding and here it is:-

Cereals Seasonal fruit salad Granola, fruit and yogurt Baked oats, red berries and almond milk Black rice, coconut milk, banana and mango Green chilaquiles and burrata cheese Hotcakes, blueberry, ricotta and date syrup Eggs Fried egg, rocket, avocado and bacon Fried egg, chile con carne and avocado Tomato stew, basil, parmesan and fried egg Fried eggs, hoja santa and fresh cheese Fried eggs, spinach, speck and avocado Poached eggs, peppers sauce, epazote and purslane Scrambled eggs, zucchini, goat cheese, lemon and peppermint Fried egg, sprouting broccoli, chili, garlic and almond Croque madame, emmental cheese fried egg Tomatoes and goat cheese quiche Scrambled eggs, bacon and parmesan cheese Omelette, insects mole, echalote and green beans salad Poached egg, smoked salmon, avocado and holandaise sauce Sandwiches Pita bread, proscuitto di parma, burrata and tomatoes Pulque bread, avocado, herbs, and sesame seed toast Cemita, avocado and fresh cheese Sourdough, eggplant, tomatoes and goat cheese Sourdough, chorizo, tomatoes and rocket Sourdough, roast beef and gruyere cheese Croque Monsieur, emmental cheese Croissant, ham and gouda cheese.

SO my take on this breakfast is what I loosely call Mexican eggs, and again, it really is a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but yummy.

I start by taking a tine of chopped tomatoes. In a saucepan I heat a little oil to which I add one or two spring onions chopped and a couple of cloves of garlic also chopped, along with a chopped red or green chilli. When they are softened, I add the tomatoes, and let it simmer for a bit to thicken. Meanwhile I poach a couple of eggs , then peel and slice an avocado, and also chop some fresh coriander. Taste the tomato mixture and season accordingly, I usually add some harissa or a chilli mix as well as salt and pepper. When ready to serve ladle into a bowl, add the poached eggs along with the avocado and coriander. Serve with some sourdough toast.

Obviously can also be as a light lunch or even supper. Next up, have you ever had Croque Monsieur, or Croque Madam? I bet you have , but never so good as in Mexico City.

 

The other day, I told my lovely neighbour, that I would make some Dairy free soup, but I lied !!. I did not start out that way, I had full intentions of  doing exactly that but was thwarted, by ??

As Lockdown was announced, everyone was panic buying, Loo rolls? no, not me, I was more concerned about being able to get more basic items, like milk. Had I known or realised ( and I am sure that many people will be saying the same) that many shops, would remain open, then I would NEVER HAVE ORDERED from HOLLAND and Barrett. I ordered on March 25th odds and sods, nuts ( for cake making, granola making etc) and although they did not have Long Life milk, I noted that they had alternatives, such as Pea Milk. What could be wrong with that , I thought. Delivery was scheduled of April 2nd and here we are April 30th and only some of this order has arrived. AND despite several attempts to cancel, they have all been ignored.

Which brings me onto Pea Milk, which is one of the things that has been delivered. Perfect for making my soup, or so I thought.

My soup was going to be a white vegetable soup, so again this was seriously a bit of this and that. I took

• 3 leeks, chopped
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 sticks celery chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 litre of pea milk

That was for starters, I forgot to add the cauliflower. Sautéed  the onion and the garlic, added the other vegetables, sautéed a bit more , poured in the stock, brought to th eboil, simmered until vegetables were soft. Gave them a blitz with my hand held blender stick. Returned it to the stove and then poured in the Pea Milk. Shock, Horror, it looked disgusting!, now I know what Almond Milk looks like, oat milk and Soya milk, but Pea Milk bears absolutely no comparison what so ever, it actually looks like a mug of weak tea gone cold!. Too Late, I had poured it in. Tasted, not too bad, but the colour!! and so this is where the dairy free episode ended.

Out came

• 600 mls double cream
• 2 tbsps corn flour
• 1 good squirt of harissa paste
• salt and pepper.

I mixed the cornflour with some of the cream and a little water to make it pour more easily, then added all to the stock pot. RESULT, the soup now looked good and tasted good as well.

The verdict from himself, “Umm interesting taste, but what is the underlying taste, BUT this is one of the best soups you have ever made !” ( and I do make soups, often)

So maybe not so bad after all. I served it with a little of the Walnut Pesto, frozen after the parsnip soup, of week one or two.

And we had a surprise, Willowy brunette had also been baking and dropped off ( doorstep delivery) a Poppy seed cake and some lemon/almond cakes! Umm!! Thanks Sophie !

 

AND the Bottom line is DO NOT BUY online from HOLLAND AND BARRETT

Today, it’s raining, therefore it must be Tuesday, ( Tuesday is golf and often rains on a Tuesday) , however we have had the driest April on record , warm sunny days, but here on the top floor, usually windy. However, I don’t mind a bit of rain, it encouraged me to get back into the kitchen.

The defrosted crab meat had to be used. Put aside the idea for Sunday and today it became Crab Cakes. I LOVE Crab cakes, not so easily made here as on the Texas Golf Coast or in Maryland. Maryland crab cakes are famous and made with lump Crab meat. Here I buy Crab meat in a tub from Costco. It is a long life tub, I say Long Life, maybe a couple of weeks, but I nearly always freeze the tub, as I buy it when in Costco, not necessarily because at that point I want to make Crab cakes.

Having defrosted the crab on Sunday, today I gathered together the necessary food items.

My recipe guide for crab cakes comes from Brennan’s, a New Orleans institution for 73 years, and in Houston for 43 as well. With modifications here is my version

NOTE, ABSOLUTELY NO FILLERS, NO BREADCRUMBS,NO POTATOES

1. +/-500 grams crab meat
2. Half a finely chopped red or green pepper
3. 1 onion chopped finely
4. 4 sticks of celery finely chopped
5. 2-3″ of fresh ginger peeled and chopped
6. 4 cloves garlic chopped
7. Small bunch coriander chopped
8. 2 eggs beaten
9. Salt to taste
10. Polenta, or cornmeal as needed
11. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat some oil in a pan.

Chop everything , and mix well together with the beaten egg. Form into cakes, I do so by using a largish pastry cutter and fill it to the brim. Then holding my hand over the bottom so it doesn’t fall out, press or scatter some polenta over the top side, carefully turn over and do the same to the bottom.

Carefully place the crab cake in the hot oil and repeat with the rest of the crab. Cook on a medium heat until the bottom side is crispy and then carefully flip over and cook the other side. If the cake falls apart when putting in the pan, put the pastry cutter over the cake and press back into shape.

Serve warm preferably with some salad and maybe a red pepper mayonnaise.

You can cheat with this or be good and make your own Mayo, but the cheats method is, roast or grill a red pepper, and then purée it in a blender and mix with some mayonnaise, along with a crushed clove of garlic and a dash of Hot sauce such as Sriracha or Tabasco. I have other hot sauces from India and Mexico, many more can be found in either the Indian super market in Hayes or the wonderful Hoo Hing at Hanger Lane. Remember many or rather most of these have a shelf life longer than the best before date.

Today, after the obligatory walk through a deserted Mayfair, shops shut, some of them never to return, or so it would seem, stripped of all and sundry whilst others still want you to enter, one day. Other empty premises have signs of things to come, opening May 2020, maybe, just maybe!

Finished our third major jigsaw, a pity 7 pieces are missing, we await the arrival of the next.

Meanwhile I went baking, well baking is a bit of exaggeration, I made one thing, a Zucchini, chocolate nut bread. It said bread but more like a cake. I do like the word Zucchini, lots of Americanisms, I don’t, Egg Plant instead of Aubergine, No, No, Gotten and not got, Bangs for a fringe, I’m fixing to do something? A biscuit, more like a scone, cilantro, or coriander I could go on! But I do like the word Zucchini. So I made a Zucchini cake/ bread, and size wise it is pretty impressive. The one consolation is that there is enough to give some away and some to slice and freeze and some to just keep for Himself!

1. 325 grams self raising flour plus 1 tbsp baking powder
2. 1 tsp cinnamon
3. Pinch salt
4. 2 eggs
5. 2 medium sized courgettes grated
6. 8 fl oz / 235 mls vegetable oil
7. 2 tsp liquid vanilla, or some vanilla powder ( can be omitted),
8. 125 grams chopped nuts ( optional)
9. 75 + 25 grams dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 175 C, grease a loaf pan. Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix . Add the zucchini and mix in, either by hand or with an electric whisk, then the 75 grams chocolate and the nuts. Then with the whisk running pour in the egg/ oil mix and mix well. Pour into the lair pan and bake for about one hour. Test by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the centre, it it comes out clean, it is ready. Remove from oven , leave to cool for about 10 minutes, before tipping out onto a cooling rack.

Melt the remainder of the chocolate along with a knob of butter and a teaspoon of sugar, pour/ scatter / smear over the top of the bread when it is cool!

Today I spent a lot of time gardening ! But you don’t have a garden I hear you cry. You are correct, but I do have a large terrace, which gets sorted basically two times a year. With garden centres being closed there was a dilemma, what was I going to do?

Along with Covent Garden merchants delivering Fruit and Vegetables ( and eggs and milk and cheese and biscuits), many fish merchants and fishermen ( including the one I use ISH FISH), small restaurants as well as some chains there is an absolute plethora of enterprising individuals out there who are determined that their businesses will not go bust during this quarantine. I came across one such company “Love Gardeng Direct or Smartplantapp, ( I think they are the same but not 100% sure on that) . Anyway, currently they have saved 20,000 plants from being ditched and 10% of each sale goes to the NHS, so it is very much a win win. Hence the reason I was doing gardening. By the way, my plants arrived in a great box, packaged so as not to damage them and all were in perfect condition.

The other reason I was in the garden was, it was HIS day to do the cooking. He had grand plans, “Do we have Squid”? “NO”, OK, do we have Skate Wings”? NO, “OK do we have Scallops”?, NO again, OK, Do we have Mussels, I really fancy Mussels,”? once again, No was the answer. Normally he would have trotted down the road to Selfridges Food Hall and bought either Oysters or Mussels, but it is CLOSED ! Next question,” Fish, what do we have in the way of fish”?, Well. said, I, Salmon, Cod, Haddock, Halibut, Mackerel, Sea Bass,  Tilapia, Large Shrimp, some frozen Oysters, one Dover Sole and some Crab meat! Not a bad choice really. So He settled on Salmon ( again) and then wondered what he was going to do with it.

Very simply, it could be either baked or pan fried with the most important part being the sauce. Over Breakfast this morning we reflected on the fish, which was delicious ( if you like fish) but Himself was marginally disappointed  that the sauce had not penetrated the fish and so it was concluded that another time, the fish would be firstly marinated in the sauce and then either baked or fried in the sauce, either way would work

For the sauce

• 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
• grated zest and juice of 2 limes
• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 of sesame oil ( use all olive oil if you do not have sesame)
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp of honey
• 2 seeded and chopped red chillies ( more if you want it more spicy)
• chopped coriander some in the sauce and some to serve

Simply place the fish in a dish and leave to soak up the sauce for an hour or so, ( in the refrigerator),  the fish  takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on size, we had a filet that weighed 700 grms, to cook, again either in the oven or pan. Baste with the sauce whilst cooking. When ready serve with your vegetable of choice ( we used asparagus) with  the remaining sauce poured over.

Today was our virtual Travel day and strangely enough the participants decided to stay in the UK. Willowy Blond and family had a STAYCATION,  whilst we decamped to the 100 AKKER WOOD> No it is not a spelling mistake, that is how Pooh Bear spells it just as he spells honey HUNNY.

So what do you have to eat on a Staycation, well Fish and Chips ( I should have been on the Staycation as it is my all time favourite) whilst in the 100 Akker Wood, all we had was Hunny Sandwiches, which makes a change from Jam Butties I guess.

Himself really like Mackerel, ( me not so much, along with smoked haddock, shark and sword fish). I remember eating it in a restaurant in Berlin a life time ago, didn’t like it then and don’t like it now ! BUT I cook these thing for himself whilst I can have things I really like, such as Shrimp and avocados.

Consequently the other day, I cooked Mackerel, fresh out of the freezer, quickly defrosted and equally quickly cooked.

• 2 mackerel filets, with the skin on
• 2 tbsp flour plus 1 tsp of any of the following, paprika, harissa, chilli powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• a clove of garlic if desired
• juice and zest of a small orange
• 1-2 tsp harissa paste ( adds spice and flavour but don’t worry too much if you don’t have it, Sriracha can also be used.
• 50 grms of toasted pine nuts ( if you have them or try toasted almond flakes)
• small bunch of coriander

Whisk together 1 tbsp of the oil, the juice and the zest, and the harissa paste in a bowl

Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan.

Roll the fish in the flour mixture, and fry the fish skin side down for about 6 minutes, quickly flip over just for a brief moment.

Pour over the sauce, bring to the boil and let the liquid become sticky. Serve with the nuts and coriander as garnish. See I said it was quick and easy and of course this sauce may be used on other fish or even chicken.

And what did we wear in the 100 AKKER Wood ( see Below) and as for the Staycationers, well they seemed to have showers but did not deter the youngest from swimming ! ( and note the busy buzzing bees in the 100 AKKER Wood!

 

Lost count yesterday, it happens when they all blur into one, but now I am back on track.

I did some baking, well not some just one, I made a cake. Himself has been sadly lacking in cake this week, so it was time for me to act.

I made a chocolate cake. I have made this cake and an alternative to this one for years. It was always the “Turn To” cake for birthdays and celebrations, so much so that I made it for both eldest daughters wedding and for my sons.

This particular version is made using ground almonds, very simple to make and very simple to decorate.

For 20cm spring form pan you will need, and oven temperature of 150 C

• 200 grms ( 8 oz) bitter chocolate
• 175 grms ( 6oz) of each, butter ( unsalted), caster sugar and ground almonds
• 6 eggs, separated
• a slug of rum, brandy or whisky. ( about 2 tablespoons)

1. Put the chocolate, broken into bits, along with the sugar and butter into a bowl and Microwave on high at two minute intervals, stirring in-between, should take maybe 4 mins.
2.  add the ground almonds
3. beat the egg whites until very stiff
4. add the yolks to the chocolate and the carefully add the whites
5. grease a spring form pan and pour in the mixture

Put on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for approx. 45 mins. Check, and make sure that the top is really form when pressed.

Remove and leave to cool somewhat before tipping out ( carefully ) onto a cooling tray.

When totally cool, put on a plate and make a glaze by melting again in the microwave on high but at one minuet intervals 100 grms bitter chocolate with tablespoon of sugar and 1 oz butter . Take a look and a quick stir, as very often the chocolate will look not melted.

Stir well and pour over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides.

Take a look at the wedding cakes, a lot of chocolate and eggs were used !!!

 

Another glorious day, here in paradise , And absolute Sods Law, that ever since we have been in Lockdown the sun has shone! And it has been the warmest and driest April, since records began! Is there a history lesson here, I wonder?

Today, was FISH FROM ISH DAY, yes I had another delivery from Ish for Fish and service in amazing. This is coming from someone who as a kid would help her brother tend his lines , collect the fish, skin and gut them and more recently being an absolute devotee of Billingsgate Fish market.

Having read how, amongst others the fish industry was really hurting, because, to whom do they sell most fish , restaurants of course. And where are the restaurants? Shut! Consequently many of the fish companies have gone high tech, online ordering, with prompt delivery, in ice , and vacuum packed, ready to be frozen! What’s, not to like? Nothing!

From the Gardeners, whose plants are going to die, to the fishermen, to the greengrocers of Covent Garden, to the Bakers, they are all offering a wonderful service. ( maybe I will scrub Holland and Barret from that list, groceries ordered on March 25 , I’m still waiting )

So, having said that fish arrived, the next dilemma was, what to do with it, scanning my numerous ebooks and websites I decided on one thing for starters, Smoked Haddock Soufflé. Himself really likes smoked haddock ( me, not so much) and I usually just poach it and serve on a bed of spinach with a poached egg or two on top. A quick and easy dinner for when time is short.

But, today I made the Smoked Haddock Soufflé, simplicity itself, and I won’t bore you with all the details, but in week 4; Day 2 I made a cheese soufflé, so this is exactly the same , except with just a small amount of cheese and poached smoked haddock. Quantities remain the same ( except for the cheese, 3 tbs of parmesan that’s all ) and a level tablespoon of Dijon Mustard.

Simply poach the fish ( a smallish filet) in either milk or water for 5 minutes , remove from pan, and remove the skin,and flake the fish. Make the soufflé as per the previous instructions and add the fish. Bake at 180 C for about 45 mins and serve with a salad !