Well, I’ve been pleasantly surprised over the last couple of days to see the first few likes appearing on the posts here on my new blog/website. Surprised in particular as, er, I hadn’t realised it was public yet, while still under development. Never mind, I’m learning as I go, so please accept that things are still something of a work in progress! There are still aspects to be refined so all feedback is welcome, please.
I’ve been toying with the name – another close contender has been ‘More Posts about Music and Food’, being a pretty apt description of how it’s shaping up. It’s following the style of Talking Heads’ great second album, ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’, and the song by which the Undertones paid tribute, below. What do people think?
Ahhh! Really disappointed today to hear that the Tears for Fears concert I was due to attend tomorrow at Warwick Castle has been cancelled, as poor Curt is unwell. And the picnic was all planned, built around a spinach and ricotta quiche! Totally understand however – health and wellbeing always comes first and no doubt the band will play again in the future. Apparently it is a serious rib injury. Ouch – that must make it hurt to sing. Hope you are well again soon Curt, and fully able to shout, shout, let it all out. I feel a song coming on…
I love following the Gods of Cookery and getting great inspiration from their books and TV shows. However, have you ever noticed that, whether it is Nigella, Delia, Hugh or any of our many other heroes, they seem to have one thing in common: everything always goes to plan? It’s a far cry from my daily experience. Don’t get me wrong – I can produce some fairly decent meals, but every once in a while I encounter a kitchen disaster.
Pastry and baking is a case in point. At one time in my development it was always touch and go whether the amazing creation I had slaved over would leave the dish in one piece, after emerging from the oven. I made the mistake of believing the manufacturer’s claim that came with the dish – we clearly had different ideas of what was meant by the term ‘non-stick’.
I thought I had cracked it when I invested in what was promoted as a state of the art tray, using technology developed by astronauts as part of the space programme. My disappointment was obvious, however, when it became clear that significant parts of the underside of my cake had become welded to the tray. A chisel would have been a more appropriate serving utensil than a cake slice.
Perhaps I should have been more sceptical about that claim. Haven’t they got any work to get on with at the Space Station? Aren’t they supposed to be analysing rock samples, or out fixing satellites or something? What were they doing – knocking up a nice Victoria Sponge? Was it somebody’s birthday?
I soon put in place a workaround for my next bake, involving a cut and paste exercise. I don’t mean that in the IT sense, it was a literal cut and paste using scissors and greaseproof paper. I smeared fairly cheap margarine over the base and sides of the tray, then measured and cut a strip of paper the right width and length to cover the base and two facing sides. The bit left over was then already the right width to cut two ribbons to stick to the two remaining sides. Hey presto, a truly non-stick traybake dish.
If this sounds like some kind of kitchen origami exercise, that’s because it’s exactly what it was. I still use this as a workaround – it gives me the confidence to proceed with making my cake mixture in the knowledge that nothing else can surely go wrong. Can it?
The moral is not to be deterred when things go wrong – it happens to all of us. Cue the next track for the ADK Playlist, channelling the wise words of Elvis Costello…
Subtly spiced with cinnamon, gently coloured with saffron, and packed with fruit, nuts and seeds, this summer pilaff will bring a crunch and a zing to your outdoor eating. Serve it as a side to barbecued food, quiche or as part of a picnic.
Servings
Up to six people as a side dish
Timings
Preparation 10 mins, cooking time 10 mins, final touches 5 mins
You will need:
a tablespoon of oil
175g basmati rice
a few threads of saffron
a few grains of sea salt
one cinnamon stick
300 ml vegetable or chicken stock
a handful of cashew nuts
a handful of pumpkin seeds, toasted
a small pack of pomegranate seeds
a handful of chopped flat parsley, or other fresh garden herbs
Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan for a few moments, then chuck in the cinnamon stick. Give it a good shake so that it is gently coated in the oil and is giving off a sizzle.
Pound the saffron and salt in a pestle and mortar till it forms a bright yellowy powder. Add it to the cinnamon with the rice. Pour in the stock and bring it to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave the lid on. It should take about 10 – 12 minutes for the rice to absorb the stock.
While the rice is cooking, fetch the other ingredients. The only one that requires any preparation is the pumplin seeds – spread these out on a baking tray and toast them in the oven at 180c for about 5 mins max. This will give them an extra degree of crunch, but do keep your eye on them as they will burn if left too long!
Turn off the heat under the rice and let it cool in the pan. Then fluff it up with a fork and add the seeds, cashews, pomegranate seeds and herbs. Transfer to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate till it’s time to serve.
Customise it!
Go freestyle and play around with the ingredients, while keeping within the fruit, nut and crunch theme. A teaspoon of turmeric can be used in place of the saffron if you wish – it will produce the same vivid colour. Substitute other unsalted nuts for the cashews if you prefer or have them to hand. Add sunflower or other seeds if you wish. The first time I made this I used chopped fresh apricots as they were in season and fairly cheap in the shops, along with dried cranberries, before replacing both with the pomegra,nate seeds, which give it a glisten, great colour and have their own special crunch. Chopped spring onions are another useful addition. Squeeze half a lemon over it just before serving, or add a favourite dressing if you wish. Let your creativity flow! Feel free to post a note below as I would love to hear of any other variations you try.
A Different Kitchen 