We’ve been enjoying a sustained period of warm and sunny weather in the UK recently, and my normal routine has adapted accordingly.
Foodwise, the gas barbecue has been in action in the back garden. I jointed up a chicken and prepared it in a couple of different ways.
The breast meat I diced and marinaded in the Qatari spices I bought at the Souq Waqif in Doha, on my trip there a few months back. After several hours in the fridge, I threaded the pieces on to skewers with slices of red pepper and courgette – see my main photo above.
The Qatari spices have been a reliably good blend that hasn’t disappointed – the meat is turned a golden yellow (which I guess must be the turmeric), and it delivers a spicy yet subtle kick.
It was also great cold the next day, sliced in a sesame bagel with mayo and salad from the garden.
I slashed the thighs and drumsticks with a sharp knife and coated them in a Mississippi Spice Rub I was given as a present. These I am allowing to cool, before taking off the bone for use in a salad.
Musicwise, I have some outdoor concerts coming up that I am really excited about, as they feature some of my favourite bands. First up next week is the Arctic Monkeys, and then Muse at the end of the month. More about these in upcoming posts.
My daytime exercise regime has moved primarily from indoor gym and yoga to outdoor swimming. The Club I belong to has a heated open air pool, with terrace and cafe bar, that is a great resource this time of year. On weeknight evenings I play bowls in the local leagues. Now it’s June, there is sufficient light for us to play until around 9pm, before both teams adjourn to the pavilion for drinks and chit chat.
Whatever you get up to, make the most of summer! Enjoy this feelgood track from The Undertones – Here Comes the Summer.
Summer weather has arrived! One of the pleasures of this time of year is sitting in the garden on a sunny afternoon with a cold, refreshing drink of elderflower and sparkling water with ice.
Even better when the elderflower cordial is fresh and home made from the blossoms on local trees. I can’t claim any credit for this as it is my wife Lesley who makes it for us. Over to Lesley for a guest post, on how to forage for and make fresh elderflower cordial:
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I enjoy watching what is in season in the hedgerow at different times of the year. This was particularly true during lockdown, when the only thing to do was cycle or walk around local footpaths.
In May, Elderflower trees burst into blossom, looking very pretty and with quite a distinctive smell. The scent is the sure-fire way of telling that you have got the correct creamy white umbilifers. It’s a little bit musty and lemony and definitely light and summery.
Collect the ones that are just bursting out into flower. A tree or hedgerow on a quiet lane, with no passing vehicle traffic, is ideal. I snip the heads with scissors and put them into a canvas bag inside my backpack. The scent when you open it up is incredible!
Take about 20 flower heads, inspect them first and reject any with little beasties. Heat about a litre of water with 400g of any type of sugar in a pan till it dissolves. Grate the rind of 3 or so lemons or limes, and add to the pan with the squeezed juice. Dunk the elderflower heads into the water and leave to infuse overnight.
It’s a really sticky mixture, so take care when pouring it. Strain the liquid into a suitable container (I use a tea towel lining a funnel) and store in the fridge. You should have just over a litre of clear, honey coloured cordial.
To make up a drink, dilute with water approx 1:2 or to your taste, and add a few ice cubes (see main photo above). I love to use carbonated water.
You can also pour some of the cordial into ice cube trays to store and freeze for later.
As a guest contributor to A Different Kitchen, I get to add a favourite track to Kevin’s Playlist. We go to gigs these days with teams of producers co-ordinating amazing light shows and technical rigs for sound and effects. I have been looking back at 1960’s bands performing live, when things were very different. An amazing example is the Rolling Stones performing Sympathy for the Devil, live for over 8 minutes with John Lennon amongst others watching on – raw and so obviously talented.
Today’s post completes a hat-trick of savoury vegetarian Strudels, with my third and final filling mix.
This one is beautifully rich in colour and taste, with the bright orange and red of roasted sweet potato and red pepper peeping through the arms of the puff pastry lattice work. Cubes of feta cheese add contrast and a little saltiness. There’ll be enough here for a midweek meal for two.
As with my previous Strudel recipes, the filling is pretty easy to put together. Put 2 – 3 medium size sweet potatoes on a roasting tray. Chop half a red pepper into 4 – 5 large pieces and place alongside the sweet potatoes. Drizzle the red pepper pieces with a little oil, and roast in the oven at 180C for 25 mins.
Once roasted, split the sweet potatoes with a knife and scrape the soft orange flesh into a bowl. Chop the red pepper (which should now be soft and a little charred at the edges) into smaller pieces and add to the sweet potato. Give it a stir to mix it up, and leave to cool. When cooled, add in 100g feta cheese, cubed or crumbled, and stir again to mix.
Prepare 250g of ready made puff pastry as shown in the photos in Spicy Veg Strudel, this time using the sweet potato, pepper and feta mix to fill. Roll up the lattice as shown in those photos and, as with the other Strudels, baste with milk and sprinkle over some nigella seeds. Bake for 25 mins at 180C.
Cut into slices of your chosen size, and serve. The Strudel can be eaten warm or cold, perhaps with a green salad or your favourite green veg.
All these references to lattice in my last few posts has been reminding me of the line ” ..crawling the tightrope along the lattice work..” from a track I’ve always admired. It’s a song about a woman who tends a mysterious garden where the sun doesn’t fall, yet the plants flourish, and where the animals are afraid to go. The chorus is “magic in her hands, she could make anything grow, magic in her hands, she had green fingers”.
In another curious twist of poetic symmetry, the artist herself has recently returned to playing live after some 15 years away from the stage, which is a joy to see.
It could only be from one person, really, so here’s a track for the ADK Playlist for any goths out there. This is Siouxsie and the Banshees with Green Fingers.
Here’s another savoury, vegetarian Strudel filling, using the technique featured in my previous post to make a latticed wrap with puff pastry.
The 3 star ingredients – buttered leek, blue stilton cheese and chopped walnuts – are a classic combo that go really well together. You should get a creamy, satisfying taste with a hint of saltiness from the cheese.
Chop and soften a leek in a saucepan, with a knob of butter. After about 10 mins, chuck in 100g of crumbled blue stilton cheese and 50g of chopped walnuts. Give it a good stir so the cheese melts in the warm buttery leek and the walnuts are spread throughout the mix. Set aside to cool for another 10 mins or so.
Roll out and prepare 250g of a pack of puff pastry as shown in the series of photos in Spicy Veg Strudel, this time filling it with the leek, stilton and walnut mix. Fold it up as shown in the photos, baste with a little milk and top with a sprinkling of nigella seeds. Cook in an oven at 180C for 25 mins, till golden and looking like the main photo above.
Serve warm, in generous slices. Enjoy.
There’s one more strudel filling idea to come, so check it out in the next midweek post.
Here’s a track I heard by chance on the car radio recently, and really liked, so I thought I would share it here. It’s by German DJ/producer Timo Maas – To Get Down.
Strudel – isn’t that a German dessert with spiced apple? Well, yes that’s true. However, I had the idea of making a savoury version with a vegetarian filling and, instead of a dusting of icing sugar, topping it with a sprinkling of nigella seeds.
Once you’ve made the filling and let it cool, it is fairly quick to put together, especially as I’ve used a pack of pre-made puff pastry. It’s fun to make, as you’ll see from the photos below, and looks great when it emerges from the oven.
Servings
A tea time meal for 2.
Timings
15 mins to make the filling, and 10 mins to roll it up. About 25 mins in the oven at 180C.
You Will Need
drop of oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
half a red onion
4 – 5 mushrooms
1 celery stick
1 400g tin of kidney beans
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
a handful of fresh coriander
a few leaves of kale or spring greens
half a 500g pack of puff pastry (i.e. 250g)
a little milk for basting
a handful of nigella seeds
Method
Put the onion, celery and mushrooms in a food processor with blade fitted and blitz until finely chopped (but not pureed).
Warm the oil, garlic, chilli powder and cumin seeds in a pan till sizzling. Add the blitzed vegetables and leave for a few minutes to soften.
In the meantime, put the kidney beans, tomatoes, coriander and kale/greens into the food processor and blitz again till finely chopped (but not pureed). Tip into the frying pan.
Give it all a good stir and leave to cook. You want the water to evaporate leaving a thick, mixed vegetable paste that will hold its shape and not be runny. Leave to cool, and turn the oven on to 180C.
Open the pack of puff pastry and cut in half, putting one half back in the fridge to use another time. Roll the other half out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, to make a rectangle approx. 40cm x 20cm.
Cut a piece from each of the corners as shown in the first photo below. Make cuts in each side to about one third of the way across, again as shown in the first photo. It should look like a Christmas tree on it’s side, with a top and bottom, and branches about 1 – 2cm thick.
Place the cooled filling along the centre (the trunk of the tree). It is important that it has cooled, otherwise it will start to melt the uncooked pastry.
Tuck in the flaps at the top and the bottom, then fold in each of the arms alternately, as shown.
Baste with the milk, sprinkle over the nigella seeds.
Place in the oven for about 25 mins or until golden brown.
Serve by cutting off slices of your preferred size (see my main photo at the top of this post).
Customise It!
A food processor is ideal for making the mix, as it needs to be finely chopped to mesh and bind together to make the filling. However, you could chop the veg finely with a knife and mash it all with a masher while in the pan, if you need to.
Feel free to add or swap in other veg and spices. Peppers add colour, as will chopped or grated carrot, for example.
The pastry and the filling ingredients make this a self-contained, balanced meal in itself, perhaps just accompanied by some red or brown ketchup. You could serve with a salad if you wish.
This went down very well the first time I made it, to the extent that I have made it again with different fillings. It is easy once you’ve mastered the latticing technique shown in the photos. I will feature another of the fillings in my weekend post.
For choice of music, I think it’s time we added something by The Chemical Brothers to the ADK Playlist – here’s Let Forever Be.
Hats off to our friends at Waitrose for this week’s recipe bake, an ideal cake for coffee lovers. With a sponge base made from real coffee, topped with a coffee cream frosting and a sprinkling of cocoa powder, it’s no surprise that this is given the title of Cappuccino Cake.
Servings
About 8 generous slices.
Timings
15 mins to prepare, 40 mins to bake.
You Will Need
100g butter
3 tbsp single cream
2tbsp black coffee (made from ground coffee if poss, but instant will do)
75g caster sugar
50g light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
half tsp salt
100g mascarpone
3 tbsp icing sugar
cocoa powder for dusting
Method
Warm the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin.
Heat the cream and coffee in a microwave till mixed, then allow to cool.
In a separate bowl, take 1 tsp of the cooled coffee cream and mix with the mascarpone. Set aside to chill in the fridge for use as frosting.
Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in the eggs, vanilla and the rest of the coffee cream.
Fold in the flour and salt, and combine to a smooth batter. Scrape into the lined loaf tin and bake for 40 mins.
Transfer to a rack to cool.
While the cake is cooling, finish off the frosting. Combine the chilled coffee mascarpone with the icing sugar and beat together with an electric mixer. Spread over the top of the cooled cake, and dust with the cocoa powder for that cappuccino effect.
Customise it!
If you are ok with nuts, you could add around 75g chopped walnuts to the sponge batter, effectively turning this into a cappuccino-topped coffee and walnut cake.
You can make the black coffee as strong as you wish – why not take the 2 tbsp required from a dark espresso, while you drink the rest.
Turning to choice of music, this week we heard the sad news of the passing of Andy Rourke, bass player in The Smiths. Andy was responsible for many wonderful bass lines in the band’s music, and here is one example – This Charming Man.
It’s sensory overload time with a double hit of sheer indulgence. Bite into one of these cookies for a taste of rich, buttery dark chocolate, closely followed by a wave of sea saltiness. Add chopped fruit, nuts, seeds or even white or dark chocolate pieces for even more heavenly pleasure.
The inspiration for these cookies came from a recipe by culinary legend Nigella Lawson, so thank you Nigella. She added pumpkin seeds to hers, which I am sure would also taste divine.
Servings
This makes 12 cookies.
Timings
15 mins to make, 15 mins to bake.
You Will Need
50g butter
70g caster sugar
50g soft light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g plain flour
35g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb of soda
80g choc chips
80g mixed fruit and chopped nuts
a few twists of sea salt from a grinder
Method
Turn the oven on and heat to 180C.
Beat together the butter and sugars in a bowl, with an electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again.
In a second bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarb and a few twists of the sea salt.
Combine the contents of the two bowls and stir together with a spatula to mix. Fold in the choc chips, fruit and nuts.
Use a teaspoon to scoop out the mix into 12 lumps, rounding each gently between your palms, roughly into the shape of a ball. Place each on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Don’t crowd them – they will flatten into discs as they bake, so leave a few cm of space around each one. Use a second tray if necessary.
Before placing in the oven, grab that sea salt grinder again and give them all a twist or two over the tops. Place in the oven and cook for 10 – 15 mins. Keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook.
When removed from the oven, allow them to rest on the warm tray for a few minutes, during which time they will start to firm up. Then carefully lift each one with a spatula on to a wire rack to cool.
The cookies can be eaten warm or when cold – they are delicious either way. They will also keep in a sealed box for 2 – 3 days, though I guarantee they will all be eaten before then!
Customise It!
Mix the added fillings to your taste. In place of the fruit and nuts, you could add biscuit pieces and mini marshmallows for a rocky road vibe. The next time I make these, I plan to add chilli flakes and lime zest.
Musical choice this time is a track I really like by Death in Vegas – Scorpio Rising. It features a guest vocal from the unmistakeable Liam Gallagher.
This weekend I am looking forward to watching the Eurovision Song Contest. It is, believe it or not, the 67th year of Eurovision. How much it has grown in that time, with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world each year, on TV and online.
This year is something of a one-off, however. The tradition is that the country that wins, hosts it in the subsequent year. 2022’s winner was Ukraine, immediately presenting a challenge as to the 2023 host. As most of you will have noticed, our friends in Ukraine are currently otherwise engaged in repelling an act of aggression from a neighbouring state, to the extent that hosting a massive, televised, international song contest is not exactly a top priority right now.
Step in the UK, who were runners-up in 2022 and have kindly offered to act as host this year. The musical extravanganza will take place on Saturday night, in Liverpool. The acts will follow in the footsteps of the city’s considerable pop music heritage, including the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Echo & the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Lightning Seeds, The Farm, and more…the list goes on. No pressure then!
Most of us in the UK have grown up with Eurovision as an annual event. In the early years, the UK had a reasonable degree of success, but wins, and indeed high rankings, have been hard to come by in recent years. The suspicion was that our well-publicised rejection of certain European institutions (I am refusing to mention the ‘B’ word) was translating into low scores from the juries of our neighbours. That theory was thrown into doubt last year, however, when Sam Ryder’s Space man came 2nd in the voting overall, teeing up the UK to act as surrogate host for Ukraine.
Over the years, Eurovision has grown into what is now a week-long event, with semi-finals in the lead-up to Saturday’s final. It’s a sign of its success, with so many more countries (including EU accession states from the former Soviet bloc, and even our friends down under in Australia – G’Day!) now wanting to associate themselves with membership of such a great European institution (I am still refusing to spoil the mood by mentioning the ‘B’ word).
Eurovision night is television party night, so get those finger foods ready. My staple, while watching the show live, will be homemade popcorn. The recipe for this is already posted, from my last major televised party occasion, the NFL Superbowl – please see Smoked Paprika Popcorn for details. It really is very easy to make, nutritious, fills the kitchen with a wonderful aroma and tastes great!
As it’s Eurovision, here are some alternative, themed options for toppings you can add at stage 6 in the recipe:
France: infuse a crushed clove of garlic in some olive oil, then shake over the popcorn to coat, with a few sprinkles of herbes de provence
Italy: drizzle over olive oil and a shake of pizza seasoning, then mix to combine
UK: drizzle rapeseed oil over the cooked popcorn, with a few twists of Cornish seasalt and cracked black pepper, then combine
Australia: an homage to our friends down under – mix a couple of tbsp Vegemite with the same amount of boiling water, to loosen, then coat the popcorn and mix
Feel free to come up with your own combinations for popcorn toppings and give them a try – German Mustard, Swiss chocolate, Balsamic vinegar and Scotland’s Irn Bru are all just waiting to take their place in this – a kind of crazy Eurovision Popcorn Contest, no less.
Musical choice for the ADK Playlist has to be the track that has brought Eurovision to the UK this year. Here is Sam Ryder with Space man.
Now here’s a dish to help tackle the cost of living crisis. Not only will it feed the family on a budget, but the bright, neon-like orange beaming from the roasted sweet potatoes will mean you can switch the lights off for the evening and bask in its glow.
Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but the bright, cheerful sunshine colours of this savoury, vegetarian flan, as shown in the photo, are for real.
Timings
40 mins to prepare, and another 40 mins to bake.
Servings
4 generous portions.
You Will Need
225g plain flour
pinch of salt
100g margarine or spread
2 – 3 tbsp cold water
3 – 4 sweet potatoes
oil
1 leek
half a red pepper
8 or 9 leaves of kale
1 egg
splash of milk
salt and pepper
Method
Warm the oven to 180C.
Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and place in a metal dish. Chop the red pepper into pieces, drizzle with oil, and place alongside. Leave to roast in the oven for 30 mins.
Chop the leek and place in a saucepan with a little oil, over a gentle heat. Leave to soften for around 10 – 15 mins.
Steam the kale over a pan of boiling water for 10 mins.
Prepare the pastry base by sieving the flour and salt into a food processor with blade fitted, then adding in the margarine or spread. Blitz till it resembles breadcrumbs. If you prefer, you can complete this stage with an electric mixer instead.
Add in enough water to mix to a smooth dough, then tip out on to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a size that fits the flan dish you will be using (mine shown is 22cm diameter).
Grease and line the dish with a circle of baking paper, then place the pastry on top. Smooth out to the sides and trim any that is overhanging. Place in the fridge to chill for 10 mins.
Scrunch up another piece of baking paper and then unroll it in the centre of the pastry dish. Fill with ceramic baking beans and place in the oven for 10 mins.
While the pastry base is blind baking, you can combine the filling. Cut the roasted sweet potatoes down the middle and scrape out the soft orange flesh into a bowl. Mash it with a fork, still leaving a few lumps. Add in the roasted red pepper, and leave to cool slightly.
Remove the pan of leek from the heat, and let cool slightly.
Dry the steamed kale leaves between 2 slices of kitchen paper, then spread on a board and cut into shreds.
For the final part of the filling, crack an egg into a jug. Add the splash of milk and season with salt and pepper.
Take the pastry dish from the oven, removing the paper and baking beans. Spread the leek over the base, then top with the sweet potato and red pepper. Dot in the kale and, to finish, gently pour over the beaten egg/milk.
Place back in the oven for 40 mins. Serve!
Customise it!
Stick with the combination of roasted sweet potato and steamed kale, but feel free to swap in other veg around this. I used roasted red pepper because I wanted to enhance the fiery sunshine appearance, but you could use green if you wish. Replace the leek with brown or red onion. Slices of celery would go well. Use your imagination, basically.
A few posts ago, I mentioned I was enjoying the most recent album from dance and electronica pioneers, Leftfield. Here’s another great track from it, which reminds me a little of Kraftwerk – City of Synths.
Today I’m featuring a recipe that is, quite literally, fit for a King!
Across the UK this weekend, people will be watching history in the making, as our new King and Queen are crowned at Westminster Abbey, in London.
On Saturday, the procession route will be lined with Union Jack waving wellwishers, and those that can’t be there are able to watch the whole proceedings live on free to air TV. With all the pageantry on show, events are guaranteed to be quite some spectacle.
Sunday is the day for street parties in local communities, finishing with a major concert at Windsor Castle, also live on TV.
On Monday, we are being given a day’s national holiday so that we can recover from all this partying and excitement. Hey, we haven’t had one of these for 70 years, when most of us (me included) weren’t even alive. Coronations only come around once every few generations, so there’s no surprise it’s getting this much special attention.
Here’s what I’m making for our own local street party – a Coronation take on a Brit classic – the scone with jam and clotted cream. Served with a pot of tea, of course.
Happy and Glorious!
Servings
Makes 8 scones.
Timings
15 mins to prepare, 15 – 20 mins to bake at 180C.
You Will Need
450g self-raising flour
115g soft margarine or spread
85g caster sugar
85g sultanas
1 egg, beaten
200ml milk
strawberry jam and clotted cream to serve
Union Jack flag to wave (optional)
Method
Put the flour and margarine into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar and sultanas.
Mix in the egg, and gradually add in 150ml of the milk to make a soft dough.
Turn it on to a floured surface and knead slightly. Roll out to a 2cm thickness.
Stamp out circles with a 7cm diameter fluted biscuit cutter, and transfer to a baking sheet covered in a layer of baking paper. Reroll the dough as necessary till you have 8 shapes cut.
Brush the tops with the remaining milk and bake for 15 – 20 mins at 180C.
Serve warm or cold, split and topped with the jam and clotted cream.
Wave a little Union Jack flag as you eat!
Customise It!
If you’re watching your cholesterol, you can replace the clotted cream with low fat spread. Other fruit jams, like raspberry or cherry, will work just as well if you prefer.
What better time than the Coronation to add some joyous Britpop to the ADK Playlist. I am sure Charles and Camilla would approve. Here’s Blur with Parklife.
A Different Kitchen 