Tag: Cookery

Categories
Mains Recipes

Spinach & Liver Dhal

Here’s a spicy and comforting lentil dhal that features two good sources of iron – liver and spinach.

Iron is essential to maintaining good health, energy and stamina, with iron deficiency often cited as a cause of fatigue. It is particularly important in pregnancy, when the body’s demand for it increases.

Served up with warmed flatbreads for dipping, this will satisfy your tastebuds, as well as helping your body get what it needs to maintain drive and focus.

Servings

6 good adult portions.

Timings

About 30 – 40 mins to prepare and cook.

You Will Need

  • a swig of vegetable oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 – 5 mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 500g pork liver or lamb’s liver
  • 1 400g can of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 – 3 tomato can’s worth of cold water
  • a squidge of tomato puree
  • a swig of Worcester Sauce
  • 200g red lentils
  • 400g spinach
  • some warmed flatbreads, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a wok and add the spices. When sizzling, add in the onion, mushrooms and celery.
  2. Chop the liver into small pieces, removing and discarding any tough bits. Add the chopped liver to the wok and stir.
  3. When the liver is browned, add in the chopped tomatoes, water, puree and Worcester Sauce. Then add the lentils and stir.
  4. Wash the spinach, then gradually add it to the wok in large handfuls. At first, it will look as if there is too much, but it will soon wilt down as you immerse it in the liquid. Continue until all of it is in the dish.
  5. Let the wok simmer away for a further 15 – 20 mins. The lentils will soften and thicken while the liquid is reducing, resulting a in a rich warming sauce. Stop when it reaches the consistency you like.
  6. Grill the flatbreads on either side for a few minutes, then serve them with the dhal, scooped into a bowl (see my main photo above).

Customise It!

Feel free to add in other vegetables you like and/or have to hand. Chopped carrots and peppers will go down a treat. Most veg will go, really.

So if your iron levels, energy and drive are a little low, a bowl of this dhal may help restore them to more of a high. You may be thinking this all sounds like an elaborate ploy for me to feature Lo/Hi, one of my favourite tracks by Ohio’s The Black Keys, and add it to the ADK Playlist. Mmm er, yes that’s about right!

Categories
Desserts Recipes

Choc, Lime & Avocado Mousse

Avocados in a chocolate mousse? Surely not, I hear you say!

This week I have been researching egg-free dishes, as there is currently a shortage of eggs in our local shops here in the UK. Higher costs for farmers, and a cull of animals due to an outbreak of avian flu, are being given as the reasons for this. I understand this is also the case in some other parts of the world at the moment.

I’m seeing it as an opportunity to explore some recipes that don’t require eggs, so expect a little more of this over the next few posts. Here is the first – a rich, chocolatey mousse based on ripe avocado.

Servings

This will make 4 desserts.

Timings

10 mins to make, and then an hour chilling in the fridge before serving.

You Will Need

  • 2 large, ripe avocados
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 3 – 5 tbsp runny honey
  • 2 – 3 slices kiwi fruit, chopped into pieces
  • 0 eggs!

Method

  1. Chop the avocados in half and remove the stones. Scoop out the flesh into a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the cocoa, lime juice and honey and blitz to a smooth consistency.
  2. With a spatula, scrape the mousse into four pots for serving. I’ve used sherry glasses in the photo, but you could use ramekins or other small glasses if you wish. Top with the pieces of kiwi and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
  3. Er, that’s it.

Customise It!

Cutting out the eggs is half way to making a vegan dessert, so why not go the whole way by replacing the honey with maple or agave syrup. You could also replace the kiwi with raspberries or cherries. Slices of banana, or chopped nuts, would be great also.

Turning to the ADK Playlist, I have still been buzzing this week after seeing Inspiral Carpets last weekend in London. It really was a great concert. Here is another of their tracks, this one reminding me of that memorable encore at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – Commercial Reign.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ERdxKQ5IJo41PqpQA7VNP?si=3389712cf1034a9e
Categories
Bakes Desserts

Hot Cross Bun Pudding

The idea for this week’s dish has been sent in to me by keen follower of A Different Kitchen, Pamela (thank you, Pamela). It is a kind of bread and butter pudding made with hot cross buns and fruit. The original recipe that it is based on came from Waitrose, and included rhubarb, which Pamela says prompted her husband to comment that this is one of the nicest puddings you have ever made.

High praise indeed!

In my version, I’ve changed it up a bit to include raspberries and blueberries as another option.

Hot cross buns are plentiful in the shops this time of year, and this is a good way of using up ones that may still be at the back of your cupboard, a day or two old. Their dried fruit, spices and glaze go well in a custard-style pudding.

You may also be able to pick them up in the shops at the moment at reduced price. This happened to me completely by chance – I didn’t get round to shopping for this till a few days after Easter Sunday, by which time Sainsbury’s were selling off yellow stickered packs of six for the princely sum of 15p (which equates to 20 US cents) each. As they say in a cost of living crisis, every little helps!

Timings

10 mins to combine, then 30 mins to chill. Another 30 mins to bake at 180C.

Servings

At least four generous portions.

You Will Need

  • 4 hot cross buns, which can be a day or two old
  • Butter or spread for the buns
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 300ml single cream
  • 100ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 15 – 20 raspberries and 15 – 20 blueberries

Method

  1. Slice each bun horizontally into 3, and spread each slice on one side with butter or your choice of spread.
  2. Arrange them in a baking dish so that they overlap at 45 degree angles. This will mean the submerged parts of the buns soak in the custard, while the peaks crisp up and caramelise.
  3. Stud the berries in between the bun slices, to get good coverage all over.
  4. Combine the sugar, eggs, cream, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl with a mixer. Pour all over the buns, and place in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
  5. Heat an oven to 180C, and put in the dish for around 30 mins. Keep an eye on it for the last 10 mins or so to make sure the tops are crisped, but not burnt.
  6. Serve warm. It is also great cold.

Customise It!

As suggested, you can vary up the fruit to include whatever you like or have to hand. As we know from Pamela, rhubarb will work very well – stew about 400g in 80g sugar with a little orange juice, and spread amongst the buns.

Do you have an idea for a dish that can be featured on A Different Kitchen? And if so, would you like to choose the next track for the Playlist? Drop me a note in the comments below, if so.

This week’s track for the Playlist is one that I know Pamela will appreciate. Here’s Rod with You Wear it Well.

Categories
Bakes

Cherry Almond Traybake

A biscuity pastry crust, spread with a layer of rich cherry fruit jam, topped with eggy, almondy sponge and toasted flaked almonds. Sound good? It certainly tastes good! This indulgence can be yours – read on.

Servings

This will make 16 slices.

Timings

15 mins to make and chill the pastry. Another 10 mins to make the sponge filling while the pastry is baking blind, then 50 mins to bake the full cake.

You Will Need

  • 225g plain flour
  • 100g butter or margarine spread
  • pinch of salt
  • a few drops of cold water
  • 300g cherry jam
  • 150g veg oil
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 25g flaked almonds

Method

  1. Grease a traybake tin and line with baking paper. Mine is approx 22cm square.
  2. Sieve the plain flour into a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the butter or spread and blitz till it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add as much water as necessary to make a dough.
  3. Roll out on a floured surface and press in to cover the bottom and sides of the tin. Put in the fridge to chill, and turn on the oven to 180C.
  4. When the oven has reached temperature, take the pastry dish from the fridge, and fill with ceramic baking beans over a piece of crumpled baking paper. This will help stop the pastry rising and burning in this first stage of cooking, where the pastry base is ‘baked blind’. Put in the oven for 10 mins.
  5. While the pastry is baking blind, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the jam and flaked almonds) in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
  6. When the pastry base has had its 10 mins, take it from the oven and remove the beans/paper. Spread the cherry jam all over. Then pour on the egg and almond mix, even it out with a spatula and sprinkle the flaked almonds all over. Place back in the oven for 50 mins, or until nicely golden, and when a skewer put into the centre of the cake comes out with no wet mixture sticking to it.
  7. Leave to cool, then turn out of the tin and cut into squares.

Customise It!

Cherry and almond is a classic taste combination, but raspberry jam will also work well.

Posting this traybake gives me a word association-style opening to add this next track to the ADK Playlist. No, not The Jam. Nor Marc Almond. Here’s a beautiful duet between Neneh Cherry and Youssou N’Dour – Seven Seconds.

Categories
Mains

Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce

Happy Easter weekend everyone! It’s sunny and warm here in the UK but, I see, raining cats and dogs in Augusta, Georgia. How very inconsiderate of the weather, interfering with my planned post-dinner relaxation watching the US Masters. Oh well, while the golfing umbrellas are up, I will capitalise on the time to update you on my Easter weekend cooking.

I bought a joint of beef brisket from my local butcher and have slow cooked it with seasonal veg in a pot roast that seems to have gone down well with the troops. So here is the recipe.

Servings

There should be enough here for 6 adult servings, alongside your choice of roast veg.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, then leave it to slow cook for 6 hours or so.

You Will Need

  • 1kg rolled beef brisket
  • a swig of veg oil
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 parsnip, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 200ml red wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp red currant or cranberry sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tsp water

Method

  1. Warm the oil in a heavy-based wok or saucepan. Put in the beef brisket joint and sear until it is brown on all sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
  2. Put all the chopped veg into the warm oil and cook till browned.
  3. Add in the stock, wine, bay leaf and redcurrant/cranberry sauce. Bring to the boil and stir to mix.
  4. Combine the beef joint, veg and sauce in the vessel that you are going to slow cook in. I used an electric slow cooker on the low setting, but I have also cooked this dish in a Le Creuset casserole dish on the stove top, on simmer setting. You could also put it in a casserole dish and transfer to the oven at 140C. Whatever method you choose, the key factor is to let it stew for around 6 hours on a low heat. This will tenderise the meat, infuse the veg with a beefy taste and produce a sweetened sauce, or gravy.
  5. 6 hours later, remove the joint and set on a carving board, covered with foil to keep warm. Transfer the sauce to the hob and heat to reduce. Add in the cornflour and water mix to produce the thickness you desire. If you wish, add in further amounts of cornflour and water as necessary.
  6. Slice the meat and serve with a generous dollop of the red wine sauce. You can see from my photo that I served this with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, boiled carrots and brussels sprouts.

Customise It!

I would stick to the choice of joint, and proportions of beef stock and wine. The veg, however, you can vary up to include what is in season and what you have to hand. Some field mushrooms and some red or green peppers would go down well. Celery would be a brilliant addition.

As it is the Easter holidays, I have a special, longer track for the ADK Playlist. The 50th Anniversary of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells has recently been a topic of celebration here in the UK, with a re-recorded version and concert tour.

At first I was slightly wary about a re-recording of a classic, that was as close to perfection as it is possible to get. However, the new version is actually pretty good, being very faithful to the original, and definitely worth a listen. It has been recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the added strings, woodwind and percussion sections add significantly (there is no brass as far as I can tell).

I was curious to see who would take the place of Vivian Stanshall as MC, calling in the various instruments. My guess was Stephen Fry, but as it transpires it is Brian Blessed, in typically rumbustious and over the top fashion.

All in all, a lot of fun.

Make the most of this relaxing music – next week I am back in London to see one of my favourite ever bands, Inspiral Carpets, live at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. I am really looking forward to this, folks, so expect higher decibel levels to be resumed soon.

Happy Easter!

Categories
Mains

Spicy Parsnip Soup

Time for another guest post on A Different Kitchen! Over to my wife, Lesley to show us how to make this tasty, hearty and warming soup.

I belong to a community allotment and we plan to have lovely fresh things to eat. Recently we have had a glut of winter parsnips. Everyone should eat more parsnips!  

I took home 6 of them all large and gnarly, grown organically and fattened up over our winter. With vegetables that have imperfections like this, soup is a great option as it doesn’t matter what bits you might have to cut out.

I love the scent of the crushed spices that are used in this recipe. I used a pestle and mortar but you can crush them on a cutting board with a bottle or rolling pin.

You Will Need

  • 6 parsnips, peeled and roughly chunked
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • a knob of butter
  • 1 litre of stock (after roasting a chicken we always boil up the carcass with some water for half an hour, then put the stock in tubs in the freezer until needed).  
  • A spice mix, here’s what I used, but any spices you like will do:
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • a few cardamon pods

Method

  1. Melt butter in a pan and add the crushed spices.
  2. Add the parsnip  and onion, and heat until all the chunks are warm and coated – this will take about 10 mins. 
  3. Pour in the stock, and bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Blitz to a smooth consistency, then serve.

Customise It!

This soup is great served with crusty bread, as shown in the main photo above. However, you could also make croutons by cutting bread into cubes and baking them on a tray in the oven. Keep your eye on them as they brown very quickly. Chuck the crispy croutons on to the top of your bowl of soup.

You could also swirl in a few table spoonfuls of double cream for an ultra-posh version.

The contributor of a guest post gets to choose the next track for the ADK Spotify Playlist. Lesley has chosen Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, who we have just seen on his farewell tour in London. More on this in my weekend post!

Categories
Blog

By Royal Appointment?

I must share with you, dear readers, an amazing letter I’ve received in the post this morning.

My excitement rose when I saw the postmark bearing the words Buckingham Palace. It turns out to be a handwritten letter from none other than the Queen Consort, probably still better known to most as Camilla (of Parker-Bowles fame). It goes like this:

Hi Kevin,

Hope you’re keeping well, mate. As you’re probably aware, we have a bit of a do coming up next month, with the Coronation. There’s lots still to organise, including the Afternoon Tea for all the family after the main service – I like to think of it as a bit of a knees-up.

Anyways, the Boss himself has put me in charge of sorting out the nosh. I love following A Different Kitchen, and wondered if I could ask you to bake us a few cakes?

A Dundee Fruit Cake would go down well with the Balmoral set, and you can’t go wrong with choco brownies as far as all the kids are concerned lol. Numbers aren’t final yet – we still don’t know if Harry and the missus will be attending.

Let me know what you can do for us. Keep up the good work, and why not post a few more tracks from the Arctic Monkeys – I’m a big fan.

Cheers,
Camilla

Goodness me! I need your help here, readers. This is my biggest gig since I started the blog, so do please let me have your thoughts by way of comments below, on what I should offer to bake.

In the meantime, here’s a classic track from The Who for the ADK Playlist – Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Categories
Blog

New Forest Afternoon Tea

Now here’s a real treat: a recent family celebration took us to the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu, at the heart of Hampshire’s New Forest, for an English Afternoon Tea.

The New Forest is a slice of traditional old England. Originally a hunting forest for royalty from the 11th Century, it has benefitted from environmental protections over the centuries, and is now a National Park. This means that the beautiful scenery and wildlife have changed little, and the region is rich in heritage. One of its most famous aspects is the New Forest Ponies, who freely roam the land.

History lesson over – on to the food. Afternoon Tea was served in the Dining Room, with china tea service and the elaborate three tiered cake stand shown in my main photo.

Starting with the bottom plate, we had a selection of finger sandwiches: thinly sliced Cucumber with Cream Cheese; Longman Cheddar and Chutney; Honey Roast Gammon with Dijon Mayonnaise; and Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche. There were also slices of Pork Sausage Roll and Mushroom Vol Au Vents.

Once you’ve polished off the sandwiches, you move to the middle plate, which has warm Fruit and Plain Scones, with Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream.

The top layer has the cakes: Chocolate Brownie with Salted Caramel and Kirsch Cherry; Blood Orange Choux Balls; and Carrot Cake.

Situated alongside the Beaulieu (it is pronounced Bewley) River, the Montagu Arms is an enchanting old country house hotel. The current building dates from the 1880s, and oozes traditional English charm with its interiors of oak flooring, wall panelling, original brick fireplaces and grandfather clocks. You would not be surprised if you bumped into Basil Rathbone or Wilfrid Hyde-White on the stairs (note to younger readers: look them up on Google).

When the likes of Netflix are trying to create a location for an Agatha Christie movie or period drama, this is the look they are aiming for – except this is the real thing. Even the plush carpet is eccentrically unique, with a quirky design based on the famous New Forest Ponies.

The food was delicious, the service friendly and efficient, and the surroundings relaxed. It is almost impossible to finish all the food, so you are able to take home whatever you can’t eat, to enjoy later. I can wholeheartedly recommend it for a birthday, anniversary or special celebration.

Musical accompaniment for this post has to be something quintessentially English. To me, that means Kate Bush. I saw her live in 2014, at her Before the Dawn residency at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. She is a captivating presence, whether with a full band accompanying her, or alone on stage with just voice and piano. This is one of many great tracks she performed, from the Aerial album – Joanni.

Categories
Bakes Desserts Recipes

Baked Blueberry, Lemon & Mascarpone Cheesecake

Heard the one about the new Italian toy craze loved by foodies? It’s called My Little Mascarpone.

I recently found myself with a tub of the silky rich cheese left over after making Cherry, Mascarpone & Biscotti Dessert, and wondered what else I could come up with. I spotted some unused blueberries in the fridge and there are usually some lemons in the ADK fruitbowl. Hey presto, the idea for a baked cheesecake was born.

I was introduced to baked cheesecake a few years ago in a New York deli, and loved it. I like how baking makes the taste and texture more intense, while browning and caramelising the top.

Servings

8 good sized slices.

Timings

10 mins to make the pastry, and 10 mins to make the filling, while the pastry base is chilling and the oven is warming up. Up to 50 mins to bake.

You Will Need

  • 225g plain flour
  • 100g butter
  • pinch of salt
  • a few tsp tap water
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 250g mascarpone cheese
  • 1 tbsp lemon curd
  • zest and juice of a lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 125g blueberries

Method

  1. Sieve the flour into a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the butter in chopped cubes and whirl till you have the texture of breadcrumbs. Drop in enough water and swirl again, till it makes a ball of dough.
  2. Roll out on a floured surface and line a pastry dish. Mine shown in the main photo is 21cm diameter. Place in the fridge to chill, and turn on the oven to 180C.
  3. When the oven has reached temperature, line the pastry with scrunched up baking paper filled with ceramic baking beans, and put in the oven for 10mins. This will part bake the pastry base before adding the filling.
  4. While the pastry base is cooking, make the filling by mixing the sugar and egg in a bowl. Add in the mascarpone, lemon curd, zest, juice and vanilla and mix it all with an electric whisk.
  5. Remove the base from the oven, and take out the baking paper and beans, leaving them in another bowl to cool. Pour the filling into the pastry base, and stud all over the surface with the blueberries. Press the blueberries down just enough so that they adhere to the filling but can still be seen from above.
  6. Bake in the oven for around 50 mins. Check on it after 35 mins – if a skewer inserted in the middle is coming out with no wet mixture on it, the cake will be cooked. I like to leave mine for the fuller 50 mins, as I like how this gives the filling a dense and richer texture, and the top to be browned and caramelised.
  7. Leave the baked cake to cool before serving.

Customise It!

I used blueberries as I had a pack unused in the fridge. You could just as easily use raspberries or other berries. Also, if you don’t like making pastry, or don’t have ceramic baking beans, you can use a shop-bought base. You could also use a pack of ready made shortcrust pastry, if you wish.

New York is also the inspiration for the latest track to add to the ADK Spotify Playlist. There really are so many great bands I could choose from here: the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Interpol… and of course these lads from Queens. Here are The Ramones, with Rockaway Beach.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Guinness and Honey-Glazed Roast Pork

With all my Irish Potato Bread now eaten, I’m moving on to the next round of Irish-influenced good food and great music, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day Weekend.

This dish is a great way to incorporate A Drop of the Black Stuff in a dark, sweet glaze and sauce to enjoy with roast pork. As you can see from my main photo, I served this with creamy potato mash over a bed of shredded savoy cabbage. The garnish of scallions (spring onions) adds another taste, and contributes to the shamrock green colour palette.

It both looks and tastes great. What’s more, once you’ve opened the bottle of Guinness for the glaze, the rest can be poured into a glass as a well-earned appetiser for the hard working cook. So what’s not to like?

Servings

My carving of the pork loin produced 11 slices, so at 2 slices per person this will comfortably feed 4 -5.

Timings

15 mins to make the glaze. The pork takes an initial 20 mins in the oven at 180C, then a further 50 mins to slow cook at a lower setting of 150C.

You Will Need

  • 1kg good quality pork loin, skinless and boneless (I bought mine from a local independent butcher)
  • 200ml Guinness
  • 50ml runny honey
  • 120g light brown sugar
  • seasalt and black pepper

Method

  1. Combine the Guinness, honey and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Then turn down to a simmer and allow to reduce by about half. Remove the saucepan to a cool place. Don’t be too concerned if it still looks too liquidy for a glaze – as it starts to cool it will thicken.
  2. Turn on the oven at 180C.
  3. Lay the pork loin on a chopping board, fat side up. With a sharp knife, score lines in the layer of fat at 1cm intervals. Grind over some seasalt and black pepper, then rub it in to the fat layer with your fingers.
  4. Place the pork on a roasting dish and put in the oven when it has reached temperature. Leave for 20mins.
  5. Remove the pork from the oven and turn the temperature down to 150C. Brush the pork all over with most of the Guinness and honey glaze, and put it back in the oven for a further 50 mins.
  6. Take the dish from the oven at 10 – 15 min intervals and baste with the liquid gathering in the bottom of the roasting dish. These will be a mixture of the Guinness and honey glaze and the juices from the pork as it cooks.
  7. Remove the cooked pork after 50 mins and let it rest on a chopping board for 5 mins, then carve into slices. See my photos below.
  8. Tip the juices from the roasting dish into the saucepan along with the remaining Guinness and honey glaze. Stir to combine as you warm it through, then pour into a jug.
  9. Serve slices of the pork with your choice of veg, and drizzle over the Guinness and honey sauce (see my main photo at the top of this post). My veg is boiled potatoes mashed with butter, steamed shredded savoy cabbage, and a garnish of chopped scallions.

Customise It!

You have scope to vary the veg accompaniments, though I would keep to a potatoes and greens theme for a St Patrick’s celebration. Add the chopped scallions directly into the mash, to make champ. You could also replace the cabbage with kale or cavolo nero.

No prizes for guessing the suggested choice of drink to enjoy with your meal!

My St. Patrick’s Playlist has been prominent in the ADK kitchen this weekend, and here is another track. This one is something of a timeless classic from Belfast’s own Van the Man: Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile).