Late Summer Soup

There was a freshness in the air on Saturday Morning. It permeated into the house and froze my bladder in doing so. I rolled out of bed at 6am and woke the Dogg up to start the day. We went a walk near a leafy wooded hill, that once was home to notorious toilet traders but is now a local beauty spot. From the top of the hill one can see a long way towards the Mysterious East, while closer to the hill is a ruined chapel from the nineteenth century which hides in plain sight in the nearby pine forest. 

Also rife there at this time of year are berries; especially bilberries and blackberries. The sight of these berries coupled with the fresh cold of the mornings always makes me realise that Autumn is coming close, the cricket season is near an end and suddenly Winter will rear its head. 

With this in mind I decided to prepare a soup for the occasion as I was playing host to two close friends and, after a spontaneous message, was lucky enough to play host to two other good friends on top of that for good measure.

The local greengrocer, in addition to stocking retro model vintage cars and DVDs, retains its share of quality fruit and vegetables. It already has the first English Apples of the season available and these, together with the arrival of a new stock of Carrots, inspired me to make a soup featuring the fresh juices of summer and hint of the colourful Autumn to come. 

On the player was the first effort by Bruce Springsteen; 1973's "Greetings from Ashbury Park N.J" . Aside from containing "Blinded by the Light" and "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City"; both of which were covered very expertly by Manfred Mann and David Bowie respectively, the record is outstanding for gritty quasi-acoustic numbers like "Mary Queen of Arkansas". It is a song my neighbour, and Springsteen Devotee, rightly rates as one of The Boss' best songs. 

The ingredients of this recipe are as follows:

5 Carrots- peeled, topped and tailed and cut into small circular slices. 
2 Sticks of Celery- cut into small pieces and divested of their string.
1 Apple- topped, tailed, de-cored and cut into cubes. 
5 teaspoons of British Coriander Leaf.
3 teaspoons of powdered Coriander. 
2 teaspoons of White Pepper. 
The juice of a Freshly Squeezed Orange. 
Olive Oil. 
Quarter of a Pint of Vegetable Stock.
Pumpkin Seeds. 

The method is the following:

1. Lightly fry the Carrots, Celery, Apple, British Coriander Leaf, Powdered Coriander and White Pepper in Olive Oil in a saucepan on a lowish heat for fifteen minutes stirring regularly. 

2. Add the juice from the Freshly Squeezed Orange and stew for another five minutes. 

3. Add the Vegetable Stock and simmer for a further twenty five minutes. 

4. Leave to cool and once cooled blend on the highest setting. 

5. Return the soup to the saucepan and warm through before serving in bowls with a topping of Pumpkin Seeds.

This soup perfectly summed up what mid to late August is all about in that the Juice of the Orange gave it a fresh taste of hot late summer days drinking on the patio while the earthy tastes of the Celery and Apple pointed towards the smells, feelings and tastes that Autumn brings with it. 

The taste of this soup is rounded off well with the Pumpkin Seeds

Gammon Raise

The first of June had seen me involved in one of the most exciting games of cricket of my career. This time it was a close finish that saw the team I was playing in get home off one of the last balls of the game thanks to an athletic diving catch by my stocky Sri Lankan Teammate. 

After a steamy night at a Far Eastern Restaurant, a revitalising boiled Goose Egg the morning after followed by a walk to one of the highest local hills it was time for another cooking project. 

I stepped a long way back in time to the mid 1980s and remembered the times when my mum wasn't a quasi-vegan and used to cook delicious Gammon Steaks that were salty yet juicy. It was those memories that inspired me to cook a Gammon Steak with some adventurous ingredients that were barely heard of in the 1980s. The ingredients were:

1 joint of Gammon.
Honey to glaze the Gammon with.  
Mustard Seeds. 
Purple Sage Leaves.


For the Prune Chutney:
3 Shallots 
12 Ounces of Prunes. 
Quarter of a Pint of White Wine.

A side of New Potatoes.

At this point I'd give a big shout out to my local green grocer "Strawberry Box" who supplied the Shallots and New Potatoes. 

On the player was Roy Harper's 1988 effort "Garden of Uranium". Harper didn't release many albums in the 1980s but when he did he certainly hit his straps. Garden of Uranium combines atmosphere, emotion and dry wit and although there are some very 1980s touches to the record they are restrained enough for the album not to sound dated.

The method for this dish was as follows: 

1. Cut all excess fat from the Gammon.

2. Mix together the Honey, Mustard Seeds and Sage Leaves in a mixing bowl and then glaze the Gammon Steak with them using a brush. 

3. Cook the Glazed Gammon in the oven for ninety minutes on Gas Mark 4. 

4. While the Gammon is cooking make Prune and Shallot Chutney by topping and tailing the Shallots and slicing them thinly. 

5. Melt eight ounces of Unsalted Butter in a saucepan and add the Prunes and Shallots. Once the Shallots are cooked add the White Wine and then boil it away on a medium heat until the melted butter, residue of the White Wine and Prunes and Shallots have formed a thick paste. Leave on one side to cool. 

6. Peel the New Potatoes and Steam for 25-30 minutes until they are soft. 

7. Once the Gammon is ready, cut it into slices and serve with the Prune and Shallot Chutney and New Potatoes. 

The combination of Prunes, Shallots and Gammon isn't necessarily one I'd have put together before making this recipe. However the chutney that contained the Prunes, Shallots and White Wine had a rich and earthy flavour that complemented the sweet, rich glaze that encrusted the Gammon Steak.