Red, Dread, Redemption

 The first of the grains of snow appeared. Insignificant at first but soon they became thicker until a blizzard obscured the hills and thoughts of travel were shelved. It could have easily have been a metaphor for the recent turn of events where something that seemed that it might be manageable was turning into something that had the potential to stop me in its tracks. 

Back at the house the phone rang and news of the first of my family members to pass away from Covid-19 was passed on to me. She'd left the building a few years earlier through dementia, after once being an energetic individual who kept me on my toes and taught me how to tie my shoelaces as a schoolboy. 

A warming soup was needed with the mercury hitting the minus numbers. I plumped for a tomato soup recipe that included the following:

• Six Fresh Tomatoes cut into cubes. 
• Six cloves of Garlic diced carefully. 
• A teaspoonful of Paprika.
• A diced Red Pepper. 
• A small Red Chilli cut into pieces. 
• Eight fresh Basil Leaves.
• Four Hundred and Fifty Grams of Tomato Puree liquid.
• Two Hundred and Fifty Grams of Sun-Dried Tomatoes. 

The album on the player was Mark Knopfler's carefully-crafted 2012 double-album of folk-blues "Privateering". One song, which opens the second disc, the epic, string laden, Celtic-flavoured "Kingdom of Gold" sounded like it could have been the perfect send off for my late relative as she started off on the planet in a Fishing Town in North Eastern Scotland back in the early 1930s. 

The method for this soup is quite simple and goes like this:

• Steadily fry the Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic, Paprika, Chilli, Red Pepper and Basil leaves in some Olive Oil in a Le Cresceut with the lid on for twenty minutes on a medium heat. 
• Add the Tomato Puree Liquid and Sun-Dried Tomatoes and simmer for around fifteen minutes. 
• Pour the contents of the Le Cresceut into a blender then purify. 

There's something a little defiant about plucking fresh Basil and Chilli from one of my houseplants in the middle of winter when little should be growing. Both these ingredients added a real tangy freshness to the soup while the sun-dried tomatoes give a real rich and weathered taste to the whole soup. 

Just after finishing my first helping of the soup an e-mail was received. Maybe it was time for something new. 

Wrapped in Winter

Words had been exchanged, frankness hung in the air. Perhaps it was the impending mortality of some old friends of thirty years' standing that had fuelled the fire for some direct criticism of some things that seemed beyond my control. The next morning dawned with lying ice shelves, and buckets of Baltic Rain marring the trip to the Mall to get the weekly shop. 

While there I discovered two chicken breasts. The first was to be cooked for the Dogg's birthday tea while I decided to pep the other up a bit for a tea of my own. The weak winter sun, that had made my Cauliflower Seeds germinate and helped banish a portion of the unwanted lying snow, faded into an inky night.  

The album on the player was Scott Walker's first real foray into the world of the Avate-Garde with his 1995 record "Tilt". Unlike later efforts "The Drift" "Bisch Bosch" that veer towards loud sounding nothings, "Tilt" has enough melody, structure and cohesiveness to be compelling. It features the pleading, plaintive "Farmer in the City" and much industrial brightness plucked from the darkest corners of the psyche in all parts of the record. If you're feeling brave take a listen at: Scott Walker - Tilt (1997)Album - YouTube 

The ingredients to make the wrapped chicken recipe I tried out are:

One Chicken Breast

One hundred grams of Wensleydale and Cranberry Cheese. I sourced mine from the wonderful Stretton Hall Farm Shop. Check them out at: Stretton Hall Farm Shop | Facebook

Six Fresh Rosemary Leaves.

Three Slices of Parma Ham

One hundred grams of Walnuts.

One Carrot, topped, tailed and slice widthways. 

Quarter of a pint of Red Mine. I used a Chilean one called Casillero Del Diablo Merlot. 

The flesh of two Cox's Apples that's been cubed. 

I was inspired to make this from a wrapped chicken recipe two kind and generous fraternal friends served up during a visit to there's in brighter times. 

The method goes like this: 

1. Pre-Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5.

2. Fry the Chicken Breast in Sunflower Oil on a high heat on all sides for five minutes.

3. Stuff the Chicken with the Wensleydale and Cranberry Cheese and three quarters of the Rosemary Leaves. 

4. Wrap the Parma Ham round the Chicken to keep the filling in place. 

5. Place in a high-sided baking tray and decorate with the Cox's Apple pieces, Walnuts, Carrot and remainder of the Rosemary Leaves. 

6. Bake in the oven for thirty minutes. 

Cranberry Cheese with Chicken and Fresh Rosemary is something that goes together well as a complete flavour package. The Red Wine meanwhile gave a richness that coupled with the mixture of Carrot, Apple and Walnut made for a revitalising mid-winter meal. 

Oystercatcher

In the summertime we participated in the Eat out to Help Out Scheme and found a seafood restaurant off of a remote main road located in some countryside that gave the restaurant the remote feel of an American Diner on the highway. At that restaurant they have a wonderful range of Seafood and especially Oysters. A link to their website to see for yourself is at: The Mussel and Crab Restaurant, Tuxford 

One of our resolutions this New Year has been to practise more self-care and focus on a good quality of life. One way of doing that has been to replicate recipes from our favourite restaurants that we cannot get to at present because of the lockdown. 

In the last minute shopping carnage of New Year's Eve, I located a pack of Oysters in the fish vendor and elbowed my way through the dilatory throngs to the till before making my escape. A few days later, after a strange adventure in the secret garden of an old mining village, we decided to make a meal with the Oysters. The ingredients are as follows:

Eight Oysters

For the dressing:

One Red Chilli, we used one that was freshly harvested from the chilli plant in my indoor Greenhouse. 

The juice from a Lemon.

On the player was a record that is considered one of the best in Jazz; Miles Davis' 1959 collaboration with Gil Evans "Porgy and Bess". With its images of fishing and seafood in the titles to some songs it was a handy accompaniment to the food preparation. Why not check it out this piece of history at: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis) - YouTube 

The first trick was to open the Oysters. This is a challenge and one that requires caution to overcome. The best approach is to find a soft area in the edge of the shells, thrust a sharp knife in and twist it to open the shell. If that doesn't work use some pliers to crush the shells to access the Oysters.

The next step is to clean the Oyster flesh inside and remove any shell fragments. Then serve the Oysters on a plate in individual half shells. 

The Chilli Dressing is made by removing the top of the Chilli and slicing it into small pieces. Add the Chilli pieces to a small serving bowl with the Lemon Juice.

The best way to consume the Oysters is to treat them as if you are drinking a shot of liquor. Add some relish to the shell containing the individual Oyster and then drink the Oyster and relish from the shell in one go. 

The sourness of the Lemon Juice coupled with the fire of the Red Chilli and rich moistness of the Oyster make this dish a wonderful luxury to start the New Year with. 

Manchego Man Randy Savage

The snow had arrived out of nowhere as the second half of the second day of 2021 became a whiteout. It was an opportunity to cook a few meals to freeze so as to consume them during the working week. It was also a time to cook a new soup recipe. 

On the player was the sterling Rolling Stones compilation "Forty Licks". It shows how much depth and quality there is in the band's catalogue.  Buried within the compilation are four new, at the time, songs that showed the key facets of the styles of song writing Jagger and Richards employed in the early noughties. 

The soup recipe goes like this:

Three large White Potatoes, peeled and cubed.

Three fresh Chives cut thinly. 

One head of Broccoli cut into cubes.

One White Onion, peeled, topped, tailed and diced. 

Pinch of White Pepper.

Half a pint of Chicken Stock

One Hundred Grams of grated Spanish Manchego Cheese made with Sheep's Milk. This cheese was sourced from the excellent Stretton Hall Farm Shop who can be found online at: Stretton Hall Farm Shop | Facebook 

The first step is sweat the Potatoes, Brocolli, Chives, White Onion, Chives and White Pepper in Sunflower Oil in a saucepan on a medium heat for around ten minutes stirring regularly to stop the ingredients sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The second step is to add the Chicken Stock and simmer the ingredients for thirty minutes then blend them before adding the soup back to the saucepan. Thirdly add the Manchego Cheese and warm the soup through, so the Cheese melts into it, before serving it. 

The potatoes give this soup plenty of quality carbs while the cheese gives a richness that makes this a midwinter treat. 

 

Christmas Chick

It was a wet December Day. We had scrambled up to the summit above the old mine-workings and then scrambled down the remains of the old slag heap to find a meal of Al-Fresco Tea Bread and fresh Coffee. Returning home we were soaked and needed to refuel with a strong Sunday Dinner. 

We had acquired some fresh Chicken Fillets and some Cheese made of Chives and Caramelised Onions from the local farm shop and set to work. 

On the player was Jethro Tull's Christmas Album, which makes old sounds appear as if they have just been invented, and then Low's shimmering, wonderful Christmas Album. 

The Recipe is as follows:

For the flavoured Chicken Breasts:

2 Chicken Breasts.

7 fresh Chive Sprigs. 

4 teaspoons of Dried Tarragon.

2 teaspoons of Mustard Seed.

2 diced cloves of Garlic.

1 diced White Onion. 

Olive Oil 

For the Cheese and Leek Sauce:

50 grams of Unsalted Butter.

1 tablespoon of Cornflour.

7 tablespoons of Unskimmed Milk.

4 tablespoons of Grated Plougman's cheese or other soft cheese with Caramelised Onion and Chives. 

1 tablespoon of Pine Nuts.

1 diced Leek freshly steamed. 

For the Rosemary Mashed Potato:

3 medium White Potatoes, mashed after being peeled, diced and steamed.

1 teaspoon of fresh, diced Rosemary. 

2 tablespoons of unsweetened Soya Drink. 

The method goes like this:

1. Put the Chicken Breasts on a baking tray covered in foil and some Olive Oil. 

2. Spread the Onion and Garlic evenly between the Chicken Breasts and on top of the Chicken Breasts. 

3. Spread the Chive Sprigs, Tarragon and Mustard Seeds all over the Chicken Breasts and brush with Olive Oil.

4. Wrap the foil round the Chicken to create a parcel. 

5. Cook in the oven on Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes. 

6. Steam the diced Potatoes and Leek for 20 minutes until they are soft. 

7. Make the Sauce by melting the Butter in a saucepan. Stir in the Flour and Pine Nuts. Add the Milk into the mixture and stir until there is a thick paste. Melt in the Cheese and once the melted cheese has combined with the sauce add the Steamed Leeks and stir together. 

8. Mash the Potato, stir in the Soya Drink and Rosemary Leaves. 

9. Serve the Potato, then put the Chicken on top of it with Cheese and Leek Sauce.