Yoghurt Tops

The Salted Chilli Chicken and Homemade Bilberry Gin had been yin and yang the night before. The Chicken had induced an unquenchable thirst while the Bilberry Gin had acted as a sturdy thirst quencher that was intoxicating. Hence the next morning a breakfast that was required was one that was simple yet filling. It employed Yoghurt, a foodstuff that originated in Turkey

The Sunday Morning Chillout Playlist was in full cry in the form of Massive Attack's seminal, for many of my generation, Trip-Hop Album "Blue Lines". Its greatness is confirmed by virtue of the fact that no matter how many times you listen to it you hear something different and exciting each time. A link to have a listen yourself is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH1JGOJgZ2u1-xaLLgghUc14VtQnXGnjY 

This seemingly light but filling breakfast is made quite easily and involves the following:

Half a pint of plain low-fat yoghurt. 

Two Garlic Cloves, peeled, topped, tailed and sliced into tiny pieces.

Two tablespoons of Paprika.

One Hundred and Fifty Grams of Unsalted Butter.

Three Eggs, poached in an egg poacher for three minutes before serving with the dish. 

The method for this is simple in that all one has to do is combine the Garlic and Yoghurt in a bowl and mix it together well prior to serving on individual plates. Next melt the Butter in a saucepan and mix it thoroughly with the Paprika. 

After you've laid the Yoghurt out on each serving plate put a Poached Egg or two on top of the Yoghurt and then drizzle the Paprika Butter Sauce over it. 

Although the Yoghurt might seem quite light at first blush, combining it with the Poached Eggs creates a real richness that's hard to resist and will keep you going until dinnertime. The Paprika Butter Sauce and Raw Garlic meanwhile give this an authentic fresh and strong flavour that transports you to a hot restaurant in Turkey. 

Assault on Ravioli Mountain

The late September Summer Sun had permitted time for a spontaneous picnic at a site at a place I had known for over thirty years. It had been a weekend of marking time as I had enjoyed my last meal in the house my parents had lived in for thirty-two years before their move that week. It then felt appropriate for me to take a walk and a picnic in the woods where I had walked with them as a boy when they first moved into their old house. 

For some reason for me late summer sun and the music of Neil Young are two things that go together like coffee and cream. It was his rather nostalgic "Harvest Moon" album, which was a nostalgic follow up to his classic 1972 record "Harvest", that was playing through my head as I visualised the younger version of myself and my parents walking near me a lifetime ago as the Dogg and I enjoyed our picnic. 

It was appropriate therefore that as I began to cook tea my upgraded digital copy of "Harvest Moon" was on the player as I allowed myself some, admittedly rare these days, nostalgic thoughts. 

A link to this wonderful record is at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6ogdCG3tAWhK2kzKKVzTIpGmhJudA72N

For the recipe I went for something simple and rich that I'll aim to make a more complicated version of for this blog in the future. Two good friends of mine had been kind enough to donate me an inspirational Le Cresceut cook book with a number of recipes in that are quick and tasty. The recipe on this post is baked Ravioli recipe and the ingredients go like this:

Two Shallots carefully peeled, topped and tailed and sliced thinly.

Seven Tomatoes cut into quarters.

Five Basil leaves shredded thinly. 

Five sprigs of Thyme

One clove of Garlic, topped, tailed, peeled and sliced thinly. 

Ten slices of Cheddar and Mozzerela Cheese.

Eight grams  of Pine Nuts.

Three hundred grams of pre-made Ravioli with a flavour of your choice. 

The method is as follows:

1. Boil the Ravioli in a pan for two minutes.

2. Fry in a Le Cresceut Dish in Sunflower Oil the Herbs, Vegetables and Pine Nuts for ten minutes.

3. Add the cheese and Ravioli in layers. Cook for about ten minutes on the hob in the Le Cresceut until it's melted. Then serve it. 

The cheese layers and the filling of the Ravioli pieces puts this recipe in danger of being a richness overload. This said the fresh herbs, that I grew in my garden, and the tomato add a healthy edge to it while the pine nuts provide some unexpected protein. Tune in for a future edition where I will make Ravioli from scratch. 

The Mussels from Hustles

The clouds passed slowly over our heads as we lay under the trees on a day of sunshine and showers. It was a strange feeling that had come over me that day as I reflected on the aftermath of a big decision. It was a decision that had, perhaps, upset some people but it was a decision in the fullness of time they would accept and understand. It was not something to be sad about. I thought of it as training for life in that if I want to excel in my future career I would need to make decisions that, like this one, were the right decision even if they did not please everybody.

Lying there with the Dogg and the picnic items sprawled beside me I felt an odd weightlessness and feeling of freedom. The chest pains that had troubled me the past few months had subsided and given way to a kind of content tiredness to put me on the right track. 

An old colleague of mine once said that when people feel challenged or in a sticky scape, they either head to the hills or the sea. One Saturday recently I headed to the hills and a couple of days later it would be the sea. In anticipation of this trip to the seaside, arranged by quietly hustling my first week's holiday since Christmas, I settled on a recipe involving seafood. In this case it was Mussels. 

The record of choice was the Fugees' 1996 classic "The Score". Although I have a few rap records in my collection, it's not a genre that I listen to a lot. However this album, like Tricky's Maxinquaye, is one that transcends the genre to be something special. One of the singles culled from the record was a cover of the classic "Killing me Softly". I have vivid memories of walking passed the common room of a prefabricated building at my old school sometime in 1996 and hearing that song belting out. It's a memory that's stuck with me ever since. If you're interested in listening then check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfVr5Xib50 

The ingredients for this recipe are:

500 grams of shelled, cooked Mussels. 

2 Onions, topped, tailed and sliced widthways. 

5 fresh Basil Leaves.

3 cloves of Garlic, topped, tailed and sliced thinly. 

2 Tomatoes cut widthways into four pieces for each Tomato. 

1 head of Broccoli cut into pieces.

1 tablespoon of Corn Flour.

25 grams of dried Tarragon.

125 grams of Unsalted Butter.

2 cloves of Garlic cut thinly.

0.1 litre Unsweetened Soya Milk.

The method is as follows:

1. In a Le Cresceut or deep frying pan heat some Sunflower Oil  and fry the Onions and Garlic on a medium heat for ten minutes. 

2. Add the Mussels, Tomatoes and Basil Leaves and fry on a medium heat for another fifteen minutes. 

3. In the meantime steam the Brocolli for twenty-five minutes. 

4. Make the Sauce by melting the Butter in a saucepan and adding the Tarragon and Garlic and stewing for around 3 minutes. Add the Corn Flour and stir it in. Gradually add the Soya Milk, keep heating the Sauce and stir it in until you have a thick sauce. 

5. Serve and drizzle the Sauce liberally over the food. 

It was a hot night when I cooked this recipe and, despite mussels traditionally being rich, felt light and flavoursome thanks to the Fresh Basil and Broccoli while the sauce was not too over the top and sweet thanks to the Soya Milk. It got me in the right frame of mind for a day at the beach. 

Little Green Goddess

On a day that marked an important milestone in my life, we sat at a strategic social distance from the other guests in a room that backed onto a courtyard that was set out in a way to look like a place in Southern Europe. The room was a restaurant in a historic local hotel and the date we went there had been sometime in the fairly recent past towards the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.

The event celebrated at that time was a low key milestone but one that pointed the way, in spite of all the uncertainty, to a bright new future. The first course had arrived in the shape of the freshest and most flavoursome Pea and Mint soup I had ever tasted. It inspired the soup I made yesterday, following an afternoon of planting a series of seeds in the garden that may feature in this blog in the future if they grow to their potential. 

Yesterday had been muggy and almost dreamy in the weather that formed. I was dropped from the cricket team, again, in favour of rotating the squad, again, which is a sure-fire way for players lose match fitness and doesn't do much to bind together a proper team spirit or develop all players' match-play abilities on any kind of a consistent level. Realising life was too short- especially as the team deservedly won the day's game which was what mattered most, I didn't spend time fretting too long about this and, after I had spent the time mentioned in the garden, began my Pea and Mint Soup preparation.

On the player was the equally dreamy "The Big Huge" which is the Incredible String Band's fifth album and was released in 1969. It features lots of hypnotic sitar playing, nasal vocals, pastoral yet countercultural lyrics and a ton of atmosphere. If that's your bag then why not check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ns6VP3D4JtA1wRmmyptz2KKfh_lIxGkV4  , then support the artists who made it by streaming it on Amazon or Spotify or buying the album outright. 

So to the recipe which is as follows:

2 Garlic Cloves, peeled, topped, tailed and sliced very thinly. 

1 White Onion, peeled, topped, tailed and diced into small squares. 

2 New Potatoes, peeled and cut into circles. 

Half a pint of Vegetable Stock.

250 grams of Fresh Peas. 

4 Fresh Mint Leaves chopped finely. 

1 pinch of Demerara Sugar. 

1 teaspoon of Fresh Lemon Juice. 

2 tablespoons of Unsweetened Soya Milk. 

The method is as follows:

1. Warm the Potatoes, Onion and Garlic with some Olive Oil in a Le Cresceut or Deep Frying Pan on a low heat for 15 minutes. 

2. Add the Vegetable Stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. 

3. Add the Peas and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

4. Add the Demerara Sugar, Lemon Juice and Milk and blend on the puree setting. 

5. Return to the Le Cresceut or pan that was previously used, warm through and served. 

The tastes of this soup evoke the feel of High Summer. Fresh Mint and New Potatoes are traditionally served together, as are Fresh Peas and so this soup was perfect for this time of year. 

Butter would melt: a nob of Unsalted Butter is a great addition to this soup once served. 

The Garlic Invasion of Earth

One of the features of late Spring is the abundance of plants and flowers of all colours, sizes and smells. Among these is Wild Garlic. This plant often grows by streams and rivers in damp, wooded areas. It has thick, pointed leaves and blooms cascades of white flowers. The leaves can be harvested for a range of uses in recipes. A note of caution however, Wild Garlic looks very similar to the plant known as Lily of the Valley. This is poisonous and so should be avoided. The best way to tell is when harvesting the leaves, smell them and if they wreak of garlic you are safe to conclude that you have picked the right plant for your recipe. 

Wild Garlic has a range of uses in cooking such as roasted with chicken and cut up to be made into Pesto. Another recipe, and the one I'm going to follow in this blog, is Wild Garlic Scones. 

On the player, when I put this recipe together on a bright Friday Night, was Dutch Band Focus' confident and memorable debut album "In and Out of Focus". It contains many stand out tracks such as the reflective "Focus" , the Gregorian Chant meets Boy Scouts singing round the campfire vocal delivery of "Black Beauty" and the piquant "House of the King" which was recently used to great effect on the hit comedy show "Saxondale". If you fancy a listen then click on the link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o34Hftlard4

The ingredients of the Scones are:

200 grams of Self-Raising Flour.
40 grams of Margarine. 
100 grams of Wild Garlic,sliced into strips around five centimetres long and one centimetre wide. 
60 grams of Wensleydale Cheese crumbled into small pieces. 
1 teaspoon of Chilli Powder.
1 teaspoon of White Pepper. 
0.075 litres of unsweetened Soya Milk. 

The method to follow is:

1. In a mixing bowl rub in the Flour and Margarine until you have a mixture that resembles powdered breadcrumbs. 

2. Stir in the Chilli Powder, White Pepper and Wild Garlic.

3. Add the Wensleydale Pieces and stir in. 

4. Slowly add the Soya Milk and stir in gradually until you create a moist dough.

5. Knead the dough and then roll it out into a flat rectangle or rhombus around one centimetre deep. 

6. Use a cookie cutter or the top of a jar to cut circles out of the dough.

7. Arrange the circles on a greased baking tray and cook on Gas Mark 5 for 25 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack until they are ready to eat.

There's something strangely satisfying and almost life-affirming about cooking a recipe that contains ingredients that have been foraged. This is especially true in the totalitarian times we live in that have brought dystopian fiction jumping off the pages of novels and into our reality. 

Wild Garlic has as stronger taste and smell as its bulb counterpart with a more crunchier texture. In this recipe it offset well the mild taste of the Wensleydale while the scone dough was a gold colour with a crumbly texture. 

Before Cooking and After

Shepherd Sunset

As we sat next to the fire pit I could make out the lights of the border town flickering in the distance across the fields that had been mowed that day. We drank homemade wine and well-known soda and reflected on how our careers had changed recently, changed without error by a seemingly unstoppable menace to health, the menace of overdoing it and your body forcing you to slow down.

The next morning the Dogg and I rose early as I was expecting to be a part of match number five of the truncated cricket season. I was set, for the second time in less than a month, to step up to our first team. It's a team captained by a chilled out, talented individual who is one of the best cricketers I've teamed with in the last decade. 

However our opposition had clearly seen us coming as they declined to play us at the eleventh hour citing a fictitious monsoon, which was among the weaker excuses  I have heard for teams bailing on us over the years.

This unexpected cancellation did give me the opportunity to work on some block cooking for the forthcoming, taxing working week. Shepherds' pie is certainly a good meal to block cook at weekends, freeze and then warm up during the week for tea.

My take on Shepherds' Pie includes both vegetarian and meat elements in the recipe as well as a spot of alcohol. 

On the player was the Moody Blues' sixth album from 1971 "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour". One of their strongest records, it is doused with glistening mellotron interludes, eclectic song writing, the Avant Garde and the odd piece of searing guitar. Have a listen at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8a8cutYP7foJnkLyB_gs_5GTs3Nekh7h

The ingredients of this recipe are as follows:

For the filling:

• 2 diced cloves of Garlic.
• 5 Chive Sprigs sliced into small pieces.
• 15 Rosemary Leaves.
• 1 teaspoon of Celery Salt.
• 1 teaspoon of White Pepper.
• 1 gram of Tomato Puree. 
• 7 Carrots, topped, tailed,  peeled and then cut into small cubes. 
• 3 White Onions, topped. tailed peeled and finely diced. 
• 3 Celery sticks, de-stringed and cut into small pieces.
• 8 ounces of Frozen Peas.
• 12 ounces of Vegetarian Mince. 
• A pint of Black Sheep Ale. 
• A quarter of a pint of Gravy made with one Beef Stock Cube and around 2 ounces of Corn Flour. 

For the topping:

• 10 medium-sized Red Potatoes and White Potatoes, peeled and cubed.
• 2 ounces of Dried Thyme. 

The method goes like this:

1. Shallow fry in Sunflower Oil in a Le Cresceut the Garlic, Chives, Rosemary, Celery Salt, White Pepper, Tomato Puree, Carrots, White Onions and Celery Sticks for around fifteen minutes.

2. Add the Ale and shallow fry for another five minutes. 

3. Add the Frozen Peas, Vegetarian Mince and simmer for around twenty minutes or until the ale is fully absorbed.

4. Add the Gravy and then take the Le Cresceut off the heat leaving the filling of the pie to cool down. 

5. Steam the Potatoes until they are soft and then mash them with the Dried Thyme. 

6. Grease an ovenproof dish with Margarine and spread the filling evenly throughout the dish. Top the filling up the mashed potato being sure to spread this evenly to create the topping. One good tip to get a level topping is to use a fork to spread the Mashed Potato evenly. 

7. Cook the pie in the oven on Gas Mark 6 for 30 minutes. 

Some of you might be surprised as to why I've used a Beef Gravy in what is essentially a vegetarian dish. However this Gravy together with the Ale and the herbs gave this dish a richness and flavour to elevate it above your standard Shepherds' Pie. 

Plan Quail

I first encountered Quail Eggs as part of a scotch egg recipe that was an appetiser at my cousin's wedding breakfast on a farm in the middle of the country in August Bank Holiday 2018. I had, since then, been seeking a local Quail Egg Dealer and recently found one so as to allow me to make my own recipe using these delicate, tiny yet rich eggs. 

I really planted my feet outside of my comfort zone by for the first time making Vol Au Vents to house the Quail Eggs in with some Smoked Salmon. 

On the player was Terrorvision's final and unjustly overlooked album "Good to Go" from 2001. Despite scoring a massive hit with their previous album "Shaving Peaches" and its flagship single "Josephine" , the band were dropped by their record label. That may be why "Good to Go" sounds so aggressive and direct. A point needed to be proved. It is certainly a focused record featuring powerful songs such as "Fists of Fury" "D'ya Wanna Go Faster" and "Goldmine Jamjar". 

A link to the album if you fancy a listen is at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kg4SKK1FMjGbUqTj0H5DKq5yveuqaz-Iw 

For this recipe you'll need the following:

For the filling:

5 Quail Eggs. 

1 Sheet of Smoked Salmon

For the pastry:

250 grams of Margarine.

250 grams of Plain Flour.

Half a cup of cold water.

Unsweetened Soya Milk to glaze.

The method for this recipe goes something like this.

1. Make the Vol Au Vents by sifting the flour through a sieve into a mixing bowl and combining together, using the rubbed in method, the Plain Flour and Margarine until the Margarine is in square pieces and chunky. 

2. Gradually add the water by stirring it in steadily. Then knead the ingredients together until a pliable dough, not dissimilar to cookie dough, is formed .

3. Place the dough in the fridge for twenty minutes.

4. Roll out into a square or rhombus.

5. Fold two thirds of the dough into the middle. Put the other third of the dough on top of this. Roll it out and repeat the process around ten times so as to create a layered pastry. 

6. Cut the bases of the Vol Au Vents by using a cake cutter to cut the amount of circles you need depending on how many Vol Au Vents you wish to make. 

7. Cut the tops of the Vol Au Vents from the remaining pastry and cut a hole in the middle of them and place them on top of the Vol Au Vent bases.

8. Put the Vol Au Vent cases on a greased baking tray and glaze with unsweetened Soya Milk.

9. Cook in the oven on Gas Mark Three for thirty minutes. 

10. Leave to cool and prepare the Quail Eggs.

12. Remove the Eggs from the shells and fry on a very low heat for around three to four minutes. Then place one in each Vol Au Vent with some small pieces of the Smoked Salmon. 

The first attempt at Vol Au Vent Pastry went quite well as the pastry was light and not too crisp. The richness of the Smoked Salmon was also enhanced by the full taste of the Quail Eggs that contained lots of goodness within their large yolks.