Sugar Free Parkin

The Smiths once sang that "rain falls down on a humdrum town". The days before Remembrance Weekend 2019 neatly fitted that particular bill as I piloted the freshly MOT'd and serviced Panda through storms and floods and along roads linking several forgotten ex-mining villages. 

On the evening of Remembrance Friday a trip to a local venue to see a first rate Rush tribute band with equally first rate company was equally dark and damp, but certainly much more enjoyable than the drives through floods the previous day.

By the time the weekend proper had rolled round and the parents had dropped the Dogg off at mine thoughts turned towards making some seasonal comfort food. My mind turned back to my childhood and dark November Nights after tricky days at school where I would often binge on bonfire toffee while watching Champions' League Football on the TV. It's funny how certain flavours and tastes stick in your mind from days gone by. The burnt and earthy taste, punctuated with shards of sweetness, of that bonfire toffee was something I wished to replicate. 

This said I decided to make a type of Parkin that would resurrect this taste of the past. On the player while making this recipe was Kiss' 1975 breakthrough live album "Alive!". Kiss' first three albums are a marvellous mix of catchy, hard rocking numbers that cover a surprising amount of different territories. However at the time of their release they barely sold enough to recoup their advertising costs. "Alive!" changed all that, sold millions and set them on the road to stardom. The performances, which take the pick of the tracks from the first three albums, sound fresh, energetic and have lots of warmth. 

So to the recipe. When I do baking I tend to divide the ingredients up into "dry" and "damp" ingredients:

Damp Ingredients:

200 grams of Golden Syrup.
85 grams of Treacle. 
200 grams of Unsalted Butter, melted in a saucepan. 
1/8 of a pint of Whisky. The whisky used was a supermarket own brand blend. My followers from the Highlands will be pleased to know I didn’t waste a genuine single malt on this recipe.
1 beaten Egg. 

Dry Ingredients

200 grams of Self-Raising Flour. 
100 grams of Ground Almonds.
1 tablespoon of Ground Ginger.
100 grams of Oats. 

Method

1. Stir together all the Dry Ingredients in a mixing bowl until they are combined. 

2. Add the Melted Unsalted Butter, Whisky and Egg and stir into the Dry Ingredients until you have a thick paste. 

3. Stir in the Treacle and Syrup. 

4. Place the mixture into a greased baking tin that is too high sided. 

5. Bake for one hour in the oven on Gas Mark 3 (170 degrees) for one hour. Then bake for a further half an hour on Gas Mark 5 (190 degrees). Pierce with a skewer to ensure it is cooked and not runny in the middle. 

6. Remove from the tin, leave to cool then cut into cubes prior to serving. 

The combination of the Treacle and Whisky in this recipe gave it the tar-like and fiery taste I was looking for and the Syrup and Ground Almonds made it sweet and almost taste like freshly produced fudge. A baking project to bring back long lost memories. 

South Coast Cod

At the end of September I joined the parents on their tour of the South West Coast. While there the Dogg and I uncovered the mysteries of an Island containing much War History, two prisons and lots of quarries. We also discovered lots fine seafood including oysters and crab. 

Perhaps the most remarkable dish we discovered however was at a pub hidden in a valley near the South West Coast Path where we helped my mum celebrate what she reckoned was one of her most memorable birthdays. 

That area of the South West Coast has numerous links with the Smuggling Trade of years gone by and the name of this pub referred to these often romanticised links. 

The pub in question served me a tandoori Hake on a bed of Potatoes, Shallots and Spinach. It was that dish that inspired me to make recently my own take on this recipe which used fresh Cod Fillets in lieu of Hake. 

The ingredients were as follows: 

Two Large Cod Fillets.
Two tablespoons of Turmeric.
Two tablespoons of Fenuguk
Three Carrots, peeled, topped and tailed and cut into baton shapes. 
Three Shallots, peeled, topped and tailed and cut into halves. 
One White Potato, peeled and cut width-ways into circles. 
One White Onion,peeled, topped and tailed and cut into pieces width-ways. 
Five Lettuce Leaves. 

On the player was one of the discs of Fleetwood Mac's Epic collection of Live Radio Broadcasts known as Gold Dust Radio 1975-1988. The collection showcases a number of incarnations of the band and illustrates that whoever was in the band at the time each gig was recorded, they were always a top drawer live act. 

The method to make this dish is:

1. Marinate the Cod in the Turmeric and Fenuguk using Olive Oil to bind the spices to the Cod and a plastic brush to ensure the Cod is covered in the mixture. 

2. Steam the Carrots and the Potato for twenty minutes. 

3. Fry the Shallots and Onions on a medium heat in Olive Oil in a Le Cresceut Dish for ten minutes until they are translucent. Stir them regularly to stop them sticking to the bottom of the dish. 

4. Add the Carrots and Potato ,once they have been steamed, and fry the ingredients for a further five minutes. 

5. In the meantime wrap the marinated Cod loosely in foil to form a parcel and cook in the oven for twenty minutes on Gas Mark Four. 

6. Place the Lettuce Leaves on a plate. Add the Shallots, Onion, Carrots and Potatoes by placing them decoratively atop the Lettuce. Then place the Cod Steaks on top of everything else. 

This dish was a clash of exotic near eastern flavours with the Cod while the fresh vegetables were more at home on a traditional Sunday Roast Menu. Either way this contrast made this a varied an enjoyable dish that revived memories of some wonderful adventures on the South West Coast. 

Mystery; Pumpkin

I woke up on the morning of 12 October feeling a little tired. It had been an action-packed week. 

After I drifted to the hairdressers, to celebrate my twentieth anniversary as a customer there, the Dogg and I ran to the hills. Ever since I was a teenager it's something that I've always done to regain my energy with I'm faced with challenges.

In the hills I saw in the middle distance an old classmate and her young family silhouetted against a high rocky outcrop. They appeared to have been harvesting pumpkins at a nearby farm; no doubt for the children to carve into lanterns. Still not feeling like much the Dogg and I drifted on and thoughts turned to a visit being made to a  house in the suburbs of a midland city for a murder mystery night that evening.

By the evening I had brightened up and we set off in our fancy dress costumes, which mixed glamour, comedy and surreal subversion, along the well-lit roads which cut through the city buildings frozen by mellow, artificial electric light. Surveying the scene as the Panda sped along the gridiron roads I noticed tall blocks of flats and offices that formed the local university buildings. It put in mind depictions of this part of the twenty-first century that are often found in the 1980s action films of my childhood. I almost felt that were like time travellers on this journey.

We arrived at the house hosting the party and found lots of wonderful company, tasty homemade fajitas, high drama, intrigue, enthusiastic acting and capital memories. 

Waking up a little fresher the next morning I realised that it was time to create something seasonal and new. I had recently been provided with a large Pumpkin acquired from a rudimentary farm shop in a former mining town that possesses a controversial cricket team. 

In spite of intense warnings from a close family member that Pumpkin might have been for display and not consumption; I soldiered on and used it as a key ingredient in a flavoursome but seasonal casserole. 

On the player was an album by an artist, some might say that's a loose term for this gentleman, who has enjoyed massive success in 1980s but also polarised individuals. The album was the formerly ubiquitous Phil Collins' 1985 smash hit "No Jacket Required". For my generation Collins is quite a divisive figure as when we were younger we often dismissed his work as bland and uncool pap that our equally uncool parents listened to. 

However, as happens so often when we grow up and review our relationships with our parents, a reappraisal of opinions has taken place. I recently saw some footage of Collins' current tour and his voice was still in good nick. However he cut a sad figure with the way he walked to the stage with his cane and sat down on a special chair to sing his songs for the duration of the set. He is a similar age to my parents and his slowing down and health difficulties struck a chord with me that we are all getting older and he, like my parents, is no longer as invincible as he appeared to me when I was a child in 1980s.

Despite some very dated production and synthesiser sounds  "No Jacket Required" holds up well and has some surprises. "Sussudio" with its uptempo funk and oblique lyrics is entertaining enough. However although "One More Night" was a massive hit it is by no means the best track on the record and when you look passed this you'll find the catchy "Inside Out" and "Long Long Way to Go". Both are well arranged and have a good depth. 

However the highlight is "Take Me Home" which is all about a dementia patient who can understand all that is happening to them but cannot communicate this to those around them. It reminded me of a summer visit to a family member. She was once a sharp, witty lady who kept me on my toes when I was an earnest misfit of a youngster. When I saw her in the summer I sat next to her. Initially she stared at me from her wheelchair with a look of puzzlement and a half-smile as if she didn't recognise me. However on closer inspection it was almost as if that half-smile really was meant to convey to me "don't worry; underneath all this it's still me and I still recognise you". Since that day "Take Me Home" has had a real resonance with me as no doubt it has to others in this age of longer lives and the resulting rise of dementia. 

So the ingredients of this recipe which were as follows:

Twelve Ounces of Diced Beef.
Twelve Ounces of Pumpkin Cubes.
Three Fresh Tomatoes cut into Cubes. 
One diced Shallot.
One diced Red Onion
Four Ounces of Sun Dried Tomatoes.
Eight Ounces of Pui Lentals. 
A bunch of Fresh Basil. 
A teaspoon of Tomato Puree. 
An Ounce of Garlic Salt. 
An Ounce of Harissa Seasoning
An Ounce of Barbecue Seasoning. 
An Ounce of Paprika.
A can of Butterbeans. 

The method was the following: 

1. Boil the Pui Lentils in water for forty five minutes. 

2. While the Pui Lentils are cooking fry in Olive Oil in a Le Cresceut the Shallot, Red Onion, Tomato Puree, Spices, Half of the Basil for ten minutes on a medium heat on the hob.

3. Add the Diced Beef and stew for a further twenty minutes stirring regularly on a low heat. 

4. Add the Pumpkin, Tomatoes, Sun Dried Tomotoes and remainder of the Basil and cook for another twenty minutes stirring regularly on a medium heat.

5. Introduce the Pui Lentils and the water they were boiled in and simmer for twenty minutes until the ingredients have softened  and the water absorbed.

6. Add the Butter Beans and warm through prior to serving. 

There was a lot of flavour in this recipe and the freshness of the Basil is offset by the smoky fire of the Harissa and Barbecue Seasonings that warmed through a wet Autumn lunchtime. The Butterbeans and Lentils meanwhile, together with the Beef, gave much needed protein while the Pumpkin was strongly enlivened by the strong flavours. 

Satsuma Rhubarb Adventure

The penultimate Saturday in September was a warm, sticky affair. The preceding week I had obtained some Rhubarb from my local dealer, who is a mad-keen horse-rider, at one of our branch offices. 

Having once before made a Rhubarb and Yoghurt Cake I settled upon a similar recipe that involved stewing the Rhubarb with some fresh Satsuma Juice for a unique taste.  

As preparation ensued I listened to "Cookin' at the Plugged Nickel" Miles Davis, excellent live album culled from a mid sixties gig, which was compiled and released officially in 1990. It is interesting to note the much better sound quality in this live Jazz offering than in live Rock albums of the time such as the Kinks' Live at Kelvin Hall and the Stones' Got Live if you Want!. Both the latter albums are a lot of fun and remain listenable but their production is muddy. What sets out Miles Davis' "Cookin' at the Plugged Nickel" is the strong production and clear mix in which typically powerful trumpeting, kick ass drumming and mellow pinging on the piano are all rife. Davis' other sixties live albums "Miles in Berlin" and "My Funny Valentine" are just as good as this one and worth seeking out. 

The Ingredients for the cake are: 

Eight Ounces of Fresh Rhubarb.
The juice of One Satsuma.
Five Ounces of Icing Sugar
Two Ounces of Caster Sugar. 
Five Ounces of Unsalted Butter.
11 Ounces of Self- Raising Flour.
Two Eggs, beaten.

The Method that can be used for this recipe is as follows:

1. Cream the Butter and Sugars until light and fluffy. 

2. Add the Eggs and stir them in gradually to the Butter and Sugar.

3. Stew the Satsuma Juice and Rhubarb in a saucepan with some Butter for five to ten minutes on a medium heat until soft.

4. Add the Satsuma Juice and Rhubarb to the Cake Mix and stir in thoroughly. 

5. Fold in the Flour gradually and stir until you have a fairly thick paste.

6. Spread the mixture into a greased cake tin and cook on Gas Mark Four for one hour.

7. Pierce with a skewer to ensure it is cooked.

Rhubarb and Orange often go together and in this case they went together like Cider and a hot summer night. The Satsuma juice added a sweetness to a cake that felt, much like a peripheral figure in my life, light and fluffy. 

Taking a slice- a cross section of the cake. 

Golden Brown- fresh out of the oven and cooling down.

Pie Precedent

The Late September heat was trickling out of the tarmac and rising to waist height. It was already going to be a hot Saturday. Treading carefully and still feeling scratchy from an attack of heatstroke towards the end of an action-packed working day on Thursday, I lurched through an alleyway towards the doorway of my local greengrocer. As those of you who regularly read this blog will know, the greengrocer in question provides lots of excellent fresh ingredients for recipes on this blog. Indeed some of his food is fresher and more flavoursome than the "fresh" fruit and veg that's on offer at the two nearby supermarkets. 

When I reached the door of the shop, I blinked twice and checked my watch. It was after opening time, yet the stands that normally displayed fresh fruit and veg, retro crisps and puddings had not been put out and there was no sign of life within the shop. Squinting through the windows I could see a few stray bananas hanging motionless from their hooks like convicts swaying gently from the gallows pole. Many shelves looked quite bare. I turned away hoping that this was just a temporary closure.

Luckily I had salvaged some Beetroot and Pickling Onions from the shop the week previously. That said after a sunny walk, which saw the Dogg get subjected to an impromptu obedience class by two middle aged women seemingly obsessed with fibrous cereal, I employed these vegetables as ingredients in a pie.

I have previously made stir-fried beef marinated in Chilli and Ginger as well as Beetroot, Ginger and Chilli Soup. I thought therefore it would be a good combination to put into a pastry pie. 

The ingredients to make this dish are as follows:

For the filling

One pack of Diced Beef from the Supermarket. 
Eight Ounces of Root Ginger, peeled and sliced thinly.
Six Pickling Onions, topped tailed and thinly cut. 
Half a Teaspoon of Chilli Powder.
Half a Teaspoon of Chilli Flakes. 
Ten Juniper Berries. 
Four Beetroot- topped, tailed, peeled and sliced into cubes. 

For the Stock

Quarter of a Pint of Beef Stock, made thick using two or three tablespoons of Plain Flour and half a teaspoon of Ground Ginger.

For the Pastry

Sixteen Ounces of Plain Flour.
Eight Ounces of Unsalted Butter.
One tablespoon of Unsweetened Soya Milk. 

Stevie Wonder's early 1972 album "Music of My Mind" was on the player. This unjustly overlooked record regularly dwells in the shadows of it's well-known successors "Talking Book", "Innervisions" and "Songs in the Key of Life". However it shares much in common with them in that Wonder plays most of the instruments save some well-chosen appearances by guest musicians. 

It is also the first in a line of works by a mature artist who was no longer merely the accomplished child prodigy of yesteryear. Save from the fourth track the songwriting, arrangements and guest appearances are all out of the top drawer and it deserves the same recognition as the albums that followed it. I first acquired the album in my mid-twenties when my dad and I went on an all-to rare father and son outing to the record shop at a local mall. 

The method for this recipe was as follows:

1. Sweat in a Le Cresceut the Pickling Onions, Ginger, Chilli Flakes and Chilli Powder in Olive Oil for five minutes. 

2. Add the Beef Pieces and stew on a low to medium heat for fifty minutes turning regularly to avoid sticking. 

3. Simmer the Beetroot Pieces in a pan of boiling water for one hour.

4. While the ingredients for the filling are cooking make the Pastry by rubbing in the Flour and Butter in a mixing bowl until the mixture resembles golden breadcrumbs. Add the Milk gradually and stir it into the pastry. Manipulate it together and knead well into a ball.

5. Put the ball of pastry in the fridge for twenty minutes. 

6. Make the Stock by adding a quarter of a pint of boiling water to a measuring jug with the Beef Stock Cube and Ground Ginger. Dissolve the Stock Cube with the water and gradually add the flour. Stir it in steadily to make a thick gravy.

7.Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll half of it out so that it covers the bottom of a twenty-five centimetre wide and five centimetre deep pie dish. 

8. Spread the Beef Mixture and Beetroot evenly throughout the dish.

9. Distribute the Gravy evenly in the dish. 

10. Roll out the rest of the Pastry and use it to cover the top of the pie. 

11. Brush the top of the pie with Soya Milk.

12. Cook in the oven on Gas Mark Six for thirty minutes before serving. 

Earlier in the week I had discussed the ingredients of this recipe with my venerable colleague. She had questioned the wisdom of putting them in a pie together. I too had reservations that the Ginger would make the Pie too sweet. However it turned out to be a real revelation that was rich, healthy- thanks to the Beetroot which is good for your heart, and with sharp flavours that were not sweet enough to undermine this delicious savoury dish. 

Pie Cut- a cross section reveals the purple hue of the Beetroot. 

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.