Pump My Pie

So far on this blog the Pumpkin Recipes I've shared have all been for savoury dishes. However I had long been aware of the American Thanksgiving night dish Pumpkin Pie, which is a sweet dish. 

I have only ever been to a thanksgiving meal once. It was nearly twenty years ago, when I was a university student living in dilapidated halls of residence in a city with connections to Ancient Rome. An American exchange student was over in our halls for the semester and to make her feel at home we decided one evening to make her a thanksgiving meal using our primitive ovens and low-budget ingredients. Pumpkin Pie was on the menu as well as the traditional turkey. It was a night darker than a glass of porter and the radiators were colder than slabs in a morgue, we tucked into that meal as overawed teenagers fresh away from home for the first time. It was a cold night but there was communal warmth between us all.  Basic living conditions they may have been but at least we were students with freedom. 

Back in the present I continued to follow Chris Rea's eleven disc adventure through the history of the blues as cooking commenced on this unique sweet treat.

The ingredients for this recipe are as follows:

300 grams of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry made using Unsalted Butter, Self-Raising Flour, Demerara Sugar and All Spice.

800 grams of Pumpkin Flesh cut into cubes.

• 75 grams of Demerara Sugar.
• A teaspoon of Nutmeg.

A teaspoon of Cinnamon

• 2 beaten Eggs.
• 25 grams of melted Unsalted Butter. 
• 9 tablespoons of Almond Milk. 
• A hint of Vanilla Essence

This recipe is made like this:

1. Boil the Pumpkin Flesh for around twenty minutes. Drain it through a sieve and then purify it in a blender. 

2. Mix the Sugar, Eggs, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Unsalted Butter, Almond Milk and Vanilla Essence in a bowl.

3. Roll out the Pastry and use it to line a greased pie tin around twenty-five centimetres wide and five centimetres deep. 

4. Cook the Pastry in an oven on Gas Mark Four for around fifteen minutes. This method is called "baking it blind".

5, Take the Pastry out of the oven and add all the remaining ingredients from the mixing bowl to the pie tin containing the blind baked pastry. 

6. Cook the pie on Gas Mark Four for around fifty minutes. Leave to cool once cooked prior to serving. 

This meal was something else. While my initial instincts told me a savoury vegetable in a sweet dish could not be right I was proven wrong by the spicy yet sweet flavours of this uniquely wonderful American Dish. Perhaps cooking this meal will now become my family's own thanksgiving night tradition.

Carrot Camaraderie

 I should have known it was coming. A 5am get up had followed the day before of an evening workout and the rush of emotions that naturally follow after one finishes employment at a job that had been a part of my life for six years. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that a powerful headache briefly knocked me for six after all this activity. It was my body, and the Gilbert's Syndrome I was diagnosed with seven years ago, telling me to slow down and rest. I took my body's advice and drank a glass of water prior to rolling into bed for an early night.

Luckily my syndrome only means a few extra quid on the travel insurance if I go abroad and it doesn't stop me doing anything else. It is something that's now a part of me and I learn to manage and live with in the same manner a prolific test cricket batsman might refine their technique to avoid playing certain shots due to a longstanding injury. 

Some longstanding followers of this blog may have noticed that I use very little salt in my cooking. That's because with having Gilbert's Syndrome if I get too de-hydrated it triggers the headaches and slight confusion. Salt of course is a natural de-hydrating agent which is why I avoid it in my recipes and keep up my fluid intake. 

I also think that salt makes a lot of recipes taste artificial, dry and stale. That's why I like to go for recipes that contain lots of fresh ingredients. To assist in recovering I woke up fairly early the next morning and walked through a partial rain storm with the Dogg to a local farm shop that contains all kinds of innovative products I aim to feature in blog posts over the next few months. Why not check them out at https://www.facebook.com/strettonhallfarmshop/ 

After weathering the slight storm and seeing some stunning rainbows, the sun bathed the Dogg and I as we picked our way through the fields home and talked to a neighbour about his exciting new summer house. For dinner I fancied something largely fresh that lacked too much salt and settled on an old favourite; Carrot and Coriander Soup.

On the player was one of the Chris Rea Albums I'd acquired with some of my leaving money from the job. The album was 1996's "La Passione". If you fancy a listen you can do worse than check out this compilation of the best bits of the album and more at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfp1EzKOEX0dZrs4ITtGyMr7VmaFMN4fT 

The album was the soundtrack to a film and it was pilloried subsequently by Rea because he believed the record company had made some changes to it that ruined the record. His judgment is a little harsh on this eclectic album that features more soaring strings than one might find on a Chris Rea Record, a left-field duet with Shirley Bassey and in the song "Girl in Sports Car" a track that swings and sways to move quickly through various moods in a fragmented yet driving manner. 

So to the recipe which comprises of the following:

Six large Carrots, topped, tailed, peeled and cut into slices widthways. 

Three Shallots, topped, tailed, peeled and diced. 

One Chilli Pepper, the top cut off and de-seed then sliced thinly. 

A bunch of Fresh Coriander. 

Quarter of a pint of Chicken Stock.

This one can be made by the following method:

1. Sweat the Carrots, Shallots, Chilli Pepper and Coriander in a Le Cresceut with a small amount of Sunflower Oil for ten minutes. 

2. Add the Stock and simmer for a further ten minutes.

3. Blend and serve.

This soup is a recipe that's seen everywhere from supermarkets to restaurants. It is however a hard recipe to get right as too many takes on it use too much stock, cream and dried coriander. The trick is to use Fresh Coriander, in this case I used some I had grown myself, and only use enough stock to cover the other ingredients before simmering and blending. If this approach is followed a flavoursome soup that packs a fiery punch can be made. 

Holed Out

One of the more pleasant aspects of lockdown was discovering some local food shops with plentiful and tasteful produce not available in the main supermarkets. Just a short Dogg walk across the fields from my home and located at the top of the drive to a old-world farm is Stretton Hall Farm. This place serves fresh meat, eggs of various types, exotic cheese, bakery produce of all kinds, chutney, jam and things for your Festive Hamper. They also sell other types of food and I'd heartily recommend their flavoursome and reasonably priced produced to anyone. A link to their website is at: https://www.facebook.com/strettonhallfarmshop/ 

Prior to restrictions coming back in, and thanks to a longstanding friend I first met twenty-six years ago, I was lucky enough to go to a gig by an excellent tribute band for the band Rush. They are called Bravado and having been to a gig by the real Rush I can tell you Bravado sound as close to the real thing as you can get. Why not check them out at: https://www.planetbravado.com/ 

As a result a few Saturdays ago I had my Rush collection on heavy rotation to remind myself of the wonderful gig and just what a great band Rush were and their grand legacy. The album I was listening to, when making an innovative Toad in the Hole recipe, was their live compilation covering gigs from 1997, 1994 and 1978 called "Different Stages" . The album was released in 1998. The first two discs capture the band in 1997 and one track in 1994 and show them to be a slick, well-oiled outfit who play with passion. The third disc includes songs from a gig at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 and shows the band as a rawer, heavier outfit. Both incarnations of the band showcased on the collection are peerless however and can be checked out at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA2K7Uhu9TwANSOSlERMZHUkdF1Ihe7CG 

The recipe for the meal I made was as follows:

Four Tomato Sausages purchased from Stretton Hall Farm Shop. 

200 grams of Plain Flour.

25 grams of Self-Raising Flour.

2 beaten Eggs from Stretton Hall Farm Shop. 

2.5 cups (or 600 mil of Skimmed Milk) 

1 teaspoon of  Chopped Fresh Rosemary.

1 teaspoon of Chopped Fresh Thyme. 

The method went like this:

1. Put the Flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle of it. 

2. Add the Rosemary and Thyme. 

3. Add the Eggs and stir them into the Flour and the Herbs one by one. 

4. Add the Milk steadily stirring it in bit by bit until a paste is formed that now forms the batter mixture. Leave the batter mixture in the bowl and put in the refrigerator for around three hours to help it solidify. 

5.  Fry the Sausages on a medium heat in Sunflower Oil for around five minutes until all sides are brown then put to one side. 

6. Put the batter mixture in a baking tray lined with Sunflower Oil and Unsalted Butter. 

7. Add the sausages to the batter mixture. 

8. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes at Gas Mark 7.

9. Remove from the oven and serve with gravy and a side of vegetables. I used Lentil and Purple Sage Gravy with steamed Carrot and Leek. 

This meal took the sometimes bland recipe of Toad in the Hole to another place. The presence of the self-raising flour gave the batter extra body while the herbs made it very flavoursome and complemented well the Tomatoes contained in the tasteful sausages. 

Catch a bonfire

It was a bonfire weekend with a difference. The fog, no doubt caused by the cumulative smoke of bonfires held during the week, clung low to the lampposts and shop windows as faint slivers of sun started to poke through the gloom. On bonfire and pre-Christmas winters in The Time Before I had watched fireworks fly in friends' back gardens, seen empty bottles of lager shot out of the sky from the top of listed buildings and drystone walls start to burn. These incidents all had one thing in common; the tar-like, smoky smell that seemed to linger in the air. Yesterday I set out to recreate that smell, and so evoke the feel of those nights out, by making some bonfire gingerbread. 

On the player was Yes' 1991 re-union album "Union" that featured all but four of the band's previous members up to that point. It's partly a case of too many cooks spoil the broth amongst some genuinely stirring moments including the opening track and the hymn-like anthem "The More We Live- Let Go" . It's a record that's worth checking out and a link is at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP59Fs_hB7C2eBJv0-85it-EmMlGCAcua 

The ingredients for this gingerbread are: 

100 grams of Unsalted Butter.

200 grams of Treacle.

100 grams of Demerara Sugar. 

A tablespoon of Ground Ginger.

A teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon. 

200 ml of craft Porter. I used Magic Rock Porter. 

3 beaten Eggs

250 grams of Self-Raising Flour. 

The method is:

1. Combine the Butter, Treacle, Sugar, Ginger and Cinnamon in a small saucepan. On a low heat mix the ingredients together until the Butter is melted and the Sugar dissolved. 

2. Beat the Eggs together in a measuring jug then add the Porter to the jug and mix the Porter into the Eggs. 

3. Pour the Butter and Treacle mixture into a mixing bowl and add the Eggs and Porter mixture. 

4. Add the Self-Raising Flour to the mixing bowl and stir it into the other ingredients. 

5. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tin and cook on Gas Mark 4 for 40 minutes.

6. Turn out onto a wire rack and then, when cooled, cut into cubes prior to serving.

The Treacle and Porter did the job of giving the Gingerbread a burnt feel that evoked memories of dark winter nights in front of warm fires during a time long vanished. 

Stew uprising

The second part of my Halloween cooking programme commenced after what seemed like typhoon had hit the town and the rain had made my windows so wet it felt like the house was a boat sailing through a gale on the high seas. 

Keeping under cover I proceeded to dissect the Pumpkin acquired from a patch on a local farm the week prior and stuck some blues on the player. In this case it was the first disc of Chris Rea's 11 CD, plus one DVD, odyssey through the history of the blues produced as an earbook in 2005 and named "Blue Guitars". What could quite easily have turned into a tiresome vanity project is minted into something quite magic through Rea's clear love of the genre. All 137 songs are written by him and little or no filler is in sight. Each CD deals with one specific genre of the blues and the case of disc one we get songs about the beginnings of the blues in West Africa all of which are primitive but listenable numbers. Check it out yourself if you like at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFW4G6_Ddiy-yew_R7U2IdK2v8ujFq1yo 

So to the recipe for this casserole:

800 grams of Beef Pieces.

2 White Onions, topped, tailed and diced. 

1 Clove of Garlic topped, tailed and diced. 

500 grams of Pumpkin Flesh cut into cubes.

Two sliced up and de-seeded Red Chilli Peppers.

A teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.

6 leaves of Fresh Basil carefully shredded.

6 Tomatoes cut into cubes. 

Half a pint of Beef Stock

100 grams of Red Lentils.

The method goes like this: 

1. Brown the Beef Pieces by shallow frying them in a Le Cresceut dish for around five minutes on a medium heat. 

2. Add the vegetables, herbs, spices and Red Lentils and sweat for a further five minutes. 

3. Add the Beef Stock and put the lid on the Le Cresceut.

4. Place in a pre-heated oven and cook on Gas Mark three for two and a half hours prior to serving. 

There is something very flavoursome that is produced when Tomatoes, Fresh Basil and Pumpkins are combined to make a comforting winter stew. The Beef and Lentils meanwhile made this an even richer meal with plenty of protein to fortify me on an early winter evening. 

Pumpkin Power

As part of my Halloween Cooking Projects I made a Pumpkin Soup. Things had changed a little for me as professional life had seen me move jobs for the first time in six years. However to balance this out I was thankful that there were numerous constants in my personal life that made the job move a lot easier than it could have been.

Naturally due to the virus, that we dare not speak the name of, Halloween is going to be a muted affair this year as trick or treating is banned. However that doesn't stop the preparation of a number of Autumn recipes that taste extra special at this time of year. 

Last weekend, after I had hollowed out my pumpkin to make a decorative lantern, I used 500 grams of the Pumpkin flesh as an ingredient for a soup. The full ingredients for this recipe are:

500 grams of Pumpkin Flesh.

Six leaves of Fresh Basil carefully shredded. 

A diced Red Onion.

A diced Onion.

Two diced cloves of Garlic.

250 grams of Baby Tomatoes cut into halves. 

0.3 litres of Beef Stock.

Two tablespoons of Sunflower Oil.

To match the Halloween Theme ,as I cooked, was music by a band that wanted to make their songs like horror movies set to music. The band was Black Sabbath and I had the sounds of their third album "Master of Reality" with its sludgy guitar riffs and the odd mellow acoustic number slithering out of the speaker. This was the first Sabbath album to mix a couple of mellow acoustic numbers with their normal riff-laden heavier tracks such as album opener "Sweet Leaf", an ode to the virtues of smoking weed. 

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

1. Sweat the Onions, Garlic, Pumpkin and Shredded Basil Leaves in the Sunflower Oil in a Le Cresceut Dish on a low heat on the hob for around ten minutes.

2. Add the Baby Tomatoes and sweat for a further ten minutes.

3. Add the Beef Stock and simmer steadily for another fifteen minutes.

4. Take off the heat, blend, pour into a sauce pan and warm through prior to serving. 

Iconic as it is for Halloween and as an ingredient in the popular thanksgiving pudding Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin can have a bland taste if it's not flavoured properly. Its natural flavour is quite like wet cupboard. However the Tomatoes and Fresh Basil coupled with the earthy Beef Stock turned this soup into a vibrant taste of Autumn. 

Top: the hollowed out Pumpkin Glows brightly while the flesh removed from the hollowing went into this tasteful soup (above). 

What's the Story? (Tandoori Glory)

 "My chicken isn't cooked," he slurred, the effects of five pints of strong Indian Lager, quaffed before the main course had even been served, were taking their toll. 

"It's cooked in a clay oven mate" the waiter responded with a dash of condescension. 

That's some of the key bits of dialogue I remember from a night out in early 2011. it was a night out that proved to be the only one in which the guy who complained about his undercooked chicken, when we attended a mediocre curry restaurant, took a part. Not long after he was out of our group, so to speak, and now cuts a lone, distant shape on Social Media where his posts make him appear a man wracked with inner torment. I hope he turns a corner. 

However his comment made me wonder whether in fact it really was necessary to use a clay oven to cook tandoori food. On the first Saturday in October I was largely confined indoors because of a biblical rainstorm, albeit the Dogg and I popped out for an essential trip in the new motor. The extra time on my hands gave me the opportunity to make my own Tandoori Chicken.

On the player was a sampler album from Chris Rea's mammoth 11 CD project "Blue Guitars" from 2005. In 2001 the traditional MOR Favourite and Housewives' Choice nearly died from Pancreatic Cancer and spent some time recuperating. The effect it had on him musically was effectively a re-birth. Although his previous records had some blues stylings, the records that followed after his illness were immersed in the blues with touches of Jazz. That's not to say however the music is bland or repetitive. Far from it. In fact in letting the blues fully into his music Rea has painted many dynamic and bright sonic pictures with the albums he's released since his rebirth. Listening to this particular album, extracts of which are at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFW4G6_Ddiy8MEGdlNS2ILkROv08TRrt2 , shows his music to be as hungry and vital as his more commercial offerings in the 1980s and 1990s. It also inspired me to feel positive about a forthcoming career re-birth of my own. 

So to the recipe then. The ingredients for this recipe are:

One Chilli, cut very finely and de-cored. 

Five Shallots, cut finely, topped and tailed.

Four Cloves of Garlic crushed. 

Two Tomatoes cubed. 

One teaspoon of Garam Masala.

One teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.

One teaspoon of Paprika.

One teaspoon of Turmeric.

One teaspoon of Ground Ginger. 

One tablespoon of Fresh Coriander. 

The juice of half a lemon.

Three teaspoons of Sunflower Oil. 

Two Chicken Breasts

One cup of Low Fat Greek Yoghurt. 

The method goes like this:

1. Combine the spices, Tomatoes, Coriander, Oil, Lemon Juice, Garlic and Shallots in a frying pan and heat through for around five minutes. 

2. Turn off the heat, add the Yoghurt and stir thoroughly. 

3. Put the Chicken Breast into the mixture and coat them thoroughly in the mixture. If possible cut the Chicken Breasts to allow the mixture to meld into the flesh of the Chicken Breasts.

4. Put the Marinated Breasts and the rest of the mixture in a baking dish and cover with clingfilm to allow them to infuse for around 3-4 hours before cooking. 

5. Briefly pull the Chicken Breasts out of the dish and fry for two and a half minutes each side. 

6. Return the Breasts to the baking dish and allow them to cook in the oven with the rest of the marinade sauce for around forty minutes on Gas Mark Five. 

7. Serve with some Boiled Rice containing some Cardamom Pods. 

This dish proved that a Clay Oven isn't the only way to make a Tandoori Meal. My humble gas oven and a bit of pre-oven frying proved more than equal to cooking the chicken through and infusing all the various flavours to make a spicy and filling meal, which took my mind off the heavy rain and over to the many great curry houses I've visited during the years.