LET IT REST

Spending the winter months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh I thought it would be a good opportunity to refocus the blog on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. So each week I will explain a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen. I will relate this through a photographic item of note from my present time here in Bangladesh, which I hope helps to frame our cookery mantra towards some other larger food issues.

LET IT REST

There is a battle waging in people’s kitchens. Day after day, year after year, people sweat and are stressed in front of the stove. WHY? To cook well one needs firstly to relax!!!

One attempts to cook a beautiful piece of sustainable fish in a pan and it never seems to brown no matter how much they move it around? All one needs is to have a hot pan, pour in a splash of oil, and then slide in the piece of seasoned fish over the oil. Next shake pan one to make sure the fish (if multiple pieces do not crowd the pan) is not sticking and then.... LET IT REST. Do not touch it, I repeat, do not touch it. Let it cook; and when browned, then and only then flip it. The same idea holds for roasting vegetables:spread out on a tray, let cook, then flip(see blog post 23 April 2009).

Ah, the BBQ ...Flipping every item on the BBQ as if you are gymnast doing your Olympic floor routine. NO. NO. NO...Let each side cook till nice marks appear before you turn them and not before. How do you think restaurants get the perfect grill marks on an grass fed steak that should be a "rare" treat? Easy, place seasoned steak on very hot grill and turn steak after 2-3 minutes to a 90 degrees angle, then after 2-3 more minutes flip/turn 90 degrees more, and then after 2-3 more minutes turn 90 degrees again and depending on temperature desired you should be complete (see blog posts on grilled pizza 10 July 2010 and grilled sardines 10 July 2010)

Lastly, lets remember what to do after cooking a wonderful piece of sustainable fish, grilled grass fed steak, or a nice free range carving bird.... LET IT REST. Before slicing the occasional steak or serving a piece of fish, let the hot item relax a few minutes (for a large item such as a turkey or large joint of meat one can let it relax for ½ hour covered in foil).

Resting a piece of meat allows its juices to evenly redistribute from the center across all the product and you end up with a more tender/flavourful food on your plate!!! Also, the residual heat in the product actually continues the cooking, so when you think a piece of meat is finished cooking, remember, it will continue cooking as long as it’s hot!!! This is the same for a nice casserole, lasagna, loaf of bread or cake...calm, relax, and let it rest (See blog post 29 July 2009))!!!!

In short, cooking should be relaxing, it should not be a stressful act that looks like karate or gymnastics...if you see yourself or your family member acting as such then you are working to hard and more importantly you are working your food to hard and it will let you know in drier, less tasty meals...

I know many of you may think these steps are nice, but you are also saying, I DON'T HAVE THE TIME!!!! I have to admit, cooking does take time. Fortunately, studies have show that the time we spend at restaurants, drive thru and take away shops is actually more then people previously spent actually cooking real food!!!! So don’t succumb to the billions of marketing dollars the food industry spends every year to convince you that good nutritional health and fiscal freedom comes out of a box. It does not!!!! It comes from you and you can help put it on your plate. Just cook, and remember ... LET IT REST

THE secret kitchen ingredient

Spending the next few months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh I thought it would be a good opportunity to refocus the blog this winter on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. So with each post I will explain a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen.

WATER, the one ingredient used in every meal!!!

How would we survive without the hydrating force of water? How do we wash our vegetables, let alone our hands and surfaces we cook on without a bit of soap, bleach, etc and a whole lotta water??? I must confess, that water is the real secret ingredient used in every restaurant kitchens across the planet, even if the most chefs don't know it!!!

How do we thin out an over reduced sauce?

How do we rinse off salt we have put on vegetables for pickling?

How do we wipe off our knives between uses?

What do we steam our vegetables over?

How should we refresh ourselves while we cook?

Often restaurants use stock to flavour soups, sauces or braises. A stock is basically cooking a flavourful ingredient such as veal or fish bones, with aromatic vegetables (usually onions, garlic, fennel, celery, carrots, etc) in a large quantity of, hmmm...you guessed it.... Water!!! Allowing the heating of water to pull out flavours from ingredients over a low and slow cooking process brings out flavour from often discarded ingredients such as bones, vegetable trimmings, and leftover carcasses. (See blog post from 29 july 2009)

When one wants to slow cook meats in the oven until they are mouth wateringly fork tender (braising); what is usually the liquid beyond stock (mostly water) used as the cooking medium? Its water! Allowing the meat to cook in its own juices, along with aromatics, and just enough water to cover the product a braise (see blog post 4 may 2009) is a cheap and tasty way to gain flavour.

Serving a gravy and you realize it’s a bit thick and you wonder, what did you do wrong? Unfortunately you have most likely reduced it too much and the water vapour escaped. This is no problem, just return the missing ingredient by splashing in a small amount of water.

Making flatbreads (10 july 2010 blog post) and the dough is a bit too tough and not very pliable then simply splash a bit of water on your hands or on the dough and get kneading!!!

And of course when you are sautéing some fresh, local, seasonal and healthy vegetables in a pan and you have only used minimal oil to cut down on the fat, there may often be a problem. The vegetables seem to be drying out and possibly burning???? Well besides turning down the heat and making sure you don’t have too many vegetables in the pan for a good sauté (Saute translates literally as, jump!!!), just add a splash of water to finish the cooking. This not only unsticks the product, releases the nice browned bits from the pan, helps to pull all the flavours together, but even makes clean up a bit easier.

Water is the secret ingredient for easy and healthy cooking. So important for the 6 billion people on the planet and yet we still waste it!!! Do you cook and brush your teeth with tap water? Then why not drink It.? Why use bottled water that has absolutely no extra nutritional value? Are you living in a place with no access to clean, reliable water? That is what I thought. Besides being a secret ingredient in your cooking, did you know it takes nine litres of water in the process of producing 1 litre of bottled water for you to purchase? That my friends is a waste of the secret key ingredient in your cooking, and more to the point a waste of a scarily not so secret scarce commodity for the majority of our planetary residents!!!!

BALANCE IN THE KITCHEN

Spending the next few months living in Sylhet, Bangladesh I thought it would be a good opportunity to refocus the blog this winter on some bigger ideas of cookery and food. So with each post I will explain a cookery mantra that will help you in the kitchen.

BALANCE FAT AND ACID

It takes alot to balance your flavours in cookery. When you make a soup, stew, sauce, or gravy often it tastes a bit, shall we say... off, missing something, or in need of a certain je ne c’est quoi!!! So what to do?

Have you made a soup that tastes a bit sharp and acidic; then add a splash of olive oil. If you are feeling a bit naughty, a pat of butter swirled into the soup just before serving will give the roundness and mouth feel that makes a good soup taste great. Often the big change, the real help, is a lil' bit of acid. And what do we mean by acid: lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice or a flavoured vinegar to cut through the richness and fat of a dish.

For example, when making pan gravy to go with your Sunday roast it often is quite fatty, even after skimming the fat off the top, and it may be missing a bit of spark. One can simply squeeze a bit of lemon or lime into the final product to brighten the flavour before everyone starts dumping salt on his or her food.

A few other examples of how this can work:

• If making a lentil soup use lime to brighten up final flavour before thinking of salt.
• When making a marinara sauce a finishing splash of balsamic vinegar or olive oil may be necessary depending on the freshness of the tomatoes and the length of cooking.
• A beef stew can go in so many directions: lemon juice or red wine vinegar can both help to balance the richness of the final product.
• Here in Sylhet all of our curry meals have been served with wedges of lime, chili's and cucumber which all help to balance and give depth to the meal.
• Often we here of “oddball” ingredients in recipes, secret tips, that in truth are just mechanisms of balance: bitter chocolate in regional Mexican dishes, coffee in chili con carne, preserved lemon in a tajine and chutneys with a cheese ploughman's are all methods to balance the fat and acid that make a boring meal into a masterpiece.

The key is in using only what is necessary and tasting as you make adjustments. These are simple ways to adjust, enhance, or change up any dish you make without adding the unhealthy and uninteresting option of salt. As well, use fresh/seasonal ingredients which have more natural flavour and sugars that don’t need much enhancement by extra salt, sugar, or fat.

It is simply a question of balance.

The purported balance of the new “natural” Frito’s, recently trialed vitamin fortified Pepsi, or fadtastic Omega-3 fatty acid pills are a cheap ploy to sell products to a population with an unbalanced diet, just as splashing salt on your food is simply masking a lack of balance in your cooking. Eating a couple pieces of fruit a day for a snack, a piece of omega rich fish once a week, or drinking some good old fashion water might help bring back some balance not only to the vitamins and minerals you want, but the sustenance and joy in eating that one needs.

In short, a bit o butter once in a while will not kill you, a bit of acid may help you cut back on salt, and a bit of thought about the food we cook and eat will go along way in creating a balance that is long overdue in how all of us enjoy sustainable and nutritious food with our co-workers, friends and family.

OH $£@?% I FORGOT THE SPROUTS

Every year it happens to us. We make a holiday meal such as the one you are stressing over today in America: the turkey is in the oven, the potatoes are a roasting or mashing or sweet and under the marshmallows, and then it occurs to us? What do I got to do with those sprouts? Well for sprouts or cauliflower or any of those root veg such as beets, carrots, parsnips or sun chokes here is an easy, heavenly treat....

What you need

250g ( 1/2 pound ) streaky bacon, large dice

1.5 kilogram ( 3 pounds) Brussels sprouts, washed, ends trimmed off and cut in half

salt and pepper

spice of choice ( fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black onion seeds, etc)

What to do

1. Turn oven to 200 degrees Celsius ( 385 F)
2. ON large baking tray spread out bacon and place in oven till fat is rendered and bacon starts to crisp slightly.
3. Toss Brussels sprouts on top of bacon ( add splash of olive oil if you have been skimpy on the bacon)
4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices
5. Roast in oven till lightly browned ( 1/2 hour)

More dishes to wash

• Substitute in small rough chop of carrots, beets and turnips for a colourful change.
• Sprinkle some Stilton or other blue cheese over vegetables just before serving.
• Try this recipe with cauliflower, and toss hot vegetable quickly with spinach for a seasonal wilted side "salad" dressed with a squeeze of lemon and a few pomegranate seeds

Celebratory leftovers...rice and beans

After spending all of todays sunlit hours sitting at my kitchen table writing a policy paper on national anti-obesity campaigns such as EPODE, Lets Move and Change4Life I realize that so much is written, so much ss theorized, so much has already been said, so much has led me to... hunger dammit!!!! We don't need to reinvent the wheel or even always make a new dinner, I need F-O-O-D. Nothing fancy, but a simple meal to commemorate finishing the draft of the paper....

I just want some simple leftovers, easy food, healthy and tasty...is that so wrong. Must I create a policy memo/five course meal for this or can we just get down to business and start enjoying what's left in the refrigerator? Yes, I know the truth...you got lots of strange stuff hiding on those shelves;turning colours;changing textures...well use em or lose em I say.

We have enough food waste and food want in the world so for me, today, its time for rice and beans. And since its autumn and my box of veg is filled with cabbage, carrots, and onions well we need to have that just about every night as well. So as I type and eat the last remnants of the weeks bacon, rutabaga( swede) and red cabbage soup I will toss together the following great recipe for Rice and Beans stuffed in cabbage rolls...

WHAT YOU NEED

1 T olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and fine dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 carrot, peeled and fine dice

1 pepper, seeded and fine dice

1 hot pepper, seeded if desired, and fine dice

2T tomato puree

1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned and stems and leaves separated

2T paprika , hot

1T cumin seeds

2 cups leftover brown rice

2 cups leftover beans

salt, pepper

fresh lime juice at end

12 large outer cabbage leaves, boiled or steamed till soft

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat large fry pan over medium high heat and add 1 T olive oil.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes till softened and browned.
3. Add carrot, hot pepper, cumin and pepper and cook down further five minutes, deglazing pan with water, beer or wine as necessary to prevent burning.
4. Add tomato paste, paprika and cilantro stems to pan and cook down two minutes.
5. Add rice and beans to pan and heat thoroughly.
6. Season with salt and pepper, taste.
7. Finish with fresh cilantro( coriander) and lime juice.
8. Wrap in cooked cabbage leaves and serve.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

• Serve with home made salsa and/or guacamole.
• Use as a stuffing for peppers, courgettes or onions and top with melted cheese.
• Served open faced and topped with a fried or poached egg for a tasty Sunday brunch treat.
• Yup your right I did not in the end reinvent the wheel, i just changed my normal vegetarian stuffed cabbage to cabbage stuffed with rice and beans and smothered with salsa and feta cheese!

Apple Fest Chutney

As the days become shorter and the air gets a bit colder, autumn is a wonderful time to shift gears. Yesterday at the Portobello Road Apple festival we did just that. As the sun and temperature began to dip we shifted away from some apple based salads and into sampling of our preservables: pickled fennel made with apple cider vinegar and the crowd favourite camelized fennel and apple chutney. We served the chutney on slices of award winning Braeburn, Gala, Jonagored, and Cox Apples from the National Fruit Show. Serving up a nice chutney was a great way to strike up a conversation with some of the thousands of people who tasted our food at the Festival. A chutney elicits strong reactions from its often strong flavours. Strong memories of grandmotherly made jars of chutneys, pickles, and compotes from years gone by. Try this chutney, can a few jars, and get prepared for enjoyable meals during the cold dark and cozy months ahead...

CARMELIZED FENNEL AND APPLE CHUTNEY

Serves ALOT ( be prepared to can and/or give to neighbors and friends)

WHAT YOU NEED

2 T English rapeseed (vegetable) oil

7 Fennel Bulbs (or onion), stalks and core removed, thinly sliced

15 Bramley apples, washed, seeded, and sliced

125g brown sugar

1 t

2 lemon, zested and juiced

2 lime, zested and juiced

1T cumin powder ( or toasted cumin seeds)

50g fresh ginger, grated

1/2 bunch mint leaves, washed and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat large saucepot over medium heat, then add rapeseed oil.
2. Add fennel to pot and slowly cook down till wilted and well browned, adding splash of water as necessary to prevent sticking.
3. Add sugar to sauce pot and melt. Then add sliced apples and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Add all other ingredients except mint into pot.
5. Put on very low heat and stir carefully/occasionally until apples are cooked.
6. When ready mix in mint and adjust Seasoning.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

· Serve this with your favourite roast pork or turkey dish.

· Can or freeze the chutney to preserve for the months ahead.

· A great accompaniment to your Ploughman’s!!!!

GETTIN THE LAST CRUMBS FROM OUR APPLE CRUMBLE

Day one of the Portobello Road Market Apple Fest is over and what a wonderful day. Needless to say we ate a few apples, served thousands of people samples and cant wait till tomorrow to try out a few more recipe surprises. Hats off to all the volunteer, from cooks from Flavour Gateway in Tower Hamlets ( check out their food at Weavers Field in Bethnal Green) to Masters in Food Policy students at City University who helped make it all happen.

Today was not just about apple and squashes. It was actually about saving local jobs, local fruit and veg, local cultural history, and reconnecting people with the flavours of the season. Not the flavour one finds in the freezer aisle of the supermarket, or the jarred apple sauce we feed our infants. No. I am talking about the flavour of home made food that is made with skill, but more importantly with lots of love.

Below is a very simple recipe for a wonderful dessert that anyone can make for their friends and family. Give it a try; cook with your loved ones both young and old, and enjoy the process and the "fruits" of your labour!!!!

Apple Crumble

Serves 6

WHAT YOU NEED

Filling

4 large Bramley apples (or other apples/stone fruit) washed and seeded

1 lime (or other citrus) zested and juiced

4 T raisins (or other dried fruit)

1t mixed spice (or just plain Cinnamon)

Crumble

75g whole meal flour

25 g oats

50 g sugar

50 g butter

1 t mixed spice

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat oven to 190 Celsius/375F/Gas mark 5
2. Thickly slice apples and toss with zest and juice of lime, raisins, 1t mixed spice, and place in baking tin.
3. Rub butter into the flour, stir in sugar, oats and mixed spice and rub till crumbly.
4. Cover apples with crumble mixture and press firmly to create a sealed layer over the fruit.
5. Bake in oven for 40 minutes until brown and let rest 10 minutes before serving

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Try serving this with natural yogurt instead of custard.

Try to make a different fruit based crumble for each season.

Mix up your dried fruits, your spices, and your citrus with each crumble.

PORTOBELLO MARKET APPLE FEST PREPARATIONS!!!! THE MAKINGS OF TEN GALLONS OF HARVEST SOUP

One day till the Festival and we began the big preparations. What does that mean? It means dozens of squash to roast, onions and apples to sweat down, seeds to season and roast, vegetable stock to simmer...and generally speaking playing with lots of wonderfully local and seasonal English produce.

If you are in London tomorrow or Saturday, stop on by the Portobello Market and get some free samples of the luscious fruits of our labours...apple crumble ( tomorrows blog recipe), Harvest Squash soup (recipe below), baked apples (yesterdays blog), and of course lots and lots of award winning apples to sample....

HARVEST SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP

Serves 6

WHAT YOU NEED

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 acorn squash, halved and seeded

50g honey (maple syrup or brown sugar can substitute)

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

2 English eating apples, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

200ml white wine (or substitute apple juice or apple cider)

1 Litre vegetable stock

1 T English rapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil)

Cinnamon and Salt

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat Oven to 190 C/375 F.
2. Place squash in a roasting pan cut side up.
3. Pour 250ml water in bottom of pan. Pour honey and salt in cut side of squash.
4. Cover pan with aluminum foil or lid and roast till cooked (roughly 1 hour)
5. At same time, sweat onion, shallot, garlic and apple in oil till translucent.
6. Add white wine to onion pan and cook till almost evaporated
7. Peel cooked squash and put the flesh in with the onion mixture.
8. Add enough vegetable stock to cover the squash
9. Simmer for 30 minutes
10. Puree soup till absolutely smooth
11. Finish with cinnamon and salt. Add a splash of lemon juice if necessary.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

· Try making your own stock by cooking down clean trimmings from vegetables and fruits for an hour in a large pot of water...strain and use the liquid for soups and sauces!!!

· Try using different types of squash and pumpkins for this recipe

· Lemon juice and other acidic ingredients can often help balance the flavour of a soup or sauce!!!

APPLE FEST and early am oat inspired confessional

Easy...tasty...and worthy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!!! What could it be but baked apples...

WHAT TO DO

Cut some big ole bramley apples in half...Toss with a bit of mixed spice, a pat of butter and sprinkle of honey or sugar and bake for 1/2 hour at 375 F in a pan spread with 1/2 inch of water or cider. That's it...have with ice cream for dessert. Have with yogurt and walnuts for breakfast. Mash with chopped pickled onions and have a bit on whole meal bread with mature cheddar cheese for a cheese and quick chutney sandwich!!!!

All week I will be blogging apple based recipes. Why? Well come on down to the Apple Fest at Portobello Road market that I am helping to run this weekend and find out how eating apples and other local produce can help your local economy, save a farmer, better your health and enjoy the wonders of local and seasonal products!!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH ( AKA early morning confessional)

Alright, I only put my soaked oats, yogourt, and baked apple on that nice plate for the photo...I then foolishly tossed it all in a bowl to have as i normally do with a cup of tea and the nytimes online before I ride my bike to work. The truth is good food is worth a bit of effort. But usually like these tasty apples, it takes hardly any effort at all. The only effort is when we all try to get a bit poncy with our food...so slow down, enjoy the apples, eat em if ya got 'em, and if you dont come on by the Portobella Road Market this weekend to get some!

FLAT BREAD PIZZAS

So often what we need is right in front of us. So often our cravings take us to eating that which is unhealthy. The unhealthiness is not of function of the food, but the process and processing that takes place in making the mass produced variety of it...think burger, think kabob, think chicken and chips. Do they all need to be unhealthy, are they by nature unhealthy....NO.

I need pizza. Not the cardboard and canned variety so often seen across my present city, but a healthy one with home grown veggies and a bit of flavour. I live in the U.K.. Don't get me wrong, I love London and its amazing farmers markets, the bounty of seasonal food, the temperate climate. But pizza....NO. Not a fan of the things that pass for pizza here.

I crave thin crust, I crave a bit of homemade sauce. I crave it now. What I crave often leads to late night bad food choices here in London, but this pizza craving is so easily taken care of.

We are talking about flat bread pizza. No fiddling around with rising doughs... just quick simple kneading dough since i need pizza!!!! Flat breads can be made in a pan, in your oven, or as we do on the BBQ. Combined with a BBQ inspired sauce and some cheese and you have pizza faster than it takes for your family to decide on a pizza to order and have it delivered!!!

WHAT YOU NEED

200g ( roughly 1 and 2/3 cups) strong whole-wheat flour

200g (roughly 1 and 2/3 cup) strong white flour

2 pinch salt

60ml ( 1/4 cup) olive oil

240ml (1 cup)water

1T dried mixed herbs

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat pyramid pile of coals in your BBQ and continue recipe (Do not cook over BBQ till coals are glowing grey and you have flattened the pyramid out, banking coals to one side to create a high and low heat area in your BBQ area so you can control your cooking).
2. Sift flours into bowl, add salt, and make a well in the middle.
3. Add oil and water into the “well” and slowly incorporate into dry ingredients.
4. Shape dough into a soft (not sticky) ball, adding bit of water or flour as necessary.
5. Knead on floured surface (or in mixer with dough hook) till smooth and elastic (5 minutes)
6. Let rest for 30 minutes (if you have the time and are not in a pizza frenzy as i can be).
7. Roll out ½ cm/ 1/4 inch thick.
8. Clean and oil the grill rack.
9. Place dough on BBQ for 30 seconds to 1 minute till lightly browned on one side.
10. Flip dough over to uncooked side, quickly brush with sauce and toppings, and cook covered for 30 seconds to one more minute.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

For softer pizza: Place toppings on pizza once dough is placed on BBQ during step 9.

For indoor pizza, crank up your oven to 200 Celsius ( 400 F) and cook with same method albeit a longer cooking time.

Funky summer pizza: roast whole beet root bulbs with fennel seeds, splash of olive oil, and dash of balsamic vinegar. When finished, peel and puree. Saute the beet root greens. On your flat bread pizza spread the beet sauce, layer the greens and then sprinkle with Stilton cheese...

Having a curry, make some of this flatbread pizza better known as Chapatis!!!

Are you gluten free...easy, sub gluten free flour and add a teaspoon of xantham gum to the liquid mix.

Toppings...come on of course use the grill...meatballs, portabella's, courgettes, peppers...you name it...

We almost forgot the easiest sauce ever....on the grill while you are rolling out your dough place a half dozen halved tomatoes ( a splash of olive oil and a crack of black pepper never hurts), and one large onion...cook till charred and soft. Puree this with a garlic clove, a couple tablespoons of tomato paste ( puree) and some fresh herbs...DONE and ready for the BBQ again!!!

So the truth of the matter is in summer, its hot ( okay warm here in London) and I seem to crave real flame focused food. Often beer induced, charcoal crusted cooking outside on the BBQ. No pots to wash, no pans to clean up, just me and the BBQ cooking everything from sauce to dough, side dishes to desserts ( have you marinated a peach ever with lime and lime zest and grilled it??? Try it and serve with some Greek style yogurt with mint!!!!) Crank up the heat and enjoy the BBQ now, today, before the air turns chilly and your cravings turn to the hearty fare of winter....

"GET AT DEM BEANS"

After the fourth of July has passed and its shocking lack of festivities here in London...I started thinking about "American" foods and my brain turned to thoughts of sustainable food staples from other times and places.

Humble foods like Bangladeshi dahl with rice (see blog post from June 2009) or Malian peanut sauce with millet ( see blog post august 2009). Simple, tasty and good old fashion black beans came to mind and all their south of the border convoluted and maladapted influences made me really hungry. The end result was me making one of my favorite summer comfort foods.....black beans served simply with tortillas, salsa and guacamole.

WHAT YOU NEED

2 slices of bacon, fine diced

1 carrot, peeled and fine dice

1 bulb fennel, trimmed and fine dice ( use extra onion if you don't have fennel)

1 stalk celery, washed and fine dice

1 onion, peeled and fine dice

1 pepper, washed and fine diced

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2T tomato paste( puree)

2T cumin seeds (toasted if you can)

1 chile pepper, seeded and fine diced

1 tomato fine diced

1/2 bunch coriander, washed and separated into fine diced stems and fine diced leaves

2 cans black beans ( or 2/3 cup dried and then soaked and boiled till soft)

1/2 can or bottle of beer

1 lime

2 stalks, spring onion, washed and finely diced

WHAT TO DO

1. In a sauce pot, sweat bacon over medium heat till fat renders out and bacon is crispy.
2. Add carrot, fennel, celery, onion, pepper, bay leaf and garlic to the bacon and sweat down slowly for 10-15 minutes till soft and translucent. If pan starts to brown donate a splash of beer to it!!!
3. Add the tomato puree and cumin seeds and cook further 3 minutes.
4. Add chile pepper and chopped tomato and cook further five minutes.
5. Add coriander stems and let simmer till this mixture is very dry, soft and roasty looking.
6. Add cooked beans and beer and let simmer 20 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper if necessary, a squeeze of lime and garnish with the reserved spring onion and coriander leaves.

MORE DISHES TO WASH

As I eluded to at the beginning...beans are a great staple item...cheap and plentiful, and if you do your homework or care to wonder...they are very sustainable in comparison to that big old feedlot beef many think is a staple to their diet. So make them a integral part of your weekly menu is a variety of ways...

1. Served cold and tossed on your salad and eaten with some tortilla chips,
2. Old school London style beans on toast( maybe add 1 T molasses to the finished product)
3. Fry up the leftover beans and mash up for refried beans
4. Roll beans up into a burrito with rice, shredded fresh carrots and onion, salsa, and a splash of cheese
5. Use as a healthy side dish for your grilled pork or lamb chops
6. Serve with some grilled corn and a fresh salad
7. Add some vegetable broth and fresh spinach to the dish and turn into a hearty healthy soup
8. Served with salsa, guacamole and some fresh tortillas

In other words, in the immortal words from Cool Hand Luke....GET AT DEM BEANS!!!!

FRESH and SIMPLE SARDINES

If you are lucky enough to be close to the sea then this is another season to enjoy. Close to London, in Cornwall and elsewhere, the sardines are coming in plump and tasty. This is what I cherish, nice local fresh and tasty fish that gives me all the omega fatty acids i need without buying a silly fish oil pill!!! Sorry, but its true, the fish cost 4 pounds for a kilo, which is ridiculously cheap, and if you buy the pills shipped in from New Zealand or wherever, they cost much more and you still need to cook yourself some dinner...I prefer to swallow my medicine one forkful at a time!!!!

So as part of a nice fresh Friday night meal all on the BBQ, as it was too hot to cook indoors,we made two fish courses...firstly, grilled/BBQ sardines with herbs and then we threw a big ole squid, some peppers, and mushrooms on the BBQ and served that with grilled feta, home made tortillas, and a salsa vinaigrette...

Below is the simple method for grilling sardines on your BBQ:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 kg( 2 pounds) fresh sardines, gutted and rinsed ( head and tail on please)

4 T olive oil

2 sprigs green onion ( or fresh onion and garlic)

1/3 bunch coriander ( or your favorite fresh green herb)

1 lemon ( or any other citrus you desire)

salt, pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat BBQ till mound of coals are grey and hot, push them to one side to form a hot side and a cooler side.
2. While BBQ is heating, rinse sardines, pat dry and sprinkle liberally with salt.
3. In mortar and pestle (or food processor) add chopped up green onion( stems and bulb), coriander, juice of half the lemon and 2 T olive oil...blend till rough paste.
4. After grill is ready, rinse salt off sardines, drizzle with olive oil and fresh salt and cracked pepper.
5. Make sure grill is clean ( with a wire brush or wad of aluminum foil!!!) and then rub some vegetable oil over grill rack to prepare for the fish.
6. Place fish on a moderately hot section of grill and let cook for 2-3 minutes depending on sizes of fish.
7. Flip each fish, brush with a bit more olive oil and finish cooking for 2-3 more minutes.
8. Place on platter with fresh lemon and herb relish and serve immediately.

MORE DISHES TO NOT WASH

1. These are small fish and the spine should pull off in one flick of your fork.
2. Try this method with lots of fish this summer....grilling/bbq with simple fresh herbs and citrus is a great way to enjoy a hot summer.
3. Think ahead and BBQ some veggies as well...asparagus, peppers, bok choy, tomatoes....and serve with a simple vinaigrette ( lemon, herbs, olive oil, s,p)
4. We made fresh tortillas and often make flat breads on the grill...i will save this for an upcoming post...but any bread on the BBQ/grill with a splash of olive oil is a wonderfully easy treat!!!

GOOSE BUMPS

WHAT AM I THINKING???
I hide away for nine months, incubating food thoughts, training hundreds of school chefs, young moms, nutritionists, social enterprise managers, and the like, and I return to the blog with a picture of goose fat taken on a vacation last month in Budapest ?!?!?!?!

Am I having recollections of the goose that laid the golden fat...or am i trying to remind us of the real look of what we love( deep deep down within). Admit it, we all have a bit of a vice ... we all love it...saturating our cheese, creating our mayonnaise, layering our cakes, filling our sundae's, oiling even our omega favoured fish, scooped out of our avocados, and being used each and every day in hundreds of ways. So what gives?

I overdosed...yes...the fat was just toooooo much...the goose platter of goose cracklins, goose liver pate, goose fat spreads, and then the goose oozing out of me as I sat in the steam rooms of the Budapest spas...But even as we try to cut back, I am not cutting cold turkey(or goose) or attempting to eliminate fat nor flavour from food. But how to make a simple sauce, richly flavoured , creamy textured, but healthy with lower fat and lowered salt?


WHITE SAUCE/BECHAMEL/CREAM SAUCE... call it what you will, we will make a basic quick and easy, cheap and cheerful item that can be your goto pasta white sauce, your lasagna filling, fish or chicken finishing sauce and so much more. This is the recipe I have passed on to hundreds of chefs...not a new creation but a remembrance of old school methods long forgotten. Working with school chefs each and every week, not only teaching, but creating dialogue of what can be done with the food and the future generations that they feed, how to make it simple, tasty, cheap, and healthy. Making the sauce with no gluten, lowering the saturated fat, no added salt, and lots of added flavour all within five minutes...i may have O.D.ed on the fat, but i am not having hallucinations...trust me.


WHAT YOU NEED

2 Tablespoons corn flour ( corn starch)
300ml/½ English pint semi skimmed(2%) milk
50g/2 oz/ mature cheddar ( or your other strong cheese), grated
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (or less if too spicy)

WHAT TO DO
1. Put corn flour/starch in measuring jug
2. Add a little cold milk to make a paste
3. Add the rest of the milk and stir.
4. Pour into saucepan and bring to a low boil . Turn stove top to low heat, stirring sauce continuously with a whisk or wooden spoon. If the sauce thickens too quickly, add a few teaspoons of milk or water to thin out again. As it thickens, take off heat and continue stirring.
5. Add the mustard and grated cheese and cover with cling film (to prevent skin from forming)

MORE DISHES TO WASH:
This is a great simple white sauce to use with pasta and your tuna past bake( tuna noodle casserole for those on the west side of the Atlantic!), the binding sauce for a old school fish pie, for lasagna or with so many easy adjustments to use with what you have at hand, such as....

Follow Steps 1 - 4 of the recipe and then add one of the following to flavour the sauce:

• carmelized onions and garlic
• saute of mushrooms deglazed with red wine
• home made pesto
• simply fresh herbs and good grind of black pepper

Or for dessert, after step four of the recipe ...add 1 tsp vanilla essence and 2 Tablespoon sugar to make a vanilla custard sauce, add cocoa powder as well for a chocolate sauce...all with semi- skim milk !!! Great with crumbles, cakes, and cookies!!!

A lower fat sauce with no gluten, no annoying step of making a roux, no time, no problems and an ability to make sauce for dinner and dessert at the same time...that's a no brainer! Enjoy the new recipes, review last summers blog entries for ideas, and get into the summer swing of things with lots of slowfood and fast cookin...

FIVE A DAY FRUIT AND VEG.....CAKE

Well yes, I know I have been absent lately. Like all of us I am busy busy...so busy i could not even take a picture of my lovely carrots i pick up at Hackney city farm each week...still dirty, still tasting of the earth, still in need of lots of cleaning... So yes you got a "stock photo" But with the carrots I get...so fresh, so flavourful, it would be a shame to just make veg or chicken stock out of them...no not these carrots...with these I have been working on a fab gluten free, low fat recipe for carrot cake!!!

I know, its summer, we all try to get outside, do all sorts of activities and pack everything in before the suns goes away till next May...so why bake cakes inside when i could just eat fresh fruit and make trifles and stay in the sun...Not sure!!! I love fresh fruit, and please buy and eat as much as you can while its ripe, local and cheap...but i must say...I felt inspired to make a cake for the courses I teach...I need to do a bit of baking that not only is fresh and healthy but portionable, packable, and very kid friendly!!! So before i have my last lil bit of summer with a trip to southwest France with friends, I wanted to pass on this great, simple, and healthy carrot cake recipe that I have been working on for some of the communities I cook with/for. And how do you know its good...its been eaten too fast to take pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PREP

400g ( 3 cups) flour ( we use gluten free) SIFTED PLEASE

1.5 t baking soda ( bicarbonate of soda)

2 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 t mixed spice powder

250 g (1.5 cup) sugar

4 eggs, beaten

100 ml( 1/3 cup) vegetable oil

250 ml(1 1/3 cups) applesauce

300g ( 3 cups) carrots , peeled and grated

250g ( 1 cup) pineapple chunks, fresh

75g ( 1/2 cup) chopped nuts ( pecans or walnuts will do)

150 g ( 8oz) low fat cream cheese

150g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar

low fat yogurt

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat oven to 190 C ( 375 F)
2. Grease two round ( or one large rectangle) baking tins.
3. Sift dry ingredients ( flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mixed spice) in a bowl with sugar.
4. Mix eggs with applesauce, oil, pineapple, carrot and walnuts in a large bowl.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and fold gently. Do not over mix
6. Pour cake batter into baking tin and bake for 40 minutes in center of oven.
7. Check if cake is done by putting a thin wooden skewer into cake and observe if batter sticks to skewer, if so the cake is not done. If skewer comes out dry then you and the cake are golden!!
8. Remove cake from oven and let cool in tin.
9. Combine cream cheese and sugar into your icing and you may sub in some low fat yogurt for some cream cheese to this if you want a thinner and even lower fat icing that will be looser less hard.
10. If you want to layer the icing between the cakes, let cake cool completely, make sure icing is quite stiff ( refrigerate for an hour) and then spread thoroughly, refrigerate again and then enjoy!!!

MORE DISHES TO WASH

Need a quick dessert while having a bbq...grill some peaches and then serve with honey and mint tossed yogurt.

Or as we did in our Dad BBQ cookery that I teach...slice a banana down the middle (in the skin) toss in some chunks of dark chocolate and put it on your still smoldering bbq/grill and cook till soft and gooey on inside and charred black on the skin ( I got this recipe from a friend I must confess,...but its too easy and good to not pass on!!!)...

Simple...fresh fruit and veg my friends...tis the season...eat them while you can...and can them for when you cant!!!