Spinach & Egg Pots

Everyone is allowed a culinary disaster. Or in certain cases a series of disasters. For some people it’s pastry, for others it’s soufflés. Me? It’s bread. Basically i have lost my bread making mojo. I used to make bread all the time on cooking jobs & never had a problem, wholemeal loaves, poppy buns, focaccia, soda bread… Every attempt was successful, but since living in London i simply just cannot rise to the occasion (you got to have the occasional pun surely…) I always seem to have an excuse. Maybe i didn't leave it in a warm enough place to rise, perhaps i got the oven temp wrong or maybe something was wrong with the flour. I literally woke up in the middle of the night last week thinking it might be the London water-what bread going to want to rise with water that’s already seen on average nine peoples insides? Or is it because i now use dried yeast instead of fresh? Actually i’m fairly convinced that this is the reason & will now be hunting out fresh yeast as a matter of priority. The houseboy can now always tell the result of the bread before seeing it. He sometimes hears a heavy thud as it hits the bottom of the bin (a waste i know-but feeding it to birds would most likely end up as a recreation of the duck feeding scene in the film About A Boy) He knows just to keep quiet as failure to do so after a cooking disaster leads to a strop of epic proportions. I make this sound slightly funny. It's not i nearly killed him after his comments over my Christmas mince pies.  He know just to nod & smile when i announce it might make good toast-if you have a jaw like Jaws…Anyhoo i’m pretty sure this temporary blip & i will once more be able to make delicious bread, but until then i’m going to blames every thing apart from myself!

This weeks recipe is great for all occasions; starter, breakfast or even a snack. You can also be creative, add some smoked ham or finely chopped mushrooms.

Makes 1

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach

• 5 tbsp of double cream

• 1/2 garlic clove

• grated nutmeg (optional)

• 1 tbsp fresh parmesan

• salt & pepper

Over a low heat wilt the spinach in a pan using a tiny amount of butter to help it along. Remove from the heat and leave to drain. Once it’s cooled enough carefully squeeze the excess water out and pop it into the bottom of a ramekin. Crack an egg into the ramekin making sure the yolk doesn’t break. Set aside. Then cook the garlic gently in a little butter for a 1-2 minutes (make sure it doesn’t brown or burn otherwise it will taste bitter) add the cream along with a small pinch of salt & the same of pepper, if you like nutmeg now is the time to add it. Bring the mixture almost to boiling point-stirring all the time. Pour over the egg & spinach. Sprinkle with grated parmesan & bake in the oven or 10-15 minutes. Keep checking them-you want the egg to be no more than a poached consistency. Serve immediately. This also makes a lovely breakfast dish if you omit the garlic, although i never do.

Chocolate Brownies

The houseboy spent the week working away in Aberdeen so it was pretty quiet on the cooking front apart from my lunch box. I always take my lunch to work with me-the only decent places near the office are ridiculously over priced. So this week’s choice was a quick Moroccan style casserole with sausages & chickpeas, which i had with couscous or vegetables. Once you start making our own lunches you realise firstly how much money you can save (yes, im definitely Scottish with that attitude) & secondly you never have to end up eating dry pre packed sandwiches or dodgy pasta salads. I’ve fallen at those hurdles more than once. With the houseboy's return we had a nice social weekend catching up with friends. Friday was a fun evening of pizza & board games, i cooked a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe for Bread & Butter Pudding which seemed to get the thumbs up from everyone. By using brioche instead of white bread and adding some fruit (nectarines in this case) you could almost pretend it was healthy… Sunday morning was spent at the British Museum, which is a truly amazing place. Egyptian mummies, Inuit waterproofs made from seal intestines & full samurai outfits to name but a few exhibits, makes for a fascinating walk round. The Rosetta Stone was definitely the most mobbed attraction & i think that of all the tourists, the Italians are the best at taking twenty photos a second while talking on a mobile & shouting at their friends at a thousand miles an hour.

Another sweet treat this week, a chocolate ladened choice in honour of Valentine’s Day (stop groaning-there is no escaping it) As my sister Mrs Robinson likes to say ‘woman have a second stomach for dessert’ and i think i might have a third for brownies…on their own, or even better served with whipped cream and ice cream. I have so many recipes for brownies, but this one is a nice all rounder.

Ingredients:
• 110g dark chocolate
• 55g unsalted butter
• 170g dark brown sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 2eggs
• 85g plain flour with a good pinch of baking powder mixed in
• pinch of salt
• 55g pecan nuts of walnuts-roughly chopped

Melt the chocolate au bain marie (this means melting the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, this ensures the chocolate doesn’t burn) Then beat into the butter, allow to cool then add the sugar and cream together till light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and then beat the eggs and flour alternatively. Gently mix in the nuts. Pour mixture into a well-greased tin and bake at 180c for 20-30mins. You can serve these in their own as they are lovely & rich or use them as part of a nice decedent desert with whipped cream, a splash of baileys Irish cream & an extra sprinkling of nuts…

Spiced Beef & Prune Casserole with Toasted Pecans

It’s quite scary how the weeks are flying by with the only consolation being is that spring will surely soon be here. I’m pretty excited about all the daffodils & crocuses coming out especially after seeing my first snowdrops last night which always remind me of home, where they grow in the woods. Although, I have to say, one thing London does well is parks. With spring & parks in mind we went for a lovely walk round Hyde Park. We did have the intention of being healthy, but unfortunately on the way we ended up in Café Concerto on High Street Kensington having hot chocolate, scones with cream & chocolate cake...Hmmmmm on reflection i actually fail to see this was unfortunate in any way. Anyhoo it was freezing & it’s a proven fact that you burn more calories when it’s cold outside. We then finished up the week by heading to China Town for dinner with friends where i tried a dish i’ve been meaning to for so long...duck tongue salad. It was delicious. Well maybe not delicious but it really was very nice. The tongues have a piece of cartilage in the middle that you have to nibble round & the texture is a little odd, a bit gristly but quite appealing. The houseboy did not agree with me on this one but really when does he...?

With this weeks recipe there are no nasty surprises, so do not be put off by the idea of prunes, granted they are mostly associated with oldies & failing constitutions, but used in the right context they are delicious. I always serve this casserole with mashed potatoes & green beans, but it would be equally nice with new potatoes & most green veg. Ideally it’s best made the day before, firstly because it will taste so much better & secondly its not the quickest dish to cook-but hugely worth it.

Ingredients:
• 900g good quality strewing beef diced
• 225g onions-thinly sliced
• 2” knob of fresh ginger-grated
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp mace
• 1tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 bottle of red wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 450ml beef stock
• olive oil
• 100g pecans (to serve) & 250g prunes which are optional.

Set your oven to 130C. Start by tossing the beef in seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Heat a frying pan until it’s really hot & sear the meat in small batches (small batches will stop the pan cooling down) sprinkling the spices over as you go. Set the meat aside & allow the pan to cool a little. Take the onions, garlic & ginger, add to pan & gently cook for 5 minutes, add a splash more oil if necessary. Next step is to deglaze the pan with red wine, bring to the boil & reduce to about half. Add the stock along with the soy sauce, then finish off by placing the meat & onion mixture into an oven proof pan/casserole dish. Make sure the lid fits tightly, if not you can add a double layer of wet greaseproof paper to make sure the meat doesn’t dry out. Cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, you want the meat to be tender but not falling apart, as you will most likely be reheating it again. While the casserole is bubbling away, pan fry the pecans in a little oil & paprika. When you serve the dish up, just sprinkle some on top-the textures & flavours work really well together.

Smoked Mackerel Pate

Well last week was a pretty exciting week for a soggy January. My long anticipated Christmas present from the houseboy arrived & my Kenwood Chef Premier is now officially my most prized possession. You know you really love something when you kept checking to see if it’s still there (it always is-it’s too heavy to spout legs & take a wander & the poor houseboy has been warned about leaving finger prints) I am going to have to watch i don’t get too obsessed with buying attachments though. I can think of at least eight situations that a pasta roller, ice cream churner, meat grinder & sausage maker would save my life, but as you can’t swing a cat in our wee kitchen & the fact i got overexcited in John Lewis agin (damn those bright shiny sale signs) means additional accessories will have to wait. Will just get the mini grinder for now. And the pasta roller. And…maybe the sausage maker. The houseboy will come round to the last one, once he tries homemade sausages. I think.

The week also heralded my first ‘guest blog’ for fellow blogger Justin Orde who is part of Gill Orde Catering. Based in Bonny Scotland they are a family run team dedicated to outside catering and an events company from the heart of the Scottish Borders. They provide bespoke catering for all occasions, from intimate dinners to international product launches. Click here to have a read & find out more about what they do.

Right to business people. This weeks recipe is one of my favourites-perfect to use for canapés, starters, picnics, or in emergency breakfast situations. There have been a lot of breakfast emergencies since this arrived in our fridge.

Ingredients:
• 4 smoked mackerel fillets
• 225g cream cheese (like philadelphia)
• 4tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 clove crushed garlic
• 1tbps chopped parsley
• crushed black pepper

Peel the skin off each mackerel fillet & carefully de-bone, this can take time, buts its best done properly as no one likes a fishbone mid mouthful. Roughly flake the fish and mix with remaining ingredients. You can mix this using a food processor-but always use the pulse setting, you want all the ingredients incorporated well but not mixed into a smooth paste, you want some texture to it.

This goes really well with melba toast, rough oatcakes or as the image shows-blinis. More about blinis in a couple of weeks.