Beef & Chorizo Casserole

Christmas is coming. Fact. There seem to be a lot of Christmas Grinch's around at the moment & i am avoiding them like the plague - i think people think they are being clever when they moan & belittle Christmas. Put a sock in it & have some Egg Nog. We are getting geared up got our annual Christmas drinks party (makes me sound terribly grown but basically we just get 'pie eyed' as Mrs Rhodes says & eat Sausage Rolls) I've been trawling through recipe books & foody websites to work out what canapes to make & i think i have a rough idea, Devils on Horsebacks will certainly feature. The tree is up, my new canape tin is ordered & The Houseboy is bracing himself for hoovering duties.

So i have firmly waved goodbye to salads & welcomed in hearty winter fare. We had Mr T. Fright & his lovely live in lady Miss Stevenson over for a relaxing Sunday lunch recently for a catch up. Miss Stevenson & i both like a natter so it was no surprise we were still eating cheese & drinking whiskey seven hours after they first arrived. I am huge fan of a Sunday lunch party, there's time in the morning to get organised, time of have a leisurely lunch & finely time to clean up before flopping on the couch. Bingo.

The Houseboy turned the grand old age of twenty nine recently so at his request i baked him a Red Velvet Cake.  I cheated slightly (with his permission) & didn't make a fully original one like in the Hummingbird Cafe cookbook which is truly delicious but a little time consuming so i went with a simpler version from the BBC food website which turned out well. On his 26th birthday i baked a Black Forest Gateau which took me the best part 4 hours & cost a fortune, i was obliviously still trying to impress him at that stage! The worst thing was carrying it across London underground smelling of Chocolate & Kirch. The Houseboy does not like celebrating his birthday. There's no going out, no drinks & no celebrating with friends. But next year is his 30th & he will have no choice. I will just be happy that he's joined me in the thirties group!

Red Velvet Cake

Lots of people go on casserole overload over the winter months which is no bad thing. There are hundreds of variations & it's a good way to use up left overs etc. This is a punchy & filling dish which is great with Mashed Potatoes, saying that everything goes well with Mash. I thought about doing Horseradish Mash but there really is enough flavour in the casserole as it is. 

Ingredients:
Fed five with leftovers. 

• 1.3k of diced beef
• 2 rings of chorizo
• 2 medium sized onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tins of plum tomatoes
• 1/2 bottle of red wine
• 2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1 tsp of ground ginger
• s&p

Method:

Pop your oven to 175C. Dust the diced beef in seasoned flour shaking off the excess & set aside. Take the chorizo & slice into chunks & gently fry off (without oil) in a hot pan for roughly 5 minutes till they are crispy round the edges. (they will leak quite a bit of oil which you can use to brown the beef) Remove & set aside then crack on with browning off the beef. Do this in batches to maintain a nice high heat in the pan, you may have to add a little oil if the chorizo hasn't leaked a lot.

Now quickly slice the onions & crush the garlic & add to the pan along with the paprika & ground ginger. Saute for 5 minutes & once the onion is nice & soft add back the chorizo & beef. Now add the red wine & tomatoes. Give it a good stir & pop into the oven. Cook for 2 & 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. If the sauce is a little thin then you can thicken it up using Beurre Manie  which is equal parts of butter & flour rubbed together. Just remove the beef before thickening the sauce as you will need to whisk it in. Goes well with Mash or Rice. Freezes & reheats very well. 

This years tree

Tomato & Olive Tarts

I've been looking back at all my posts- mainly because i can never remember what i have cooked in past months & have to check that i'm not repeating myself. Something i do a lot in life. Just ask the Houseboy. I definitely got through ingredients phases, for a while it was Spinach, then Chorizo, then a brief dalliance with anything pastry related. I guess we all have our favourites, or more likely get stuck in a rut. I once tried to make something new each time i cooked dinner but realised that i had taken it too far when the Houseboy practically cried with relief after i served him Sausage, Peas & Mash. Occasionally less is more. I just really like more.     

So i have been busy eating as usual, actually while i talk about me & eating - for those who don't know what i look like - i'm not some demonic twenty stone fiend, although granted i like to see myself as Miss Piggy to the Houseboys Kermit, im a fairly normal looking lady. I just really like food (& could indeed stand to loose a few pound - but who doesn't) At the weekend we strolled round the corner to see our nearest neighbourhood friends The Squire & his lady friend Miss Windler. A couple who like food & wine as much as we do we were highly anticipating Sunday lunch & boy o boy we were not disappointed. Proceedings kicked off wit a retro baked Chicory & Parma Ham, a dish i haven't had in ages. Chicory is a vegetable which easily forgotten about which is mean as it's a fantastic choice. The main was a rich & hearty Osso Bucco served with Polenta. The meat was from Randalls Butcher in Fulham & was absolutely delicious. The marrow was wobbly, the meat tender & the sauce rich. It made me want to eat it everyday. Which would probably kill me within eighteen months but would be worth it. I made a dessert of Apple & Raspberry Crumble (recipe to follow) to finish up. As expected there was more than one alcoholic beverage served so needless to say Sunday evening was spent lying on the couch watching films & dozing. A perfect Sunday!

This is really more of a putting ingredients together sort of dish rather than a recipe, but it's very nice & great to serve as a starter or make them smaller & serve them as canapes. I'm not being lazy i promise, the next recipe will be more substantial, in the meantime, shush & go & make this.    

Ingredients:

serves 4. 

• 1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry
• 1/2 jar black olives
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 3 spring onions
• 1/2 a garlic clove
• s&p

Method:

Pop a baking tray into a preheated oven of 200C. While it's heating up half the cherry tomatoes & black olives, finely slice the spring onions & crush the garlic. Mix them all together & season. Take the puff pastry & cut each person a postcard sized section. Prick all over leaving a border round the edge. Place the mix in the middle, brush the edges with a little milk. Using a spatula carefully place the 'puffs' onto the pre heated tray & bake for 20 minutes. Voila!

Green Pea & Spinach Soup

Old father time has been playing tricks on me again & i seemed to have lost a week, for once i actually have a backlog of recipes to post! So in short i still have been cooking & eating but not quite making it to my computer to write a load of guff about it. I blame it on 30th birthdays. There has been an onslaught (a very welcome onslaught nevertheless) of parties, present choosing & hangovers which are so much more tempting than sitting at home with my laptop. The latest shindig was at Bunga Bunga in Battersea in honor of Liz waving goodbye to her twenties. If you are looking for somewhere that has great pizza, decent cocktails & staff that actively encourage you to dress up & sing your heart out at karaoke - Bunga Bunga is the place. The next day could have been a complete write off if i hadn't been seeing Miss Stevenson for a day in Islington at the Country Living Christmas Fair. It was well worth the trip across London, not only to see the lovely Miss Stevenson - a fellow foodie who appreciates a good meal as much as i do, but because Mrs Rhodes & family (well hopefully anyway) will be reading this shortly. Needless to say the fair was filled with an amazing array of jewelry, cashmere, clocks, beauty products, festive food...an endless list. I escaped with my purse relatively in tact apart from buying a rather smart new vintage teacup for my collection.      

A few weeks ago the Houseboy & i tried the newly opened Rodizio Rico at Fulham Broadway, one of four across London. It's an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ restaurant serving all kinds of meats such as Steak, Pork & Chicken on long skewers. The waiters come to your table with a selection of different meats & cuts & you can choose whether or not you would like to try. My favourite? Hands down the Barbequed Chicken Hearts which were small, tender & very meaty. The Houseboy also gave them the thumbs up, but didn't quite demolish as many as me. The side are pretty good with a choice of hot or cold, although you have to look quite carefully when you choose at the counter, what i thought were little hot potato balls were in fact cold crumbed cheese balls. The Houseboy also ended up with a side of Lasagna to go with his Beef & Pork - not that he was particularly disappointed. Beef with a side of Beef? No problem. It's certainly not fine dining but was fun & you will not leave hungry.     

I'm still obsessed with soup. Sweet Potato & Chorizo, Minestrone, Spicy Tomato or my current specialty 'Anything Lurking in the Fridge' This is incredibly easy to make & tastes so delicious & fresh. You can use other green vegetables which need using up like Broccoli or Asparagus. It's great to take to work for lunch or nice for dinner with Soft Boiled eggs & Soda Bread.  

Ingredients:

• 350g of green peas
• 300g of spinach
• 200g of  potatoes 
• 1 leek
• 1 onion
• 1 liter of chicken stock (or veg)
• s&p
• chopped chives & creme fraiche to serve

Method:

Start by finely chopping the onion & leek & saute in a little oil until slightly golden. Chop the potato into dice size pieces & add to the pan. Add your stock & cook gently until the potato is tender. Take the green peas & add & simmer until they are cooked. Turn off the heat completely, add the spinach & pop a lid on. Leave until the spinach is completely wilted. Once it has cooled sufficiently, blend & season. Serve with a garnish of chopped chive & a swirl of creme fraiche. 

Pear & chocolate Tart

This time of year always makes me think of Apples, Pears & Pumpkin. The Houseboy is not fond of Pumpkin (or orange food in general really) so i thought i would have a crack at some Apple & Pear dishes over the coming weeks. They are amazingly versatile either in sweet or savoury dishes & are great cooked quickly or slowly. They also go well with Chocolate, but then again everything goes well with Chocolate. Last week we had the Philips' & their amazing new addition - Wee Angus (great Scottish name!) over for a midweek dinner. In line with my attempt at trying to spend a little less time in the kitchen - especially when people are over, i made Fish Pie with a Herb Breadcrumb topping which was mainly prepared the night before. It's one of my favourite dishes, it reminds me of mealtimes growing up, Mrs Rhodes makes a very good Fish Pie. Although i'm hoping she will be whipping up some spicy curries over Christmas after her recent jaunt to Sri Lanka (she does get around)

We celebrated Bonfire Night with the ever hospitable Miss Shannon who made a delicious Cottage Pie (nothing better on bonfire weekend i reckon) served with fresh Veg & lots of red wine. Living at the top of a lovely building in South Kensington she has access to an amazing roof space which has roof tops views over London. The local square were having a fireworks party & we decided to head up, red wine in hand to see if we could get a good view. It was definitely a good idea because as we were so high up the fireworks were literally going off at face height (although on the other side of the street so not too dangerous) A very fun evening had by all.   

Sunday afternoon was spent at The Rose in Fulham having lunch with friends while The Houseboy cheered on Fulham FC (to no avail) I've eaten there a few times & it's always good pub food, the roasts are always a winner. The pudding menu was woefully small (only two choices!) but the Pistachio Ice Cream was delicious, (thank you Mr Philips for recommending it) they always have a few good homemade Ice Cream choices. After a lovely lunch it was a short waddle home to spend a couple of hours pottering in the kitchen making Soup for the week ahead. I seem to be making a lot of Soup lately, my next flavour venture will be Beetroot & Horseradish.

This is originally a recipe by The Telegraph food writer Diana Henry which i have adapted slightly. It's incredibly rich & delicious. Try & find decent pears as the flavour is important. It's a great time of year for this dish as British pears are at their best, i used ground Almonds i already had them in the cupboard. 

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of ready to roll short crust pastry
• 125g butter, softened
• 100g soft dark-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 125g ground hazelnuts
• 185g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 4 ripe pears
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• icing sugar, for sifting (optional) 

Method:

Roll out the pastry on a surface dusted lightly with icing sugar and use it to line a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed tart tin. Put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up. This helps to stop the pastry shrinking during cooking.

Put crumpled greaseproof paper into the tin and fill with baking beans. Put in an oven preheated to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Turn down the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. 

 

To make the filling beat the butter and brown sugar until soft. Gradually add the eggs, then stir in the hazelnuts. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool a little then stir into the egg and nut mixture. Fill the part-cooked pastry case with this. 

Peel, halve and core the pears, then set them on top of the filling with the small end in the middle (you may find you only have room for seven rather than eight halves). Sprinkle some caster sugar on the pears so that they glaze a little during cooking. Bake in the oven for 40 for 45 minutes. The tart is ready when you can feel with your finger that the centre is just set. 

Leave the tart to cool a little before removing it from the tin. It's nice warm or at room temperature. You can leave it as it is or sift a light dusting of icing sugar over it. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.

Cheese & Chive Scones

I will start by saying sorry to everyone (probably about 5 people knowing my luck) who have signed up to receive email notifications when i post a blog, as you all will have just received a garbled, scrappy piece of writing which makes no sense. This is what happens when i get distracted. I press the wrong button. So this is attempt two. Life is trickling along, the Houseboy started a new job this week in the City which is exciting. Apparently there is a free canteen serving breakfast & lunch so no more homemade lunches for him! If anything this will save us a fortune in tupperware as he lost so many at his last place i suspected some sort of conspiracy. As predicted i do love tupperware, but not as much as my 94 year old grandfather who is an avid cook & who has, in my opinion boosted profits at Lakeland Plastics tenfold over the last 5 years. Apparently there is nothing that can't be tupperwared. So to speak.

On Sunday the Houseboy & i headed off to Hampton Court for a walk round Bushy Park & the lovely gardens. Joined by Mr Robinson & Miss Lummis we had a fun day kicking leaves & planning where to have lunch. The trees were magnificent, with amazing russet tones, falling leaves & dashing squirrels. We came across deer across the whole park including waring stags going hell for leather over a doe. Have to say it was a little scary at times, we would be strolling along & suddenly come across some resting deer hiding behind a tree. I managed to get some nice shots, but was kicking myself for not bringing along my long lens. Mr Robinson confessed that the majority of the time when he saw animals the his first thought is how good they would taste. A committed carnivore! We managed to keep him a suitable distance from all wildlife for the day.     

Now i have a new obsession, interest in life. Collecting vintage tea cups. The Houseboy is not amused in the slightest & sees them only as objects that take up space & need dusting. He doesn't have to worry on that account, it's been a while since i have seen him prancing round the flat with a feather duster. The lovely Miss Lummis & Miss Holford gave me two beautiful ones for my 30th earlier this year & my sister gave me an amazing addition which is pictured below. This small but soon to grow collection joins my button collection & scarf collection, two other loves in my life which have the Houseboy baffled. I once had a job working for someone who was really very unpleasant & it was not uncommon for my then flatmates to find me sorting out my button collection into colour categories after a particularly stressful day at work. Whatever gets you through i reckon!

 

A Fruit Scone with Jam & Cream is one of life's great pleasures. A savoury scone is pretty darn close. You can substitute the chives for parsley, & choose any good hard, strong cheese. Great slightly warmed up & served with a little butter or a dollop of creme fraiche & caviar. I found this recipe on www.cookitsimply.com a random but useful website.

Ingredients:

• 225g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 50g butter, diced
• 100g strong cheese such a chedder, grated
• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
• 150 ml fresh milk & extra for brushing

Put the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in 50 g (2 oz) of the cheese and the chives.

Add the milk and mix to form a soft dough, then knead quickly until smooth.

Roll out on a floured work surface until 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Cut into 10 rounds with a 5 cm
(2 inch) plain cutter and brush the tops with milk. Transfer to baking sheets.

Bake at 230°C (450°F) mark 8 for 7 - 10 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

Immediately put the remaining cheese on top of the scones and allow to melt before serving hot or cold.