Not Your Mama's Spag Bol!

There's a bit of an ongoing battle in our house about Italian Food. Todd says he hates Italian Food, but what he really means is . . . he hates pasta, but then again . . . in another breath he is saying he loves tinned spaghetti on toast . . .

Does that make sense???



I thought not!!

Anyways, I am a pasta loving carbaholic, and I can only go so long without it. Every once in a while I just have to torture him with some. I can't help myself . . .



When I was growing up my mom used to make what she called "Italian Spaghetti" at least once every couple of weeks. That was as close to foreign cooking as she ever got . . . browning a pound of ground beef and adding a tin of Catelli Spaghetti Sauce. I hated it. I used to just eat the spaghetti plain, with a healthy shake of smelly sock. (That's what we called Parmesan cheese in my family. I know . . . TMI!!)

Once we got older, she discovered chili powder and oregano, and once a week (usually Saturday nights) she would treat us to her version of chili, which was ok, but . . . quite plain, although my dad loved it. The recipe came from the back of a tin of Tomato Soup . . . need I say more???



I love chili, and I love Spaghetti Bolognese. I think the British have quite adopted Spaghetti Bolognese, or Spag Bol as it is affectionately dubbed over here, as their own, and I think everyone here in the UK has their own secret recipe.

I don't believe in keeping secrets when it comes to cooking . . . I like to share!! This here is my version of Spag Bol . . . It combines two of my great loves . . . Spaghetti Bolognese and Chili. I guarantee, it's not anything like your mama's version!



*Not Your Mama's Spag Bol*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is a different sort of a twist that I put on good old Spaghetti Bolognaise. In truth, I love this even more than regular Spag Bol! I just can't get enough of it!

1 TBS olive oil
16 ounces extra lean beef mince
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 fat clove of garlic, peened and crushed
2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 envelope of Taco seasoning mix
(I use Discovery)
1 (420g) tin of chopped tomatoes
14 ounces of beef stock
6 ounces tomato puree
1 (420g) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces of uncooked spaghetti
Toppings:
Sour cream, Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped or finely sliced red onion

Place the olive oil into a large saucepan and heat. Once it is hot add the beef mince. Cook and stir until it is completely browned. Add the onion, garlic, chilies, salt, cumin and taco seasoning mix and continue to cook and stir until the onion, garlic and peppers are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently stir in the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

In the meantime bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well and divide amongst hot serving plates. Top each with a portion of the sauce and pass the toppings!!

And . . . just in case you were wondering . . . this is how the Toddster ate his . . .



That's right! On top of a huge pile of fluffy mash. Well . . . to each his own I always say!

Note - Waitrose is stocking this new grated cheese mixture by Simply Inspired. I used the spicy Mexican one here, it has cheddar and mozzarella mixed with red, green and jalapeno peppers and crushed chillies. Delicious!!! It was just perfect!

How To Cook Steak Perfectly

A lot of people are quite intimidated when it comes to cooking steak. Cooking a steak to perfection is not really all that hard . . . as long as you follow a few rules. I'm really lucky to live in the UK, where the beef is considered to be some of the best in the world. Top quality meat, marbled with plenty of fat for beef and lamb is essential for successful broiling, grilling and pan frying.

It goes without saying that, if you want the perfect steak, you have to first start out with the perfect cut of meat. For panfrying, broiling or grilling, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a good quality sirloin, rib eye or filet steak. Steak that has been properly aged on the bone will give you the best flavour. I also like to start with meat that is at room temperature, so take your steaks out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking or longer if possible.

Some cooks eschew seasoning the meat prior to cooking, but I am a firm believer in salting the meat prior to cooking, as the heat helps to seal in the salt, allowing it to penetrate and really flavour the surface of the meat. That old idea about the salt drawing out the moisture and meat juices, is just hoaky to me.

If pan frying, which is my preferred method, you want to use a really heavy skillet, heated to a hot temperature. Brush your seasoned meat with some butter, and then place it in the hot pan. Cook for several minutes to sear the first side, and then flip over and finish searing it on the second side. Don't turn your steak any more than once. Turning it over and over, is what causes the meat juices to release and your steak ends up stewing instead of frying.

I prefer my steaks medium rare.



This is a slide show of the thumb test for firmness . . . a simpleway to judge the doneness of a piece of meat. The further your thumb has to move across your hand, the more resilient the ball of the muscle becomes . . . The amount of resistance felt by your opposing finger when compared against the same finger pressed onto your meat is an excellent gauge in guessing as to how done your meat is.

First finger stage: for blue meat and lightly cooked fish. Touch your thumb to it's opposing first finger and press the ball of your thumb with the tip of a finger of the other hand, the ball will offer no resistance. The surface should be seared in steak, and firm, and the beads of meat juice not yet risen to the surface. The meat is rare to almost blue when cut with a mild flavour.

Second finger stage: for rare meat. Touch your second finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel spongy. The meat should be well browned and spongy when pressed in the centre. It should be firm at the sides and any beads of juice on the surface should be deep pink. The meat when cut is read, juicy and aromatic.

Third finger stage: For medium cooked meat, game or duck, or well done fish. Touch your third finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel resilient. The surface should be crusty brown and the meat should resist when the centre is pressed. Firm at the side, the juices on the surface should be pink, and when cut the meat is juicy, deep pink and well flavoured.

Fourth finger stage: For well done meat, or poultry. Touch your fourth finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel firm. The surface of the meat will be crusty brown and dry and the meat will feel quite firm when touched in the centre. Beads of juice on the surface of the meat will be clear and when cut no pink juices will be visible.



I like to serve my steaks with some tasty fried mushrooms. Very easy to do. Just slice the mushrooms, melt a knob of butter in the pan and then add the mushrooms. Don't agitate the pan at all. Allow the mushrooms to sear and brown. Stirring releases to much of their juices and once again they stew. If you leave them alone and only stir them once they have begun to really brown, you will be rewarded with nicely browned,juicy and flavourful mushrooms. I wait to season them at the end.

Following these few simple rules and techniques should help you to cook the perfect steak every time, and if you still manage to mess it up, well . . . here's the perfect sauce to serve with your steak, whether you have cooked it to perfection . . . or not. It is delicious can enhance a really well cooked steak or cover a multitude of sins!



*Classic Steak Au Poivre Sauce*
Serves 2 generously
Printable Recipe

This classic sauce is not only delicious when you have a perfectly cooked steak to serve, but is also an excellent cover-up for beef that is overcooked, tough, or lacking in flavour.

2 TBS whole black peppercorns
175ml good red wine
174ml double cream
1 TBS cognac
salt to taste

Place the peppercorns in a heavy ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Place in the saucepan and add the wine. Cook and boil until reduced to 2 TBS. Whisk in the cream and cognac and heat until quite warm. Season to taste with salt.

A Basic French Vinaigrette

I only very rarely ever buy ready made salad dressings, preferring to make my own.

When I was growing up I am not sure there was such a thing as store bought salad dressing. If there was, my mother never ever bought it, for she always made her own as well.



She learned how to make a proper vinaigrette when we lived in Germany from the German Landlady of the GastHof which we lived over top of.



As a child I watched her mix one together every Sunday afternoon in the bottom of a green plastic bowl. She would eyeball her measures, measuring in oil and vinegar and a bit of sugar. Then she would slice raw onion into it for it to macerate. Those salads were so tasty. Plain, simple. Delicious.



I think every good cook should know how to make a simple vinaigrette. It's indispensable and will come in very handy to dress any variety of salads, raw vegetables or even cold meats.



The hotel I first worked at as a young pastry chef back in the early 1970's had a very popular first course that consisted simply of delicious ripe raw tomatoes, sliced and drizzled with a vinaigrette.



The salad you see here to illustrate my dressing, is a simple salad of baby gem leaves, toasted walnuts, crumbled stilton cheese and some sliced green apples. Pears are also very good. Normally I would also add thinly sliced spring onion, but alas . . . I did not have any. Remember always that your dressing will only be as good as the quality of vinegar and oil you use. Good quality medium priced is adequate, better quality expensive ones are better. Cheap ones are nasty . . . in my opinion of course!



*Basic French Vinaigrette*
Makes 3 cups
Printable Recipe

This is a basic French Vinaigrette Dressing. You can change the flavours of it by changing the flavour of the vineger or by adding a variety of herbs. It all depends on what you want to serve it with.

1/2 cup good quality red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
1/2 cup good quality olive oil



Put the vinegar, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic into a glass jar. Screw on the lid tightly and shake well. Add the oils, recover, and shake again, vigorously to combine. Chill thoroughly for several hours for the flavours to blend properly. Shake again before using. This dressing will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Note - You can add fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley, basil, thyme, etc. With fresh herbs it won't last quite as long. You may also add finely chopped red onion. Experiment with a variety of vinegars. Balsamic, or Cider are particularly good. With Cider vinegar I always add a touch of liquid honey. This is great on fruit salads!

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

For the past several years I have been looking at pork belly and wondering what it would taste like. It's one of the lesser expensive cuts that you can buy, and I had wondered was it any good? Would we like it? Would it cook away to nothing?

A pretty nondescript piece of meat, it looks like a big slab of bacon, unsmoked completely and with a thick layer of skin and fat covering the top of it, not to mention another layer of fat normally running through the centre of it . . .



I kept hearing such wonderful things about it, and so yesterday I finally caved in and bought a hunk.



The lovely thick layer of skin and fat on this particular cut of meat really helps to keep it moist as it cooks. The alchemy that occurs means that the pork skin slowly crisps to a wonderfully crisp layer of crackling whilst the fat in the layers, melts and dissolves, basting the meat constantly, giving you a moist and succulent roast underneath.



If you've been holding off from buying this particular cut of meat, hold off no longer. This truly is a hidden gem, and you'll find yourself wondering why on earth you waited so long!

And all for a mere £2.63. Who knew?



*Slow Roasted Pork Belly*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

If you love succulent, rich meat with magnificently crunchy crackling, this tasty dish is for you. Cheap, easy and yet moreishly delicious! This will grab you by the socks!

1 kg piece of pork belly, with skin still on
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, peeled and sliced



Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Lay the onions on the base of a fairly heavy baking dish. (You want one with an edge) Take your piece of pork and using a Stanley knife, score some deep heavy cuts all along the rind at 1/2 inch intervals, if it has not already been done for you by the butcher. Cut down through the skin and into the fat, but not all the way to the meat. Rub the skin with a little bit of olive oil and some sea salt, massaging it into the cracks. Season the pork flesh with a bit of salt and pepper. Place the pork on top of the onions, flesh side down and skin side up. The onions will act as sort of a trivet and keep the porl from touching the hot dish. Pour a bit of water into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom of it by about 1/4 inch. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, checking it every so often to see that the pan hasn't gone dry, and adding more water periodically. Don't let the water touch the crackling or the meat. At the end of that time you should have a succulent moist piece of meat and delightfylly crisp and crunchy crackling. If the crackling isn't as crisp as you would like, turn the oven up to about 200*C/400*F and roast for a further 15 to 20 minutes to crisp it up a bit further. Don't worry, the water in the bottom of the pan will help to keep the pork from drying out.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Slice the crackling off the top and break into bits of crunchy delight and slice the meat with a sharp knife.

You can drain all the fat from the pan and serve with the juices and caramelized onions if you wish, but I just made a tasty pot of apple pear sauce to serve with mine.



*Apple Pear Sauce*
Makes about 3 cups
Printable Recipe

This sauce is so easy to make and goes so very well with pork chops and roast pork. It's also tasty in it's own right simply served warm with some vanilla ice cream, or with pancakes for breakfast!

4 cooking apples, peeled and chopped
3 pears, peeled and chopped
1 TBS lemon juice
4 ounces pressed apple juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the fruit is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and whip with a fork until the mixture is mashed but with some texture still remaining. Serve warm.

Glazed Chicken Bites

We are great lovers of meatballs in this house. Tasty little bites, usually accompanied with sauce or gravy, they always go down well.

I have a real cracker of a recipe for Spaghetti and meatballs that I have been making for years. Todd hates pasta though, so I only very rarely get to make it, although I have used the sauce and meatballs to make a meatball sub casserole before to rave reviews.

I often make Swedish or Norwegian Meatballs, which we like to have with fluffy piles of mashed potatoes to help sop up all that lucious gravy.



Meatball stew and soup also make it onto our menu once in a while. Mince meat is quite economical and needn't be fatty and un-healthy. I always try to buy lean minced beef and pork. Buying cheap mince is using false economy as most of it disappears down the drain in fat anyways. When you think about it, buying meat that is 1/3 fat means that you are paying 1/3 more in the long run, as you are paying for something that you are not actually going to eat. (Well at least you SHOULDN'T be eating all that fat. It's not good for you!)


I had never been all that fond of making meatballs out of turkey or chicken mince though. They usually ended up dry and tasteless, until I discovered this little secret.

Mincing up equal amounts of dark and light meat. You get a really tasty and moist mixture that doesn't dry out.




You're going to really love these. We do.

*Glazed Chicken Bites*
Makes about 40
Printable Recipe

These meatballs are tangy and delicious and moist. They make excellent appetizers and are lovely as a main course as well. I serve them with a rice pilaff, and everyone loves them. I have made them with ground turkey as well, although I do admit the chicken tastes better though. I usually make my own chicken mince, using a combination of thigh and breast meat.

500g minced chicken
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chinese five spice
1 TBS chopped chives
1/2 cup of stale bread crumbs
For the glaze:
1/2 cup red currant jelly
1/2 cup mango chutney
the juice of half a lemon

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. LIne a baking sheet with baking parchment and grease the paper. Set aside.

Place the chicken, egg, coriander, chinese five spice, chives and bread crumbs into a bowl. Mix well with your hands. Shape level tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until well browned. Drain on absorbent paper if need be.

Place the glaze ingredients in a medium skillet. Stir low heat until melted and combined. Add the meatballs and heat through, simmering, uncovered until lightly glazed. Serve hot.

Spicy Plum Chutney

It won't be long now before they are all gone . . . beautiful English plums. Those lucious ruby coloured gems that taste so sweet and lovely.

We are fortunate enough to have trees filled with several different varieties here on the Estate actually . . . purple Italian, green gages, mirabels and lovely little ordinary ruby coloured ones, whose name escapes me right now . . . they're all lovely and free from pesticides and other chemicals. I guess you could call them organic, except that the orchards that surround us are not pesticide free so . . .



I have frozen bags and bags of them to use up in the winter months ahead. I've made cakes and pies and tarts til they've come out my ears, and lovely they have been too.

I like to keep a bowl of them on the counter and eat them fresh. I leave them until they are just about to go over . . . so soft, sweet and juicy, you need to eat them over the sink . . . that is when they taste the best and the sweetest in my opinion . . . little ruby coloured bites of heaven.



When we have had our fill of fresh, and pies and crumbles, cakes and tarts . . .

I make chutney. Delicious. Sweet. Spicy. Perfect to go with roasted meats or in a very tasty cheese sandwich. Even better in a toasted cheese sandwich, all buttery and crisp on the outside and meltingly cheese and chutney-ee on the insides. Ohh . . . yum, yum . . . I know what I'm having for lunch today . . . wish you could join me, truly I do . . .



*Spicy Plum Chutney*
Makes about 3 pounds
Printable Recipe

This is the perfect time of year to make this delicious chutney. Better do it quick before the plums are all gone!

1.5kg of ripe plums
2 pounds of bramley apples, peeled and chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
450g cooking onions, peeled and chopped
200g sultana raisins
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods, bruised with knife
200g granulated sugar
400ml white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200ml port



Stone the plums and chop. Put them into a large saucepan with the garlic cloves, onions, apples, sultanas, star anise, cardamom pods, sugar and 300ml of the white wine vinegar. Season with some salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until tender. Add the remaining white wine vinegar and the port. Cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring often, or until thickened. If it still seems a bit runny, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Place into hot sterilized jars, dividing it equally amongst them. Place a disc of waxed paper directly on top of the hot chutney. (Alternately melt some paraffin wax and pour this immediately over top of the hot chutney. I bring mine over from Canada and it is for the express use of sealing jams and preserves.) Seal with airtight lids and store in a cool dark place for at least one month before using. This will keep up to six months if kept out of sunlight. Refrigerate once opened. Will keep for a further 2 months in the refrigerator.

The Kitchen Larder . . . and Bananas and Custard

I spent most of my life living in Armed Forces housing, most of my homes being cookie cutter stamps of the same house . . . the only thing different being it's location, having lived in almost every province in Canada. My father was in the Air Force as was my ex husband. Small, comfortable and sadly lacking in space, something I always wanted to have was a . . . larder.

A lovely room, however large or small, that I could stuff to the rafters with all of the provisions that I could possibly want or need to be able to provide tasty meals for my family . . . something along the same lines as those tasty tuck boxes I used to read about in all those Enid Blyton stories I devoured as a girl . . . but on a much larger scale.

My nan had one as did my first mother in law . . . the shelves filled with jars of preserves, boxes of apples and potatoes, all safely tucked into their newspaper sleeves and beds of straw, nylon stockings full of onions hanging from pegs and smoky hams and sausages hanging from the rafters . . . my grandfather even had barrels of his own homemade kraut.



Finally I have been blessed with a small room that we call the larder here at Oak Cottage . . . a tiny room with shelves along it's walls which lays just off our back entrance, tucked away behind a sliding wooden door. My shelves are lined with all sorts of food stuffs and I pride myself on being able to go inside and produce a tasty meal out of the goodies on it's shelves without much problem at all.

Here are some of the items I would never be without and that I think all kitchens should have in their storecupboards and larders. My favourites list and things I always have at hand here at Oak Cottage.



Good Quality chocolate, for baking and for eating. Although Todd doesn't really like chocolate cakes or the like, I do like to keep a good quantity of nice chocolate on hand to bake brownies and the occasional chocolate cake. Something with at least a 70% cocoa content. I also like to keep a variety of cocoa powders, both natural and Dutch process.



A good quality Balsamic Vinegar, along with an assortment of other vinegars. Sherry, White and Red wine, Apple Cider, Malt, and Rice Wine. You really do get what you pay for here. I also make my own tarragon and other flavoured vinegars, using a good white wine vinegar.



An assortment of mustards, including a good Dijon, grainy, English, and Dry mustard powder. I use them in vinaigrettes, marinades and you just can't beat a nice ham sandwich on a rustic loaf and adorned with a good slather of a tasty mustard.



Capers. I keep several varieties on hand, salt preserved, regular, those exquisite little non pareil capers and delicious caper berries. They are fabulous in sauces and dressings and salads. A Nicoise salad would not be the same without the adornment of caper berries.



Dried mushrooms, an assortment . . . all woodsey and earthy and just waiting to be steeped and made into a delicious soup or tucked into a tasty stew.



Dried pasta. Of course it is nice if you have the time and energy to make your own pasta, but one cannot overlook the blessing of having good quality dried pasta to hand. I like to keep a variety in my larder, some short kinds such as macaroni, and then the longer ones like Spaghetti, linguine, some noodles of various widths, farfelle, lasagna, and of course fusilli and other twisty types. I prefer Italian brands myself.



French Cornichons. Great with cold cuts and cheeses and an indispensable ingredient for making tartar sauce and certain salsa verdes. I also keep several other pickles and chutneys . . . pickled cipoline onions, mango chutney, Branstons and a good quality piccalili.



Dried Spanish Chorizo sausages. These are fantastic additions to omelets, sauteed potatoes, salads, stews, the possibilities are endless. I wouldn't be without them.



Italian tinned plum tomatoes, whole, chopped and pureed. A tin of them and you always have a ready soup to hand, or a tasty pasta sauce . . . the uses are endless.



I love French Mayonnaise. Rich and glossy and in a class of it's own.



Extra Virgin Olive oil, in a variety of guises. I like a nice mild one for cooking and a stronger more full flavoured one for use in salads. I prefer Greek.



A variety of olives, black and green. I love Greek Kalamata, the tiny nicoise olives of France, spanish black and green. I adore oil cured and dried black and green olives and always have several packets of them to hand, ready to be tossed into salads, baked into loaves or pizzas, and to be used as tasty hors d'ouevres and tapas, or eaten out of hand . . . just because . . .



I love honey and I always have several jars in the larder. Runny varities, Italian, French sunflower and lavender, Greek with it's lovely licorace flavour and good old clover honey. I also love set honey, all creamy and white and spread onto thick slices of toasted and buttery home made bread . . . carrots are delicious steamed and then glazed with butter and honey . . .



A variety of flours, organic and stone ground, French, plain, self raising, strong (both white and brown) whole wheat, malt, spelt. They all have their uses, but, please, only keep what you are going to use within a few weeks to hand on the shelves. Store the rest in the freezer as it can go rancid very quickly.



I like to keep quite a few different sugars . . . light and dark soft brown, caster and granulated white, golden caster, icing sugar, dark and light muscovado, demerara, lump sugar. They all have their uses. I also keep a variety of syrups such as Golden, Dark Treacle, Molasses and Maple.



I love Maldon Sea Salt and French fleur de sel. I use them in almost all my cooking. I do keep a large tin of household salt as well, along with a variety of pepper corns . . . green, pink, black and a lovely mixture of the three.



Garlic both regular and smoked, and shallots and onions, both brown cooking and red. These are a must for me, and used often.



A variety of good quality dried herbs and spices. I have quite a few different ones and I use them all frequently. I do love fresh herbs, but the uses of a good quality bottled herb cannot be underestimated.



One thing that I absolutely love and adore is unearthed barrel aged feta cheese. I know this is kept in the fridge but I just couldn't not mention it. It's wonderfully delicious and worth every penny. I also keep a good Parmesan Reggiano that I grate myself and a variety of different strengths of cheddars.



I also have a weakness for Danish butter. It's very good, and I always have several pounds of it in the fridge and freezer, sweet and salted, not to mention some good vegetable shortening.

This is by no means an extensive list of all the things that one should have in their larders, but just a few of my favourite things. It goes without saying that one should keep a variety of tinned fishes as well as fresh fruits and vegetables amongst other things, and I do. I just thought it would be fun to talk about some of my most beloved ingredients.

One thing that you are never short of if you keep bananas, eggs and milk around is a tasty bowl of bananas and custard, my Todd's dessert of choice. Old fashioned yes, delicious yes, satisfyingly comforting, yes . . .




*Bananas and Custard*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

You can call it many names . . . creme de la vanille, creme anglaise . . . it matters not. It's all vanilla custard and it is wonderfully delicious when properly made and homemade. Why anyone would ever bother with the powdered version when they can make it so easily from scratch is beyond my comprehension!

1 pint whole milk (2 cups)
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
1 TBS caster sugar
4 medium bananas

Put the milk in a saucepan. Slit the vanilla pod down the centre and scrape out the seeds into the milk with a sharp knife. Drop the split pod into the milk as well. Heat the milk over a medium heat, just until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. (Just rinse it off and dry it and you can then stick it into your sugar bin where it will give your sugar a lovely flavour and fragrance . . . no worries and no waste.)

Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar. Pour the hot milk over top of it very slowly, whisking constantly. Strain the mixture into the top of a double boiler. Place over the top of the bottom of the double boiler over simmering water and cook ove rvery low heat, stirring all the time. When it thickens to the consistency of double cream (it should coat the back of your spoon), remove it from the heat and pour it straight into a bowl to reduce the heat. Let cool to warm, before proceeding.

The secret to successful custard is to not be in a hurry. If the worse happens and it starts to separate, whizz it in the blender. You can of course, pre-empt this problem by adding a small teaspoon of cornstarch to the egg yolks before adding the milk.

Peel and slice the bananas into four dessert dishes. Spoon the warm custard over top of them and serve.