Carrot and Fennel Slaw

I love fennel. It's one of my favourite vegetables. I am a real licorice lover and so I love it's mild licorice taste. It's wonderful braised and roasted, but my favourite way to eat it is raw.

There are two types of fennel. One is grown for it's seeds, which are delicious in sauces, and the other is grown for use as a vegetable, the most common type being Florence Fennel, which has a bulbous base, stalks which closely resemble celery and feathery fronds on top.

Did you know that there are male and female bulbs? The males are taller and more slender with the females being shorter and more bulbous. I like the females myself. Crisp and slightly sweet, fennel is wonderful served raw in salads, and meltingly mellow and soft when braised, roasted or grilled. It goes wonderfully with other crisp vegetables and is most delicious with fish. A whole salmon stuffed with fennel and roasted is absolutely wonderful.



The bulbs should be heavy and white, firm and free of cracks, browning, or moist areas. The stalks should be crisp, with feathery, bright-green fronds. You can keep fennel for a few days in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic, but try not to keep it more than a day or two because the flavor diminishes as it dries out.
I made a delicious slaw yesterday with some fennel that I picked up at the local green grocers at the weekend. I think I'll have the rest of it for my lunch today. This was really good.

*Carrot and Fennel Slaw*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This delicious slaw makes a light and refreshing change from regular coleslaw. I use my mandolin to slice the fennel and my box grater to do the carrots. But you could use the slicing and grating discs in a food processor as well, which would make really quick work of it. I love the mustard in the dressing. It adds a lovely bite to it. Adjust accordingly if you don't like things with a bite. Make the dressing first so that the flavours have time to really develop.

1 small to medium sized fennel bulb
3 cups peeled, shredded carrots (about 4 to 5 large carrots)
1/2 cup of minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
DRESSING:
5 TBS fresh orange juice
1 TBS of White Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
2 TBS really good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place all the dressing ingredients into a glass jar with a lid, and give it a good shake. Set aside.

Remove the top greens and stalks from the fennel bulb. Save the feathery greens for the slaw. Trim off any bruised or tough pieces. Quarter the bulb and then cut out the core. Shred half of it using a grater, mandolin or food processor. Reserve the other half for another use. You should have about 1 cup of grated vegetable. Place it into a medium sized bowl, along with the carrot, onion, chopped fennel leaves and coriander. Toss together to mix. Just before serving, give the dressing a good shake and pour it over the slaw. Mix well and serve.

Tomato Pesto Tartlettes

I had some pesto and puff pastry that needed using up at the weekend, and so I put together these lovely little tarts for our supper yesterday. They were really quick to make and quite delicious when they were done.

 

I have no problem with using store bought puff pastry. It's really quite good and a lot easier and quicker than making your own. Of course I only use the all butter one. Even good old Delia uses this ingredient from time to time. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me!
Prepared Puff Pastry is really quite a versatile ingredient. You can layer it with all sorts of things and be quite inventive. Try some roasted peppers and courgettes. Add a little proscuitto, and some torn basil leaves. Even just with some sun dried tomato paste and cheese baked on top, and garnished with a salad of rocket leaves . . . use your imagination! I'm sure you can come up with some really tasty versions!



*Tomato Pesto Tartlettes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

These are lovely little tarts that are just great for a light lunch or supper. Easy to make, your family or guests will think you slaved all day at them, they are that impressive. Using simple ingredients they go together very quickly. All that is needed is a salad of mixed leaves on the side.

1 package of ready rolled all butter puff pastry
4 medium sized ripe tomatoes
1 small packet of dry cured black olives
1 small packet of grated mixed Italian Cheeses (about 4 ounces of a mixture of provolone, Parmesan and mozarella)
4 TBS of good quality Pesto sauce
1 egg, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Unroll your pastry and cut it into 4, six inch rounds. Place the rounds onto the parchment paper lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 to 3 inches between them. Spread the pesto onto the rounds, leaving a 1/2 inch border all around. Slice the tomatoes into wedges and lay them in a round on top of the pesto. Scatter the olives over top along with the cheese. Brush some beaten egg on the edges of each tart. Place into the heated oven and bake from 15 to 20 minutes, until they are nicely browned and crisp on the bottom. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Bean Soup

It got rather chilly yesterday. Spect it was the rain. Funny how a little rain can do that. We had to have the fire on for a time to warm things up in here. Rainy days are soup days. Soup has always equated warmth and comfort to me. Perhaps it's all those Campbell's Soup commercials I grew up with. There was always a child walking home from school in the rain, all cold and wet, only to be greeted by his mum at the door with a hot bowl of Campbell's Soup waiting on the table, usually chicken noodle. But . . . I digress . . .

I accidentally took a package of home baked beans out of the freezer the other day, thinking they were chicken in sauce. Yesterday with all the cold and rain I decided to turn them into a delicious soup. This really was wonderful and filling and oh-so-very-comforting.

The recipe is from my Fanny Farmer Cooking School cookbook. (I call it Old Reliable) That Fanny Farmer sure knew what she was doing.

*Baked Bean Soup*
Makes 8 cups
Printable Recipe

This is a truly delicious soup, using simple ingredients. Quick to make, and very simple, you can have it on the table in about 35 minutes or so. I have never tried it with tinned baked beans but I expect they would taste pretty good done up this way as well.

4 cups baked beans
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups tinned tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp mild chili powder
6 cups water
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Put 3 cups of the baked beans, the onion, celery, tomatoes, chili powder and water into a large pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for about 30 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree until smooth. You can also use a potato masher for a slightly coarser texture. Add the reserved baked beans. Reheat, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve ladled into hot soup bowls for a delicious lunch time treat.

Eccles Cakes

One of the things I love most about England are the tasty cakes and bakes that you find over here. I confess that I fell in love with Eccles Cakes years ago when I lived on a British Army base in Suffield, Alberta, in Canada. There was a girl that used to bring them in every so often to the Ceramics Club I belonged to as a treat for us all.

What is not to love about something that is flakey and crumbly and stogged full of currents, raisins and butter. For me it was love at first bite.

I don't know why they call them cakes. They're not a cake. They're like a little hand held piece of heaven on earth.

A four bite piece of heaven on earth . . . with sugar on top . . . oozing little bits of juicy goodness and flakey pastry . . .

*Eccles Cakes*Makes about 24
Printable Recipe

300g good quality bought or homemade all butter
puff or flakey pastry
1 egg, beaten

For the Filling:
1 1/2 ounces butter, melted
1 1/2 ounces dried currents
1 1/2 ounces raisins
3 ounces soft light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 ounces mixed peel, chopped
the finely grated zest of one orange
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

To top:
about 2 TBS milk
2 or 3 TBS demerara sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix all the filling ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 3 1/4 inch rounds with a sharp round cutter. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling into the centre of each disc. Lightly brush the edges with beaten egg and bring the edges together into the centre, wrapping up the filling and pressing them firmly together. Turn over and flatten the disc ever so slightly between the palms of your hand until it is about 2 inches in diameter.

Brush the top with the milk and then sprinkle with the demerara sugar, or dip the tops into it if you find it easier. (that's what I did) Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the scraps of pastry and cut until you have used it all up and all of the filling too. Cut several small slits in the top of each with a sharp knife.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. The currants and sugar will caramelize through the holes and they will be scrumptiously delicious.

Remove to a wire rack to cool and try NOT to eat them all at once!! (I know it's quite difficult!)

Mom's Hot Milk Cake

I picked up our first strawberries of the season yesterday. There is nothing on earth that tastes better than fresh English strawberries in season. I can't abide strawberries out of season, all tasteless and covered in chemicals. Everything that is so wonderful about strawberries is missing from these substanceless imitations.

Nothing beats a fresh strawberry, eaten straight from the plant, the warmth of the sunshine still upon them . . . Well, wild strawberries do come very close, but those are very hard to find now. Try serving them sliced and sprinkled with some cracked black pepper. Sounds strange, but is quite delicious!

I whipped up a hot milk cake to enjoy these with last night. I just sliced the berries and mixed them with a little bit of sugar and let them sit for a few minutes to release all their juices. Then I split the cooled cake open in the middle and layered it with some freshly whipped double cream and generous spoonfuls of the sliced berries. Heaven on earth . . .

*Mom's Hot Milk Sponge Cake*
Makes one 7 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

3 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup hot milk
1 TBS butter

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease a 7 inch square cake tin. Line with baking paper and grease the baking paper. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolks until light in colour. Slowly beat in one cup of sugar, beating with a spoon for five minutes. Fold in the egg whites.

Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt. Fold this into the egg and sugar mixture.

Stir the butter into the hot milk until it is melted and then gently stir the hot milk into the cake batter, mixing it all in well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the
heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen and the cake tests down when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack to cool for five minutes, before removing from the cake tin to finish cooling completely on the wire rack.

My dad always liked this plain, split in the middle and filled with strawberry jam. It's also great filled with lemon curd and whipped cream, with a bit of icing sugar dusted on top.

Tomato and Onion Salad

Good tomatoes are one of the defining tastes of summer. Right now we have beautiful ones coming into Britain from Italy and Spain, and the plants in my garden are covered with little yellow blossoms. I know that it won't be too long before I am going to be able to enjoy that fresh picked off the vine taste here in my own kitchen.

When you're shopping for tomatoes, pick them up and smell them. If they smell strong and tomato-ey, they're likely to taste good. You want them firm to the touch, and without any soft spots which can indicate spoilage. You often see them "on the vine." They look lovely on the vine, but they're more expensive that way. Truth is they don't necessarily have any better flavour than those off the vine. This is just a gimmick that is used to get you to pay more. If anything it's the variety that makes the biggest difference in taste, not whether they are on the stem or not. The ones on the stem may have a stronger fragrance but that is coming from the stem, not from the actual fruit.

For eating raw, choose sweet cherry tomatoes or bigger, juicier varieties. For stuffing and cooking the dryer textured plum tomatoes are always best. They keep their shape when long cooked and reduce to a sweet and intense tomato sauce better than any other.

I never store my tomatoes in the fridge. (A little tip that I picked up from my mom, thanks mom!) Storing them in the fridge changes their texture and diminishes their taste. I keep mine in a bowl in a corner on my kitchen counter. Tomatoes are not really at their ripest when you buy them at the shops. Leaving in a bowl at room temperature helps them to ripen to their fullest and brings out their best flavours.

Skinning tomatoes is really quite easy. Take your tomatoes and score an "X" lightly with the tip of a very sharp knife on the bottom end. Drop them into a bowl of boiling water and let them sit for 20 to 30 seconds. Scoop them out with a perforated spoon and the skin should peel off very easily. If you have any difficulty at all, return them to the water for a few more seconds.

Here's a delicious salad that I love to make on warm days. Simple to make and with simple ingredients, this really showcases lovely ripe tomatoes at their very best.

*Tomato and Onion Salad*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Simple and delicious, I could eat a whole plate of this all on it's own, with maybe only a slice of buttered bread on the side. Plan ahead as it needs to sit for several hours before eating.

1 small red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly
6 ripe tomatoes, sliced into thick wedges
2 to 3 tsp dried oregano
(I use Barts. It has nice big flakes)
really good quality extra virgin olive oil
white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Gently layer everything together , seasoning with salt and pepper at you go. Drench with the olive oil and then add a tiny splash of the vinegar. Allow to sit for several hours before eating. Delicious!

Grilled Thai Steak Salad

It was another scorcher down here in the South East of England yesterday. In my house that means it's a salad day. Something delicious that means minimal heat from the stove and something that you relish and enjoy sitting under the umbrella at the picnic table on the back patio.

Salad in my house is not just a mix of salad leaves with an obscure bottled dressing poured over top.

In my house . . . Salad is often the meal, the star of the show . . . Centre Stage.

We really enjoyed this grilled steak salad yesterday. It had a slightly Tai flavour, with a distinct bite coming from the red chilies and a wonderful tang from the lime. I also got to use up the rest of the cucumber, lettuce and radish from last week's veggie box . . . several days old, they were still crisp and delicious!
 

*Grilled Steak Salad on the Thai Side*
Makes 4 servings
Printable Recipe

I love the tangy dressing on this salad, with it's slight sweet and sour flavour, hot and spicy from the chilies and the sweet surprise of fresh pineapple.

DRESSING:
5 TBS pineapple juice
1 TBS dark soy sauce
1 TBS groundnut oil
1 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 tsp fresh lime juice
the grated zest of one lime
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh gingerroot
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
large pinch of crushed red chili flakes
1/4 cup fresh pineapple, cut into a small dice
1 TBS finely chopped fresh coriander

1 pound of grilling steak (flank, top round, rump)
1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SALAD:
6 lightly packed cups of fresh salad leaves
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
3 big radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

TO GARNISH:
1/4 cup finely chopped chives



Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients. Set aside.

Place all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix them together lightly with your hands.

Rub the steak with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the steak on a hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes on one side. Flip over and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (Alternately you can grill it in a hot pan. Sear it for some 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare.)

Season the salad leaves with some sea salt and black pepper and then toss with about half of the dressing. Divide amongst 4 serving plates. Thinly slice the steak across the grain and drape it over the salad leaves. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing and sprinkle chives on top. Serve.

I added some homemade oven chips for Todd. (The ultimate steak and potato meal in my opinion) I just cut a few potatoes into wedges and then tossed them together with a bit of vegetable oil, a TBS or two of dry bacon and onion dressing mix, and some salt and pepper. I banged them onto a baking tray and then roasted them for about 15 minutes at 205*C/425*F. These are so easy to do and you can vary the flavour however you like by using any variety of seasoning mixes. Curry ones are really nice!