Parsnip, Chorizo and Chestnut Soup

I make no secret about the fact that I just love parsnips. Boiled, roasted, fried, mashed . . . I'll take em any way that I can get em!!

It's been so cold here. In fact today we had our first frost of the year, which seems a bit early to me, but then . . . it is December and that is to be expected. At least the rain held off today. I'm afraid that one does get quite, quite sick of rain over here . . . I'd ruther have snow.



Along with the cooler temperatures, comes the desire to eat warm and comforting foods. . . foods like this tasty soup.

It's thick and rich, and oh-so-delicious! Full of the sweet flavour of parsnip, carrot, and chestnut, and the lovely smokey flavours of spanish chorizo sausage. It's also very filling, so it makes a meal in and of itself.



All you need to go with it, is a crusty loaf, warm from the oven . . . with sweet butter to gild it's crusty edges.



The chorizo and the hot pepper flakes give it a tasty bite, that warms the cockles of the heart.



This be comfort food, plain and simple.



*Parsnip, Chorizo and Chestnut Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is a rich and full flavoured soup. Just perfect after a chilly winter walk. It's quite heavy and rich so a little goes a long way. Serve hot with some crusty bread for the perfect
light supper.

125g raw chorizo, peeled and chopped
1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
200g peeled, cooked chestnuts
(fresh or vaccum packed)
1 litre of hot vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chorizo into a large saucepan and heat gently for several minutes, until the oil is released from the chorizo and it becomes slightly crispy. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep warm. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsnips to the pan, stirring to coat them with the oil. Cover and let sweat over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the chili flakes and cumin. Stir and cook until quite fragrant. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Add the hot stock and the chestnuts. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables and chestnuts are very tender. Puree with a stick blender until smooth, or in a regular blender. (with care) Ladle into warmed soup bowls and scatter some of the crispy chorizo over top of each to serve.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Gratin

You might be forgiven for thinking that the above vegetable is some wierd alien species of potato! You would be in fact wrong, for it is not a potato at all, but a wonderful delicacy known as the Jerusalem Artichoke.

What's that you say??? Looks nothing like an artichoke! Well, that would be because they are two completely dissimilar vegetables and plants. One (the regularArtichoke) is a thistle type flower of a plant, and the other is the tuberous root of a particular species of sunflower. Often called sunchokes or sun roots, and even earth apples, these are one of my favourite vegetables . . . cooked into beautifully rich winter soups, mashed and souffled, or layered in casseroles and gratins.



They do have one drawback though . . .

Not to be indelicate, but . . . they can create a lot of . . . *ahem* . . . shall we say . . . wind . . . for some people who eat them . . .

I do make a wonderfully delicious Jerusalem Artichoke and Lentil soup, which creates somewhat of a double dose of the . . . *ahem* . . . self same problem, but . . . is well worth the consequences of eating it, as it is soooo delicious!!!



Here I've combined them with another of my favourite vegetables, parsnips . . . and created a delicious gratin . . . not to be missed!



I think you will love this. It goes wonderfully with chicken or fish and even pork.

Oh heck . . . it goes wonderfully with anything, and even makes a delicious vegetarian main option, as long as you use a vegetarian cheese.



Enjoy! We sure did! No matter the . . . ummm . . . consequences . . .



*Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Two of my favourite vegetables combined in a tasty Gratin. What more could you ask for?

500g of parsnips, peeled and sliced
500g Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and dropped into acidulated water
(water with some lemon or vinegar added to help prevent them from browning)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
5 to 6 stalks of fresh thyme
2 TBS butter
2 TBS grainy mustard
4 TBS grated gruyere cheese, divided
100ml white wine
250ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste

Parboil the parsnips in lightly salted water for about 8 minutes, then drain well and set aside. Do the same with the artichokes, cooking them for about 15 minutes. Drain well and then slice the same thickness as the parsnips.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Place the garlic into a saucepan along with the butter. Heat over low heat until the garlic becomes very fragrant and soft. Add the thyme, mustard and white wine. Heat gently and then whisk 2 TBS of the gruyere cheese.

Butter a shallow gratin dish. Layer the blanched and sliced vegetables in the dish, seasoning with some salt and pepper. Pour the wine mixture over top and give the dish a bit of a shake to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the double cream over top. Cover tightly and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining TBS of gruyere on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered or until the vegetables are completely tender and the dish has become golden brown on top.

Lemon Scented Blueberry Swiss Roll

There is no doubt in my mind that blueberries and lemons go together like . . . well, peas and carrots!!

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia, a very small province in Canada with a distinctly maritime climate . . . and ditches and fields just chock full of wild blueberries in late summer and early autumn. Wild blueberries were always something I had taken very much for granted when I was a child, and even as an adult . . .



Flicker
until I couldn't get them anymore. That is when we seem to miss things the most . . . when they are seemingly out of our reach.

It is my dream to visit home again one summer . . . when the corn is ripe for the picking and eating . . . and when the wild blueberries once again are deep purple and growing profusely in the brush along the bye ways and highways of my beautiful home province.



We do have cultivated berries here, and they are quite tasty . . . but nothing ever comes quite up to that beautiful taste of the wild berry, all that fruity flavour concentrated into a small juicy berry no larger than the tip of my baby finger . . . ahh . . . bliss.



We do get wild blueberry preserves over here though, and they are quite tasty in a pinch! I love them on my toast in the morning and spread onto fluffy buttermilk pancakes . . . all warm and stodgy good, with melted butter gilding and soaking into their lace like crisp edges.



Sometimes for a treat on a Sunday afternoon, I make us a lovely jelly roll, or Swiss roll as it is called over here in the UK . . . and I spread it through the middle with sweet and tasty wild blueberry preserves . . .



I like to eat it with my fingers, and while I eat . . . I dream of August days when the air is dry and hot . . . and filled with the sounds of humming insects . . .



of ice cream buckets filled to over flowing with wild blueberries . . . the smell of wild brush in the heat of the sun . . . fingers and teeth stained blue from our exertions . . . aching backs after hours spent hunched over in this glorious labour of love . . . and . . . well . . .

of home . . .



*Lemon Scented Blueberry Swiss Roll*
Makes one 12 inch roll
Printable Recipe

This swiss roll has to be one of the easiest and quickest cakes in the world! You can have the cake mixed together, baked and cooling on the countertop in less than 15 minutes!

For the cake:
3 large free range eggs
5 ounces caster sugar
2 TBS milk
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
5 ounces plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a handful of slivered almonds
caster sugar for rolling
1/2 pint of blueberry preserves



Pre-heat the oven to 230*C/450*F. Line a swiss roll pan (8 by 12 inches) with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar. Beat together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the milk and the lemon zest. Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the egg mixture, making sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top.

Bake for about 5 minutes in the centre of the oven. Cake is done when lightly browned and when it springs back when lightly touched.

Have a sheet of grease proof paper ready on which you have sprinkled more caster sugar. Remove the cake from the oven and turn out immediately onto the sugar coated paper. Carefully peel off the greaseproof from the baked cake. Roll up the cake in the caster sugar covered paper, from one long side towards the other, tucking in the first long side tightly. Set aside and allow to cool completely before proceeding.

Once the cake is cooled, unroll and spread with the blueberry preserves. Reroll. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices to serve.

hmmm . . . the thought just occurs to me that this would be lovely in a lemon trifle . . . stay tuned!!

Pounded Pork Tenderloin with Lemon, Sage and Mushrooms

We just love pork in this house, especially free range pork. Loaded with flavour it's positively delicious. You just can't ask for a nicer piece of meat. Our local Waitrose stocks beautifully flavoured Hampshire bred free range pork that is absolutely wonderful . . . delicate and sweet . . . with just a hint of apple . . .

I particularly love pork tenderloin. It's mild flavour and texture are such a treat. It requires very little cooking time, and cooked properly, is always moist and tender . . . My mother always cooked pork to death, but I think most people did back then. Admidst great fears of trichinosis, pork in those days was always well cooked . . . over-cooked really. Never mind, we loved her pork chops anyways, and were always well pleased when they were on the menu, especially when accompanied with her tasty milk gravy and a mound of fluffy mash!




Sage and garlic have such a wonderful affinity with pork. They're like the holy trinity of pork, and you just can't get much better than that combination . . .



well . . . unless you decide to wrap it in some smokey Italian Proscuitto ham, . . . with some earthy brown mushrooms . . .



and tart fresh lemon thrown in to the mix, for an added layer of flavour . . .



mmm . . . this combination is pure heavenly bliss . . . moreishly scrummy . . . absolutely . . . the best!



sorry mom . . .



*Pounded Pork Tenderloin with Lemon, Sage and Mushrooms*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious pork dish with an abundance of flavours, all melding together into a wonderful taste experience. Be careful not to over cook the pork so that it drys out. You will be rewarded with meltingly tender pieces of meat if you follow my advice.

16 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 8 thick slices
salt and black pepper
8 fresh sage leaves
8 slices of proscuitto ham
1 punnet of brown mushrooms, sliced
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
£ TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
the juice of one lemon

Place the pork slices in between two sheets of cling film and carefully pound it with the side of a rolling pin until you have pork cutlets, about 1/4 inch thick, without tearing the meat. Season well on both sides with salt and black pepper. Chop the sage leaves and sprinkle some on each cutlet. Wrap a piece of proscuitto around each and secure with a cocktail stick. Set aside.

Melt 1 TBS of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam add the mushrooms. Cook without stirring until they begin to brown, then stir them so that you can brown them all over. Scoop out to a bowl and set aside.

Add the olive oil and garlic to the pan. Cook over medium high heat until the garlic becomes quite fragrant. Working in two batches brown the pork well on each side, no more than 2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan to a platter and set aside. Add the remaining 2 TBS of butter to the pan. Cook until it turns a nut brown, about 2 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Stir in the lemonjuice and the parsley. Add the mushrooms to the pan and then pour the mixture over the warm cutlets. Serve immediately.

Perfect Oatmeal

When I was growing up my mother couldn't get us to eat oatmeal, not for love or money. None of us would. It reminded us too much of wallpaper paste, or glue . . .

I know . . . we were spoilt . . . we were reared on tasty breakfast cereals such as Cap'n Crunch, Fruit Loops and Puffa Puffa Rice . . .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/MarieAlice/The%20English%20Kitchen/cookingoatmeal008.jpg

As an adult I have come to love my oats in the morning. There is nothing tastier, nutritious or more filling to start off your day.

They're good for your heart, and help to lower blood cholesterol. Loaded with healthy fibre and vitamins, and well known for being one of the best foods for those who are seeking to lose fat and stay healthy.



I love Scottish Pinhead oats, or steel cut oats as they are also known. They have more texture and a real nutty flavour that we here in Oak Cottage just love.



This is my perfected way of cooking them. I could eat this every morning and would choose it over anything else in a heartbeat!!



If you would have told me that when I was ten, I would have thought you quite insane . . . although . . . being the perfectly well behaved child that I was, I would never have told you so . . . ☺



*Perfect Oatmeal*
serves 3 to 4
Printable Recipe

Also known as Scotch oats, Irish oatmeal and pinhead oats, Steel cut oats are whole oats that have been cut into thirds instead of rolled and flattened into flakes. Yummo! (Psst!! Use a wooden spoon for stirring and cooking them! Don't ask me why, but they taste better! )

1 1/2 pints water
1/2 pint of whole milk
25g unsalted butter
6 ounces of steel cut oats
pinch salt

Place the water and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering on medium low heat while you toast the oats. (you do NOT want it to boil)

Heat a medium heavy based skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until the butter starts to foam. Add the oats and toast, stirring constantly until golden and fragrant and having an almost butterscotch aroma. This should take several minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk the toasted oats into the simmering water/milk mixture. Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the salt and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the oatmeal is thick and creamy like a custard pudding. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 5 minutes, undisturbed before serving. Serve immediately with your choice of additions. I personally like cream and a bit of golden syrup, but you may like something else. Maple syrup is good as are raisins and other dried fruits, and brown sugar. Enjoy!!

Mincemeat and Marzipan Teabread

Picture this . . .

Marzipan and mincemeat baked into a delicious tea bread . . .



Moist . . . mmm . . . . spicy flecks of mincemeat here and there, and scattered throughout the loaf bits of caramelized and yummy marzipan . . .



Moreishly delicious . . .

Taken from the Good Food Magazine cookbook entitled, "101 Cakes and Bakes."

This is one tasty loaf. Quick, easy and quite, quite edible . . . the perfect thing to do with that jar of mincmeat that is sitting in your larder just waiting to be used . . .




*Mincemeat and Marzipan Teabread*
Makes one loaf, cutting into 12 slices
Printable Recipe

If you like mincmeat you will love this moist and tasty tea bread. We like it spread with cold butter. You just can't beat a slice of this, enjoyed next to teh fire on a cold and windy evening. Comfortingly delicious!

8 ounces self raising flour
4 ounces cold butter, cut into bits
3 ounces light muscovado sugar
3 ounces golden marzipan, cut into small bits
2 large eggs
10 ounces mincemeat
2 TBS flaked almonds
sifted icing sugar to dust the top



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 2 pound loaf tin and then line it with some baking parchment. Set aside.

Measure the flour and butter into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and the marzipan bits. Beat the mincemeat and eggs together. Stir this into the flour mixture until it is well combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and level off the top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and lightly dust with the icing sugar whilst it is still hot. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.



Now that folks is what I'd call some serious good!

Mince Pies

When I was growing up in Canada, one of the things I really disliked at Christmas time was . . . Mincemeat. Oh, but it was horrid. That probably has something to do with the fact that it had real meat in it . . . ground beef . . . and ground beef made me want to gag. Mixed with raisins and other fruits, it made me want to gag even more . . .



Combine that with the interesting fact that my Aunt used to make her mincemeat out of venison that my Uncle shot every year, and I could never trust whether the mincemeat my mother was using had come from my Aunt or not . . . and I just could not face eating Bambi . . .

Aside from all that . . . it just didn't taste good to me . . . not at all. Never, no never . . .



Oh, how very different mincemeat is over here in the UK. I just love it and I can't get enough of it any time of the year, but MOST especially during the Christmas Season!!!

Filled with lovely bits of bramley apple . . . raisins . . . currants . . . sultanas . . . candied peel . . . not to mention lovely warm spices and oranges and lemons, chopped almonds . . . all bound together with soft dark brown sugar, brandy and suet . . . Just the thought of it gets my taste buds tingling.



I love them cold . . . all buttery and spicy sweet in my mouth.



They are a special treat when gently warmed . . . all meltingly delicious and crumbly, with lashings of brandy cream or custard . . . mmm . . .

I usually make my own, using Delia's Foolproof Recipe, but the grocery shops are full of wonderful mincemeat as well. Marks and Spencers make a really yummy luxury version.



There is nothing like spending an afternoon with a cd of Christmas Carols creating the festive mood whilst you bake lovely mince pies . . . the smell of them baking so homey and warm, the music . . . just so soul enriching . . . the cold wind outside buffeting the windows as the rain lashes against the glass . . . me all tucked up warm and cosy in the kitchen, my slippers padding across the floor and Jess stretched out and softly snoring on the carpet in front of the AGA . . .



Ahh . . . this has to be bliss. Can there be anything else on earth so wonderful??? I think not!



Well . . . eating them comes a close second, I do have to admit!




*Mince Pies*
Makes about 24
Printable Recipe

I just adore these delicious Christmas Treats! Crisp and buttery pastry encasing a delicious filling of spiced fruits, and dusted with icing sugar. Oh, so very wonderful. It just would not be Christmas without a breadbox filled with these!

560g mincemeat
(either homemade or storebought)
350g flour
pinch of salt
75g of cold butter, cut into bits
75g cold lard, cut into bits
ice water as needed
For the finish
some milk for brushing
sifted icing sugar for dusting

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Drop in the butter and lard and rub it into the flour/salt mixture using your fingertips. Rub until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the ice water by the tablespoon, mixing in with a fork, until you get a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator to rest for half an hour.

Roll half of the dough out 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut it into 24 rounds with a 3 inch fluted pastry cutter. Place them into two lightly greased patty tins, lining the holes. Spoon a dessertspoon of mincemeat into each. Roll out the other half of the dough in the same manner, and cut out 24 rounds iwth a 2 1/2 inch cutter. Brush the edges of these rounds with a bit of water and then place them on top of the mincmeat filled patty tins to form lids. Press around lightly to seal. Brush the tops with a bit of milk. Prick with a fork if desired. Place on the top rack in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before disting with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container.