I'll be here...

.. when I am gone. 

Be good, spoil yourself, eat well and please come back at the beginning of October.

:)

I will have limited (if any) Internet access so your comments may appear with a delay and I will respond to them when I come back.

I am off to Cornwall. Take care of yourself!

 

Apricots, Earl Grey & mascarpone

It is time for a dessert from my new cookbook. Simplicity of many dishes really took me over but quite unexpectedly the desserts really won my heart too. And as I mentioned few times - I am not a really dessert person. I like to eat them, but not a big fan of making sweets. I have few recipes that I stick to and don't experiment a lot. This time it was completely different and I can tell you now this is not the last dessert from "Hugh's Three Good Things (on a plate)" on this blog. I am absolutely in love with this one and cannot wait to try some more fruity puddings soon.

Serves 6

250g organic dried apricots

500ml hot Earl Grey  tea

200g mascarpone 

20g icing sugar (or to taste)

splash of double cream (optional)

Place the apricots in a container and cover with hot tea. Leave it to cool down, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight. 

Next drain the liquid into a pan and boil until reduced by half and syrupy. When still warm pour over the apricots, leave it to cool down, cover and place in the fridge for another few hours, or up to two days. (each time I left apricots in the fridge for about 16-18 hours).

Beat the mascarpone with the sugar using hand miser or balloon whisk and if it gets too stiff add splash of cream or some Earl Grey syrup to loose it up.

Serve apricots with syrup and a dollop of mascarpone.


Swaps? Extras? Use dried figs, sultanas or prunes instead or as a mix.

Beetroot, smoked mackerel & horseradish pizza

This is probably the most bizarre pizza I came across (well, not mentioning some of American inventions I guess..). I am a big fan of minimalistic pizza with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella, so I don't call myself a pizza toppings expert. I hate when pizza is overloaded with ingredients, especially cheese. 

This is also one of the best pizzas I ever made and ate. I mean the topping as well as the base. 

Recipe comes from "Hugh's Three Good Things (on a plate)" and to be honest it was on my mind constantly for last two weeks. First I though: "What a bizarre mix of ingredients in general and especially on a pizza" , but then second thought:

" What's not to like? Beets? Good! Mackerel? Good! Horseradish? Good!” 

(do you remember this scene from "Friends", in which Rachel prepared a dessert with beef?)

Anyway this combination is perfect. Beets &horseradish – delicious. Smoked mackerel & horseradish - delicious. These three work brilliantly in one dish.

What is the most bizarre pizza you have ever eaten?

3 medium pizzas

Dough

250g plain flour

250g white strong bread flour

1 level tsp of salt  

1 tsp instant yeast 

1 tbsp olive oil 

about 300ml water (or how much flour will take – different types of flour take different amount of water)

Sauce

1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish 

3 tbsp plain yoghurt  

1 tbsp lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper 

salt

Topping

 

2 medium beetroots, unpeeled

2 fillets of smoked mackerel

2 shallots (I used French, if you go for English ones double the amount, as they are much smaller)

a splash of olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Firstly prepare the dough. Mix both flours together and add the salt, yeast and olive oil. Next little by little add the water and mix either with your hands or with a mixer. You need to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, it could be sticky at first but it will become more elastic during the kneading. Then place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave it until doubled in size.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Mix horseradish, yoghurt, lemon juice and mix and then season with some salt and pepper. Set aside and prepare the topping.

Heat the oven to 180 C, place beets in oven proof dish, drizzle with little olive oil and roast until soft. Knife should go in easily when they're ready. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool down. Then peel and slice.

Remove the skin from the mackerel and fake it with your fingers to bite size pieces.

Peel and slice the shallots (not too thinly, I cut them too thinly and some of them were burnt, still tasty though!). Place in a bowl, drizzle with little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss it, until covered with oil.

Heat the oven to 250 C (or at least 220 C) with a pizza stone or a baking tray.

When dough is ready remove it from the bowl onto a floured worktop and gently press with yours hands. Divide into three parts and again press each to flatten them a bit. Leave it to rest for about 15 minutes. Then place one piece onto a tray or pizza shovel and roll thinly.

Place one third of the sliced beets onto prepared base, as well as mackerel and top with shallot rings. Drizzle with little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza onto a hot tray or stone and bake until crisp and golden. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.

Divide into portions and serve with the horseradish sauce.

Peas, broad bean & leek soup with spicy croutons

Ages ago (well, in 2008) I have found very interesting recipe for peas and leek soup by British chef, author of several cook books and boss of the cookery school, well know from BBC programs Lesley Waters  (a former Head Master in Leith's Cookery School). Since then I have been making this soup on a regular basis, it became one of my favourite soups, however over the years I have modified the recipe slightly. Also this time I used bread beans, as I have a surplus from my garden and I know it seems a bit late for fresh peas and broad beans  but believe me or not last Wednesday I picked probably the last peas this year and quite a lot of broad beans are still remaining in my garden... However this soup is also delicious when made with frozen peas, and frozen broad beans are available in UK all year round (anyway these are only optional for this soup; most of the time I make it with peas and leek only). By the way, frozen peas is one of few frozen vegetables that taste as good as fresh. I always have a bag in my freezer. If you use frozen peas make sure it goes to the pan not last minute, but at the end of frying the leeks, just before adding hot stock.

Serves 2-4

4 tbsp olive oil 

2 small leeks, white and light green part, sliced

1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped 

about 250ml fresh peas, podded

about 200ml fresh broad beans, podded

about 1 l vegetable stock, hot 

2-4 slices of stale bread, cubed
chilli powder or cayenne pepper  

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 180 C. Place cubed bread on a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with chilli or cayenne. Place in the oven and bake until crispy and golden. 

Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add leeks and fry until slightly browned, then add garlic and fry for one minute or so. Add hot stock, bring to the boil, low down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the peas and broad beans. If you prefer to skin broad beans then you have to blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, peel and put the peeled broad beans to the soup just for last 3 minutes.

Before serving season with salt and pepper (that depends on your stock flavours) and serve with spicy croutons.

My subjective guide to culinary books, part 4

I think it is right time for me to share with you my views on my new cook book. I showed you few recipes and to be honest I was planning to publish another two this week, but unfortunately it looks like I manage to cook them this weekend at the earliest, so I thought I publish the review first. Perhaps some of you who have seen some of the recipes from this book posted on my blog already decided to buy this book. For some of you this review could be helpful.

from Amazon.co.uk

This is the most recent book by one of my favourite foodies Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Three good things on a plate – does this sound trivially? Don't take this as three ingredient cookbook, this is slightly different. Hugh simply used a formula of putting three things in one dish, things that have different flavours, consistency, texture and created over 175 easy to follow recipes. You don't need some fancy ingredients, make sure they are at their best, also no need of spending much time preparing the dishes or any special techniques. Recipes most of the time use quite humble ingredients. Hugh has experimented for years so he knows what works together and what not necessarily should not be mixed on one plate. Take advantage of his knowledge!

There is so much more in this book than some of the classic combinations that may sound very obvious, everybody knows fish, chips and mushy peas, sharp fruit, crumble and vanilla sauce, crusty bread with melted cheese and salty ham or chocolate cake with salted caramel. Sweet, salty, crunchy. Sharp, rich, crumbly. Number three seems to be mystical also in cooking.

Book is divided into several sections: salads, starters & soups, snacks & sides, vegetable trios, fish & two friends, meat & veg, pasta, rice & company, fruity threesomes, triple treats. Hugh gives you not only the exact easy to follow short recipes in which three ingredients are the key and work incredibly well together, but also he suggests swaps or extra ingredients to build up the recipe. For somebody who likes a bit of experimenting this is ideal!

Hugh also says that this is cooking and there is a room for experimenting, adding a light touch and a sense of fun. He suggest that readers if they wish so should experiment and swap i.e. one crunchy veg for other but this principles may not always work. Here is a room for reader's improvisation.

If you are unsure how to improvise there are still exact, great recipes for you and perhaps this book will be next big step for you and soon you will be challenging yourself to become more experimental?

Apart from the above this book is very pleasant to look at, as most of the Bloomsbury's books I remember. Food photos are quite simple, not over styled, rustic I would say, Simon Wheeler who worked with Hugh before (also with Heston Blumenthal) did fantastic job. Also there are stunning illustrations by Mariko Jesse, whose work you may remember from Hugh's "River Cottage Everyday". 

If you haven't seen dishes from this book I had pleasure to cook and even more pleasure to eat, please have a look:

Roast tomatoes, onion & barley soup 

Baked eggs with tomatoes & bread 

Beet, apple & pecan salad 

Cauliflower, tomatoes & capers salad 

Sourdough bread with olive oil, honey & salt 

Celery, orange & mackerel salad 

If you still need some more examples of recipes you can find in this book, perhaps you should come back here in few days and check out a recipe for dessert and the most bizarre pizza I have ever seen.

"Hugh's Three Good Things (on a plate)"

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (August 2012)

Harcover, 416 pages