Pasta with a creamy wild fennel and ham sauce recipe
About ten years ago I invited Danny to stay for the weekend. This was the first time he met my dog, Fly. A lot more nerve wracking than being invited to meet my mother. I knew that he’d like the cottage but I wanted him to have a really great weekend so I invited a handful of good friends to supper on the Friday night. I planned to take a day off to have everything ship shape but unfortunately found myself working 70 miles away in London on a job that had to meet a tight deadline. I drove back to the cottage with an hour to spare before...
read moreCheesy Crackles snack lunch recipe
This summer has had its high points, weather wise. Recently the winds and the chill that heralds torrential rain have prevailed. I think of soup and warming savouries if I can get back home for lunch. Planning lunch is a tricky, think on your feet, task while Jalopy and I are rumbling home through the driving rain. Whilst Jalopy copes with the elements, I am considering what I might discover in the fridge, if I can drive though the flood water that stands to the south of the village when it rains hard. Yesterday I rushed in, hung up my...
read moreHow I learnt to cook (part two) and two baked egg recipes (hidden in the text)
This is the second half of my entry for the Waitrose cookery writer’s competition. You can read the first half here. I didn’t win but had loads of fun writing the entry and spent many happy hours dreaming about winning. All events are true only the names have been changed. One glorious night I cooked a perfect soufflé. Smart Wife tasted it gingerly. “Why this is really good.” She observed me over the horn rims. “Have you made soufflé before?” “Never.” Honest at last. “Finally we can...
read moreSea bass baked with wild fennel and lemon recipe
Do you remember the craze for cooking fish in little foil parcels in the oven? I was looking through some old Waitrose recipes and I thought that I’d try baking some sea bass in them. It worked well and infused the fish with the fennel and lemon flavours. It was easy too, giving me some time to potter in the garden whilst it baked in the oven. We served the bass with the first new potatoes from the garden and warm samphire. Sea bass baked with wild fennel and lemon recipe Set the oven to 220c (200c fan) Ingredients: 2 sea bass, cleaned,...
read moreWarm samphire, with olive oil and lemon juice recipe
“We decided that we’d taste this uncooked.” I proffered a stalk to Danny. He looked uncertain. “When did we decide to do this?” I picked off a large branch and ate it trying to remain expressionless. “Come on, you promised. We were sitting in Jalopy, and the rain was bouncing off the roof.” Danny took the teeniest segment and announced, “It is salty.” He chewed and added “Very salty.” I was cooking. Despite “being salty”, it was going to be the green veg to accompany...
read moreHow to cook cold smoked kippers
Following my post on Craster Kippers, I discovered from Dan at the River Farm Smokery that not all kippers are hot smoked. He had offered me some large olive cans for the kitchen garden so we popped into the shop buy some treats. There were packs of Scottish kippers – ingredients: herrings, salt and oak smoke. When I unwrapped them the next day their flesh was pinkish. We grill Craster kippers for eight minutes. I wasn’t sure how to cook these so I put them under a low grill 130c for 14 minutes (skin side down) and served them...
read moreSunday lunch: Pot roast Poussin (gypsy style) recipe
“Danny, I’m really sorry but I’ve forgotten to take the pheasant out of the freezer.” It was eight in the morning and my mum was arriving for lunch in a few hours. Danny turned over. “Thank God for that. I much prefer the poussin version of the dish.” We snoozed until 9.47 and then D jumped into Jalopy and shot down to Newmarket. He arrived at the supermarket as the doors opened and was back at 10.10 with two plump poussin. My Mum is a foodie. At the eating rather than the cooking end of the spectrum. Her...
read moreBest recipes for leftovers: Simple pork, tomato and sweet pepper risotto
Gliding past the meat counter in the supermarket at the weekend, I noticed a happy man laughing as he tossed a bag of meat into his trolley. I don’t usually stop at the meat counter but the laughter indicated a great bargain. I hit the air brakes of my trolley and spied a half price rack of pork. I have never tasted this before. Smiling broadly I left the counter. Danny roasted the rack on Sunday and we ate half. Delicious, delicate tender meat. The chops on the rack look quite small but three chops are plenty for the two of us. The...
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