Sour Dough

About ten years ago I gave life to a sour dough starter. I used grapes and fed it strong bread flour as required. We were living with my parents at the time, in between houses, it was a bit cramped but there was room for one little yeast culture. After three weeks I had two large jars with very active and healthy starters in. At this time R and I were going on holiday so we left strict instructions with my parents on the feeding of the starters. I was so excited about returning from holiday and making my first sour dough loaf. Sad aren't I?

Anyway, to cut a log story short, I returned to an empty shelf - dad had managed to drop one jar and smash it, mum simply thought the other jar an eyesore and threw it away!

I was scarred and haven't attempted another one, until now.

Gordon, the starter has a name, is very lively and last night I made my first loaf. It wasn't great. I will keep trying though and when I achieve my first great loaf I will take a photo. It's not that I'm
ashamed, it's just I can't work out how to upload the damn photos from my iPad to this blog, I have to do it via my work computer, it's Saturday and I'm at home and I wanted to finish this post, which I
started at work yesterday.

Rissotto

Still skint form all the vet bills and pay day a week away.

Rissotto to the rescue.

Anything lurking the cup board can be used, even just a handful of Arboria and some sweated onion makes a good little supper. I happened upon some dried porcini, a few frozen peas and a tub of frozen grated parmesan. Oh and a small shallot.

Spaghetti garlic chilli parsley

After another expensive trip to the vets I find myself with no money two days after pay day. Miserable. Anyway, one of the cheapest and tastiest meals is this tres simple pasta dish. While the spaghetti is cooking (I hate people who call it Spag...or worst Spag Bol) melt some butter and olive oil together and then throw in some finelay chopped garlic and dried chilli flakes (or fresh if you have) and allow to warm in the oil. Add the finely chopped parsley and season. Turn the heat down or off to prevent the garlic form burning and tasting bitter.

Drain the past, reserve a little of the water to moisten the finished dish if so required. Turn the flame on under the sauce again and toss the pasta into the flavoured oil. Coat well and serve. If you have the luxury of parmesan cheese, or similar, by all means add. But I didn't so it was just more seasoning!

Haggis Scotch Eggs

 Apologies for the tiny photo, I am using my iPad for the first time and experiencing a slight technical hitch!

These Scotch eggs are so easy to make, I am not putting quantities here as I just used what I had in the fridge - six eggs, which I hard boiled, a big handful of haggis to about two big handfuls of pork mince. 

Mix the meats together and season. Take a quantity, about a small handful, flatten into an rough oval and lay on a larger piece of cling film. Place an egg on top and gather the film and meat around the egg, gently massaging and teasing the meat around the egg until it it completely encased.

Now roll the covered egg in flour, then beaten egg and finally toss in breadcrumbs.

Ideally you can deep fry until the meat is cooked and breadcrumbs golden. I did shallow fry these but it was tricky - by the time the breadcrumbs were golden , the meat was nowhere near hot enough. So I started them off in the oven, about 20 mins at 180, I then shallow fried them.

Cenci

1/2 lb flour, 1oz butter, 1oz Castor sugar, 2 eggs, Cognac, grated lemon peel and pinch of salt.

Combine together all of the above ingredients into a dough, wrap and leave to rest for a while.
Roll a small piece of dough out at a time, very thinly, and cut out shapes or into strips using a Ravioli wheel.
Heat some oil & turn the Cenci briefly in this and then remove.
Allow to cool and then dust with icing sugar

Moules Mariniere

I have decided that to consecutively cook every recipe in Elizabeth David's Mediterranean food isn't fitting in with my life, I can't bring myself to feed R & G soup every night, this means it is taking me weeks just to cook through the first chapter! Where as I am quite happy to eat meagre meals, G especially likes a 'proper meal' after work. Now, I don't bow down to such chauvinistic demands and, even though, when he gets home from work, he likes to tease me about what meat he's getting for his supper, he knows better than to refuse any food that I have prepared

So, slight change of plan, I am going to cook the recipes which suit the weather, my time, what's cheap in the shops and what I fancy...oh and what keeps the rest of my family happy.

Today they had rope grown Scottish mussels in the supermarket, the sun was shining (a little) and I fancied mussels...

3 quarts (2 pints) mussels, 1 small onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small glass of white wine, a small stalk celery, parsley.

Put a splash of olive oil into a deep saucepan and start to cook the onion, celery and garlic, don't let it colour, just heat. Add some pepper. Throw in the mussels and then the wine and a splash of water. Put on the lid and let the mussels steam until they are all open (disregard any which remain closed) Remove the cooked mussels and keep hot while you boil the liquor to reduce slightly, you can thicken this with butter and flour or add cream. Once you have achieved your desired or preferred liquor, pour over the mussels and serve. Sprinkle with parsley and serve very hot with warm bread.

Avgolemono

2 Pints Chicken Stock, strained
2 oz Rice
2 eggs
1 Lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the rice to the chicken stock and boil until the rice is cooked.
In a basin beat the eggs and the juice from the lemon.
Add the boiling broth to the eggs in the basin, a spoonful at a time and keep stirring. Add this back into the broth and stir for a few minutes over a low heat.

This soup is actually delicious and perfect for summer, well worth having a go making. It is refreshing and very moorish.