Meat feast

I say meat feast because we seem to be eating a lot of meat dishes this week. Yesterday (Weds Oct 30th) we had Duck breast with damson gin and duck fat potatoes. 

Today we had Rib ragout with pappardelle. 

Yesterday I bought duck fat in which to cook my potatoes, wondering if it was worth the extra expense. Mr Slater assures me that "...duck fat is worth the occasional extravagance..." 

And I have to say the potatoes were very good as was the duck. 

Tonight - All Hallows' Eve  - Mr Slater's recipe is porked based which apparently is traditional for Halloween. A fairly easy recipe to follow but not quick as requires three or more hours cooking. It has to be said, however, it is nice to leave something simmering away on the hob whilst you can get on with something else. A substantial heart warming meal just right for this time of year. Mr Slater tells me to remove the meat from the ribs and stir back into the sauce. The picture on pg 429 looks to me as if the meat is still on the rib. !!

Just go with it!

Yesterdays recipe was Pork cooked with bay and milk

I think I have mentioned before that pork is far from my favourite meat but the thought of cooking it in milk did not appeal at all. Still I am determined to complete every recipe so armed with my shoulder of pork and a litre of milk I did as Mr Slater said ," Just go with it".

I have been warned that the liquid curdles and as you can see from the picture it certainly does and is not really a tempting dish to look at.

However it did taste better than it looked, the curdled sauce was good and the long slow cooking produces a succulent piece of meat. 

We followed this with Apples with maple syrup

Although a good way to use up the apples from our tree this is not an exciting sweet. Definitely needs the accompanying creme fraiche.

Long walk followed by a hearty lunch

Tues October 29 th and the day is the same as the one described by Mr. Slater " A glorious autumn day, despite two heavy showers...."

Following a long walk this morning I had a very satisfying lunch of bacon, haricot beans and squash. No exact recipe given for this, but well worth having a go ( pg 421) very warming and welcome and quick to make after walking miles!!!

Not sure it goes well on toast though.

A first for bacon chops

To be perfectly honest I had never heard of a bacon chop before, indeed Mr Slater says they are a rare sight in the butchers, the recipe today ( Monday) is Bacon chops, cabbage and apple. 

My husband will be delighted, three of his favourite things ( and I rarely cook gammon of any description or cabbage because I am not a fan - well there has to be some perks when you do the cooking!!!)

It seems a perfect recipe for a day like today - stormy, wet and very windy. A hearty dinner to warm us through. 

Still not a favourite with me, perhaps because our bacon chops were very salty. The cabbage was ok - the addition of apple made it better. And Jim - well yes he ate every morsel ! 

A simple lunch

Sunday 27 th October and a simple lunch of sardines in a toasted sandwich - sometimes just what the doctor ordered!!!!

Nuts

October 26 th and the chapter is headed " Toasting nuts". 

As I started to read this early on a miserable rainy Saturday morning I remembered shopping as a child with my parents and buying roasted chestnuts from an elderly man with a hand cart. Happy memories of cold crisp days and clutching a bag of chestnuts almost too hot to hold.

Anyway now I know the perfect way to toast nuts I begin today's recipe Chocolate and toasted nut tart. 

This is delicious, not too difficult to make but take care with the pastry it is very short.

Will certainly make this again, chocolate heaven!

Dinner today will prove more difficult as I haven't been able to find cappelletti ( pasta) but will have to use the nearest thing I can find!

Too much for one day

Last night we had Lamb " osso buco" with parsley pappardelle. 

This was another recipe for Oct 23rd but having made the rabbit dish and a crumble - too much food for one day!!!!!!

My daughter was with me for dinner and we both love lamb so were looking forward to this.

The verdict - well it was good, we both agreed but does pasta really go with lamb steaks? Usually I cook my lamb steaks as my mother used to - in the oven with onions and tomatoes and rosemary, served with jacket potatoes and petit pois. We both decided we preferred them this way but the pasta dish was a nice change. 

Growing herbs

Yesterday (Oct 23rd) and a chapter headed " Some herbs and a rabbit, and a crumble". 

Until reading this chapter I didn't realise the need for different conditions for different herbs, mine all grow in the same compost in a variety of pots and some in the garden between the flowers. Some thrive, some don't but this varies year to year ! Still there are few things more satisfying ( and money saving, supermarket herbs are extortionate and not always that fresh!!!) than picking herbs from the garden to go straight into the dish you are cooking. 

The first recipe was A slow cooked rabbit with herbs. Having got over my reluctance to eat rabbit I bought a ready jointed one from a farm shop near Masham.  The accompanying sauce was gorgeous but still not a great fan of rabbit. 

Pudding was much more enjoyable - Pear and chocolate oat crumble. 

Crumble , always a favourite of mine right from childhood, made even better with addition of chocolate and oats.

Best served with lashings of double cream. So delicious didn't have time to take a photo before we had eaten the lot!!!!!!!

A treat for lunch

Wednesday Oct 23 rd and a chance to catch up on a recipe I should have done on 9 th Sept but couldn't due to the unavailabilty of the ingreds at the time. 

So today I had partridge for lunch - what a treat. No specific recipe given but an explanation of how to cook and serve them. 

Never had partridge before - divine, much better than my normal ( slimmer's) lunch.

Weekend in the caravan

Saturday 19 th October and we are away for the weekend along with ingredients for 3 Nigel Slater recipes ( although I confess to having made one earlier to bring with us.)

Last night we had Orzo with courgettes and Gran Padano which came under the chapter headed " A favourite pasta"

Here Mr S tells us that it has taken 40 years of cooking before he realised his preference for pasta without tomato and cheese. When you think about it an awful lot of pasta dishes do have tomato and cheese in them. 

Yesterday I was introduced to a new pasta "Orzo", looks a bit like rice grains but bigger. The recipe has few ingredients but was so so flavoursome, no herbs just a light seasoning of salt and pepper. As a pasta dish quite a change but delicious.

Today the chapter was headed " Making a pizza dough"

I am advised that the length of time I spend kneading will make no difference but "....the dough will tell you when it is ready by the way it feels in your hands". 

I have never used a pizza stone before so looking forward to trying it out - apparently it will give the pizza a crispier base - lovely. 

An unusual pizza recipe - no tomatoes in sight - but a winner, Mushroom with creme fraiche and mozzarella pizza. I sprinkled my second one with crispy bacon bits which was good. Next time I think I will try to roll my pizza base a little thinner. 

Tomorrow the chapter is headed " A tin for a sweet tart" and the recipe is A simple pear tart. Mr Slater tells us about his tart tin , a favourite in the kitchen - no frills, more homely. I don't have a tart tin but do have a rimmed pie plate which is as near as I can get. 

This I made earlier, it has travelled well, a very simple tart - a sweetened pear filling in a butter rich pastry . Not a favourite with me ( if I'm eating extra calories they have to be worth it!) but Jim liked it ( well it's a dessert after all) We both thought it needed to be served with cream. 

Autumn is really here

Yesterday was a lovely warming carbs supper. Autumn is in the air, colder and a dampness creeping in.

Last night we ate jacket potatoes stuffed with smoked mackerel. The addition of dill and sour cream made this simple tea wonderful. Served on a bed of rocket and watercress ( my addition ) for the healthy bit we tucked in with gusto.

Is this the picture on pg 402 ?

Yesterday October 15 th and the recipe was Five-spice squid

Unable to find small squid ( which we prefer) I used a larger one sliced into manageable pieces as the recipe suggested.

We had this , served as a starter and it was very good if a little hot. Will make this again but with less chilli I think. Husband loved it and indeed helped with the cooking as I always tend to overcook squid.

If you have Mr Slater's book is the picture on page 402 Five spice squid ? I am sure it is but looks nothing like mine!!!!!!

Light but filling

October 12th and a chapter headed "Light Lunch"

The recipe is Courgette and ricotta tart.

Not particularly thrilled when I read this recipe through but the end result was surprisingly good and I would like to make this again. Served with a tomato salad this was a light but filling lunch. 

Husbands opinion differed and he said he found it rather bland, will think about what I could add next time to solve this!

Not so quick

October 10 th and the chapter is headed "Another quick curry"

A curry it was but not sure about the "quick". 

The recipe today was A mild and fruity curry of salmon. I wasn't sure about putting a fish like salmon into a curry - how would that work?  Well very well actually. A delicious , quite mild curry with lots of sauce to mop up with Indian bread. Makes salmon go a long way too. 

Will do this again.

My daughter thought it was like a curry fish soup ! And finished every drop!!!!

Not a favourite

 October 8th and a chapter headed "The baking sheet". 

Mr Slater says a baking sheet should last a lifetime. None of mine have, they always develop a kink and look disgustingly black. However reassuringly I am told this is quite normal  and that the patina that builds up on the surface is like "...a homemade non- stick coating". I shall stop throwing away my baking tins!!!

Two recipes today, one we loved and one - whilst we did eat it, neither if us enjoyed it enough to have again. 

The one we won't repeat is Warm aubergine tarts. These were made with a very rich pastry which I have to say was very short and good - the addition of two kinds of cheese giving it lots of flavour. The topping made with aubergine was OK but the two together was rather dry. 

The second recipe was divine - well if you' re a fig lover that is!

Grilled figs with Marsala. 

Couldn't be easier to make and the result - a heavenly desert. 

It worked!!

Yesterdays chapter was headed " Tomatoes, spices and coconut ( shouldn't work but it does)

Well it certainly does work and was actually gorgeous. These stuffed tomatoes work well on their own with some crusty bread to mop up the juices or as an accompaniment to meat or fish.

Sorry - late posting

On Tuesday ( October 1st) the chapter heading was " Oxtail another way". I can be a bit squeamish when it comes to strange cuts of meat and so Mr Slater's description of the flesh on an oxtail was not ideal. Neither was my experience when buying the Ox tail but that's another story.

The recipe was Slow cooked oxtail with five spice and tamarind. 

Once I got my head round handling the tail it was a relatively easy recipe to make - not one I will rush to do again even though I did enjoy the flavour of this dish. 

The second recipe was Poached pears with cream cheese and ginger sundae

I made the mistake of preparing this an hour or so before we were to eat it and so my ginger biscuits lost some of their crunch. A lesson learnt! Husband liked this one especially as it was a serves 6 and he could eat up the leftovers for a few days - didn't seem to mind soggy biscuits!