• French,  Gluten-free,  Hugo blogs,  Nutritional information,  Savoury

    Mussels ‘marinières’ and a Christmas present from Java

    moules2
    HugojournoandJava
    Java and I were out on a little jaunt this weekend when Java found a dead wood pigeon. To be honest, I’m surprised she even saw it because I don’t think that her eyesight is quite what it might be; she often mistakes objects and also does this funny cross-eyed thing. Being a perfect gentledog, I offered to carry it home for her, but she was quite stubborn in her desire to hang on to it, even though she had to stop every few metres because it was almost as big as her. When we finally got back home, which took a while because Java has neither my staying power nor my common sense when it comes to carrying things, Bossy took one look and shrieked. What is with Bossy and her shrill screams when we give her presents? And no, there won’t be a recipe for wood pigeon to follow because Bossy and her delicate constitution insisted that we give it to the neighbour, saying she wanted nothing to do with plucking pigeons. As for Java, she was spitting out feathers all evening in a most unladylike way. I think next time she’ll let me take care of the transport.
    javabird
    I don’t like mussels much, except obviously my own masculine dog ones. Java seems quite keen to chew the shells though – maybe she’s teething.
    Mussels are surprisingly good for you. Not only are they a high quality complete protein, they are also a rich source of vitamin B12, manganese, iron, iodine and vitamin C.
    Ingredients (serves 4)
    2 kg fresh mussels
    30g butter
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 shallots, finely chopped
    2 cloves of  garlic, crushed
    4 sprigs fresh thyme
    1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    150ml dry white wine (Muscadet is excellent)
    Wash the mussels in cold running water making sure to remove any grit or sand. Discard any that float or any that are already open. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the mussels and coat well with the melted butter, oil and shallots. Add the herbs and seasoning and then the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about five minutes until the mussels have opened. Eat immediately, preferably with French fries cooked in duck fat.

  • Hugo blogs,  Savoury

    Chicken risotto and scary toys

    chickenrisotto
    hugotypewriter1by
    I feel acutely embarrassed on Java’s behalf telling you this story, but needs must. A few weeks ago, a kind friend gave us some stuffed toys. Obviously I don’t play with toys because I’m fully-developed and mature, not an emotional car crash like some. So I gallantly left them all to ‘some’.  She seemed to quite enjoy them at first, but soon became terrified after trying to ‘kill’ one of them with her dainty little girl teeth. Its insides spewed out all over her bed, traumatising her so much that she wouldn’t go near the bed after that, even once Bossy had tidied up. Of course this meant that she ended up on my bed and I had to decamp to the couch because she snores like a steam train. In an attempt to regain my bed, I tried to explain that she hadn’t really killed the toys because they weren’t alive in the first place and their ‘innards’ were only stuffing, but her dippiness has hidden depths and she wasn’t to be consoled. One thing I’ve noticed is that dogs with very long names – Java’s full name is Java de la Croix de Ganelon – are often the most irretrievably dippy. I’m just plain old Hugo, which speaks volumes don’t you think?
    javatoys
    Ingredients (serves 4)
    1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
    1 onion, chopped
    1 shallot, chopped
    2 cloves of garlic, crushed
    6 mushrooms, sliced
    400g rice (I used basmati)
    50ml white wine
    Se salt and freshly ground black pepper
    ½ teaspoon saffron
    ½ teaspoon turmeric
    ½ teaspoon paprika
    2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
    1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
    200g frozen peas
    100g bacon, cooked and sliced
    400g leftover chicken
    50g parmesan, grated
    Heat the oil or ghee in a large frying pan and brown the onions, shallot, mushrooms and garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir well until it is all coated with oil, then add the wine and simmer until reduced.  Add the seasoning and tomatoes and then about a quarter of the stock and leave to simmer, stirring until the stock has been absorbed. Add the peas and continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is almost cooked. Add the bacon and chicken, stirring well. Once the bacon and chicken are completely heated through and the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and add the grated parmesan, stirring until melted.
     

  • Hugo blogs,  Sweet

    Spicy carrot cake and a ladies’ horse

    carrotcake2
    HugojournoandJava
    I don’t really understand girls. I thought I did, but I don’t. Océane (the only mare of the four horses), took an instant, irrational dislike to Bijou (the four-year-old with a ditch problem) when he first arrived. In fact, she was so aggressive and unpleasant that he ended up covered with tooth and hoof marks and they had to be separated. Yesterday, having spent the whole previous night loudly whinnying for her long-lost love, she barged her way through the electric fence (which made The Tall One very cross) and hasn’t left his side since. At one point, Bijou, in an attempt to free himself from her neediness,  jumped out of the field. This sent her positively hysterical and she bucked and called after him until he’d been rounded up and returned to her side. Still, at least with all her silliness I added a new word to my already fairly extensive vocabulary: Fickle.
    Which brings me to Java. Having once been absolutely terrified of horses (or the ‘gigantic dogs’ as she calls them, bless her) she now chases Bijou around the field until she manages to grab his tail between her teeth. Then she doesn’t let go until he’s galloping faster than she can run, which, although it pains me to say it, is pretty fast. It exhausts me just watching them. So what is it with the girls and Bijou? He must have hidden powers of seduction, although I fail to see how he can be more charming than me…
    javabibi
    I assume that this carrot cake must be for the horses; they’re the only ones silly enough to eat a cake made with carrots and apples. I’m not a fan obviously, but according to everyone else it is very tasty.
    javaandjojo copy
    Ingredients (serves 16)
    250ml olive oil
    175g cane sugar
    4 eggs
    250g carrots, grated
    100g apple, grated
    100g ground almonds
    150g spelt flour (or wheat flour)
    1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    Pinch of salt
    1 level teaspoon garam masala (or allspice)
    1 level teaspoon ground ginger
    75g raisins pre-soaked in rum
    100g walnuts, chopped
    Grease and prepare a medium-size cake tin and preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the oil and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well. Add the eggs and continue to beat until the mixture becomes pale in colour. Add the grated apple and carrots to the mix and then fold in the almonds, flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, seasoning and spices. Lastly stir in the raisins and walnuts and transfer to the cake tin. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

  • Hugo blogs,  Savoury

    Spaghetti alla vodka and dogs on ditches

    spagallavodka

    HugojournoandJava

    Hello everyone! Due to Broken Bossy’s temporary incapacitation I have taken on many extra responsibilities, including cooking and writing today’s blog. Obviously I’m quite exhausted, but BB is progressing very well, although she had a bit of a cold which caused her to utter eye-wateringly naughty words every time she sneezed. Still, on the bright side, at least she lost her voice for a bit which, believe me, had not been adversely affected by the accident. I don’t consult with Java on many subjects as I don’t ever believe she can contribute to my overflowing fountain of wisdom and knowledge, but I did ask her recently what she thought about the ditch incident. We are both completely flummoxed as to all the fuss and bother involved. How could you possibly hurt yourself so badly falling into one in the first place, and how could it take so long and involve so many people to get out? Java and I are in and out of ditches all day without so much as a blink of an eye, but Bossy? Not so; one little ditch visit and it’s pandemonium followed by wheelchair, crutches and an onslaught of barked commands for the next six weeks. I really don’t know why humans think they’re superior – they’re so fragile! I’m just glad to be a tough, ditch-smart dog.

    I’m not an expert at cooking for humans so we’re eating lots of things from the freezer, which seems to be packed full of bags of tomato sauce. If you already have a good tomato sauce, this recipe is very easy and I thought that the vodka content might help with BB’s pain a bit!
    Ingredients (serves 4)
    250g spaghetti (I used spelt spaghetti)
    Pinch of sea salt
    300g fresh tomato sauce
    75ml vodka
    75ml cream
    Grated Parmesan and freshly-ground black pepper for serving
    Cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions. Add the tomato sauce and vodka to a medium saucepan and heat for a few minutes, stirring well, until the mixture begins to reduce. Add the cream, stir to combine and then reduce heat and leave to simmer very gently for a few minutes. Combine the drained pasta and sauce and toss to mix well. Sprinkle on the Parmesan, grind on the pepper and serve.
    This recipe has been submitted to the ‘Pasta Please Challenge’, hosted by Supper in the Suburbs and Tinned Tomatoes.

  • Hugo blogs,  Sweet

    Banana tart and rabbits might fly

    bananatart
    hugotypewriter1by
    I think that Java might have experienced what we psychologists refer to as a psychotic break. Being surrounded by creatures – human and animal – of questionable sanity, I recently felt the need to go on a course, which is how I am in a position to say this. I’m not sure whether I should mention my diagnosis to Bossy or not; she thinks Java’s just an adorable scatterbrain and I don’t really want to be the one to break the bad news. Anyway, Java spends hours every morning and every evening gazing at baby rabbits with her head cocked and one foot in the air. She looks, frankly, more than a little bit foolish, and that’s being charitable. I mean, she’s a hunting dog so you’d think she’d try to catch them instead of staring at them gormlessly. I know that she’s bred to hunt birds, but it’s still very odd. I think that she’s probably waiting for them to spread their wings and fly away, but in view of the fact that they’re rabbits, that’s just not going to happen. I don’t put her straight though because while she’s busy being half-witted, I get some uninterrupted peace.
    javarabbits
    Ingredients (serves 6)
    Pastry:
    80g coconut oil
    150g spelt flour
    35g dessicated coconut
    Pinch of sea salt
    Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
    Filling:
    3 medium-sized bananas, sliced into 1cm pieces
    2 eggs, beaten
    50g coconut sugar
    30g desiccated coconut
    1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    200ml double cream
    1 teaspoon rum
    ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    To make the pastry, begin by cutting coconut oil into small cubes. Add this to the flour and desiccated coconut with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the cold water, mixing with a spoon. Remove the mixture from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until you obtain a ball of pastry (if the mixture isn’t ‘sticky’ enough to form a ball, you may need a drop more water). Wrap in a clean cotton tea towel or some cling film and leave to ‘rest’ in the fridge for about two hours. This relaxes the dough and makes it easier to use.
    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry on a clean, lightly floured surface and fill the tart tin. Cook the pastry for 15 minutes. Arrange the bananas evenly over the surface of the pre-cooked tart. Add the eggs, coconut sugar, desiccated coconut, vanilla essence, cream, rum, cinnamon and nutmeg to a bowl and combine to create a homogenous mixture. Pour over the bananas and cook for 30 minutes, or until the filling is no longer wobbly. Delicious served either lukewarm or chilled.
     

  • Gluten-free,  Hugo blogs,  Savoury,  Spicy

    Crab gratin and if it looks like a dog and barks like a dog…

    crabgratin2

     
    …but eats like a human, then it’s probably Hugo.
    HugojournoandJava
    I’m in splendid shape, but every year Bossy insists on taking me to visit the vet. She knows that I’m a force to be reckoned with when it comes to socialising with other animals, but she seems adamant on putting herself through the trauma. Upon arrival, I willingly led her – perhaps even dragged her if I’m entirely honest – to the door, which I only had to headbutt once to open. I then efficiently ushered her (again, if we’re being pedantic, ‘hauled her’ might be more accurate) to the reception desk, where I planted my front paws on the desk in a business-like manner. By this time, for some reason, Bossy was very red in the face. The vet is a nice lady and I gave her a big lick on the face to show that I felt no ill will towards her, even though she spent rather a long time prodding my private parts. When we were ready to leave, she told me that I had been a good boy (yeah, whatever) and gave me a dog biscuit. I mean, really? A dog biscuit? Who does she think I am? Camembert? Yes. Foie Gras? Yes. Dog biscuit? Err, not so much. Does she not know that I’m a foodie? Anyway, I spat it out onto the floor because I think it must have been a joke. Bossy by this time was even redder in the face and really quite flustered and tried to explain that I was off my food. What a liar! I’m not off normal food, just dog biscuits…
    Ingredients (serves 4)
    250g new potatoes, peeled, sliced and cooked
    2 leeks, sliced and cooked
    250g crabmeat (I used tinned)
    150g sweetcorn
    1 large spring onion, finely sliced
    150ml pouring cream
    Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
    100g hard cheese, grated (I used Comté)
    Fresh parsley to garnish
    Preheat the grill. Place the potatoes, leeks, crabmeat, sweetcorn and onion together in an oven-proof dish and then add the cream and seasoning. Mix well and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Cook under the grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden (about eight minutes). Garnish with the fresh parsley before serving.

  • Gluten-free,  Hugo blogs,  Savoury

    Vegetable fritters (gf) and visually-challenged Setters

    courgettefritters hugotypewriter1by
    I think that Java needs glasses. Either that or a new brain, but I’m going to be charitable and go with the glasses theory. (As an aside, she also needs to learn which holes she can and can’t stick her nose into, because it’s looking a bit mangled at the moment. Still, we can’t all be hole experts.) Even allowing for the fact that she’s not the brightest, I’ve noticed her a few times recently rather proudly ‘marking’ plastic bags. I know plastic bags can flap in the wind a bit and do very fine bird imitations, but still: Really Java? You’re a dog with a supposedly superior sense of smell. I’m not sure how to broach the subject with her though; it’s a tricky one. Apparently English Setters are extremely sensitive to criticism, and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for tipping her over the edge by pointing out her mistake, tempted though I might be. I think I’ll just leave it to Bossy and her finely-tuned diplomacy skills to explain her error. Watch this space for one horribly humiliated English Setter *wicked dog chuckle*.
    Ingredients (serves 4)
    2 eggs, beaten
    75g chickpea flour (although any flour will work)
    ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
    125ml water
    1 potato, peeled and grated
    2 courgettes, peeled and grated
    1 carrot, peeled and grated
    1 onion, finely chopped
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    4 leaves fresh mint, cut into strips
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon curry powder
    1 tablespoon of ghee for frying (you can use butter or oil)
    Combine the beaten eggs, flour and bicarbonate of soda, gradually adding about 125ml of water to achieve a fairly thick pancake batter consistency. Add the grated vegetables, onion, garlic, fresh mint and seasoning and combine well, making sure that the vegetables are well incorporated. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium heat until melted and create several two tablespoon-sized fritters. Fry until golden brown (roughly 5 minutes), turn and repeat until all the fritters are cooked.

  • Breakfast,  Hugo blogs,  Sweet

    Coconut cake and Hugo’s scuppered plans

    cococakestrawcoulis HugojournoandJava
    I would like to set the record straight about my recent excavation venture, because I thought that Bossy portrayed me as a bit of a halfwit by suggesting that I was stuck down my magnificent hole. I admit that I did let her haul me out with a rope (there was lots of swearing on her part), but only to shut her up. The plan was, once I’d finished what I’d set out to do (we won’t go into details to spare any squeamish readers), I was going to create a tunnel back to the top at a gradient of about 30%. Of course, this would have taken quite a long time and I’m not sure where I would have ended up, but anything that gets me away from Bossy’s incessant blabbering and Java’s stubborn insubordination can only be a good thing. As an aside, are you impressed at how my vocabulary is becoming more and more sophisticated? Bossy says that I must be careful to avoid becoming too verbose, although she’s a fine one to talk. Anyway, the upside was, she was so convinced that I had been traumatised by my adventure, when we got home she gave me an extra-large piece of camembert. Sometimes it pays to just go with the flow…
    Thank you Hugo for telling your side of the story, although I think we could have done without the reference to my ‘blabbering’! This wonderfully light cake is inspired by ‘Love, bake, nourish’.
    Ingredients (serves 8-10)
    175g spelt flour
    120g desiccated coconut
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
    75g cane sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    200ml coconut milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and prepare a medium-sized loaf tin. Combine the flour, coconut, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a  large bowl and then add the egg, coconut milk and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly and transfer into the prepared tin. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool and serve with strawberry coulis or Greek yoghurt (or both!).

  • Gluten-free,  Hugo blogs,  Nutritional information,  Sweet

    Halwa and ice skating for dogs

    halwa
    HugojournoandJava
    Until today, I neither shared nor understood Java’s enthusiasm for the cold white stuff that suddenly appeared the other morning. Mind you, she’s so foolish that I don’t understand much about her at all. I refused to go out all day on Monday in the hope that it would disappear. It didn’t, and there was even more of it this morning so, after much coaxing, I agreed to accompany Bossy and Java on a walk. I soon found out that if I ran very fast and then suddenly stopped, Java (who copies everything I do) was taken by surprise, skidded, lost her balance and fell over (what’s not to like?). How anyone with four legs can actually fall over is beyond me – it just goes to show how silly she is. Bossy lost her balance a few times too *canine snigger*, but in her case it’s more understandable as she only has two legs and I suppose she’s busy trying to control her mouth, always going at full throttle. These little bonuses mean that I’ve decided that the white stuff is not so bad after all. I may even look into skiing lessons…

    Halwa is a deliciously fragrant Indian dessert cake. It contains ghee, or clarified butter. Having had all dairy residue simmered off, ghee is suitable for people with dairy allergies. It is a rich source of omegas 3 and 9 as well as butyric acid which has been shown to decrease inflammation, particularly in the intestines. It is also an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E and K.

    Ingredients (serves 12)

    350g carrots, grated

    50g raisins

    50g almonds, chopped

    50g pistachios, chopped

    5 tablespoons ghee, melted (you could replace this with butter or coconut oil)

    2 tablespoons honey

    3 eggs, whisked

    200g almond flour

    ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

    1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed

    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the carrots, raisins, almonds, pistachios, ghee and honey in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the almond flour, bicarbonate of soda and cardamom seeds to the whisked eggs and blend until homogenous. Add the flour/egg mixture to the carrot/nut mixture and combine well. Transfer to a prepared medium-sized baking tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

  • Hugo blogs,  Nutritional information,  Soup

    Cream of mushroom and spinach soup and Hugo’s take on sterilisation

    soup2
    HugojournoandJava
    Java spent all day yesterday at the vet. Although I had a nice peaceful day, I did miss her, which is a bit like missing a sore paw really. I heard Bossy tell someone that she was being sterilised. I know that she’s inclined to be dirty (Java, not Bossy), because she’s often covered in mud (and sometimes worse), but I didn’t realise that it was that bad. And anyway, once she’s been sterilised, surely she’ll just jump into the river and roll in the mud and be dirty all over again. When she came back last night she was in a very sorry state; I think that the sterilising machine must have slipped or something because she had a big bandage on her tummy. Also, she cried all evening and couldn’t walk properly and had to be carried to bed. I’m not allowed to practise my judo on her or chew her ears for two whole weeks, which makes me wonder what the point of her is. I hope they don’t take me to the vet to be dry-cleaned because I don’t want to end up like that. She seems to be better today, but I’m not: I’m quite exhausted because I had to comfort her all night while everyone else was asleep *exploited doggy sigh*.
    Thank you Hugo. I’m sorry that you’re feeling exploited, but it was very kind of you to take care of Java. This soup is packed full of nourishment. The mushrooms provide vitamins D and B complex, as well as minerals such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper. The spinach contains high levels of iron, folic acid and calcium as well as vitamins A, C and K. The butter and cream aid absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
    Ingredients (serves 6)
    10g butter
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 large onion, finely sliced
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    125g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (I used button mushrooms but you could use any sort)
    225g baby spinach leaves
    1 litre organic vegetable or chicken stock
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon paprika
    100ml pouring cream
    Gently heat the oil and butter in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes before adding the spinach, stock and seasoning. Simmer for about 15 minutes and purée until smooth. Add the cream, stirring well and serve.