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Roasted summer vegetable soup and fried brains
We’ve been seeing some pretty strange behaviour here over the past few days – perhaps the effect of the sudden inferno-style heat? First I caught my husband chatting to one of the hens: ‘hello gorgeous, how are you today?’. I thought initially, rather immodestly, that he was talking to me, but quickly deduced he wasn’t when he went on to ask: ‘have you laid an egg today sweetheart?’. Since this blatant come-on, she’s hardly left his side (does this mean he has a chick on the side ;-)); I found her perched on a chair in the kitchen this morning while he ate breakfast.
An unknown rabbit gave birth to five babies in the horses’ hay a few days ago – luckily we realised before they got pitch-forked. Don’t rabbits have tunnels or dens or something to use as maternity units? Or is this the equivalent of giving birth on the hard shoulder of the motorway? Maybe she was caught short. Now of course I have to keep rushing over every half hour to check they haven’t been terrorised by our psychotic mare (she has rabbit issues).
And then last night, just to tip me over the edge and despite lengthy negotiation, Hugo steadfastly refused to go to bed, preferring to sleep on the electric cables under my desk. I obviously haven’t escaped the brain-melt either though because I made this piping hot soup for dinner the other evening when the temperature hadn’t dipped below 35°C all day.
Ingredients (serves 8)
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 red pepper
2 onions
2 courgettes
4 tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika (or piment d’Espelette)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs of rosemary
1.5 litres organic vegetable stock
5 fresh basil leaves
Chop the vegetables into chunks (leaving the cloves of garlic whole), toss in the olive oil and arrange on a roasting tray. Add the seasoning and rosemary sprigs and roast in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 30 minutes. Once roasted, transfer to a large saucepan/casserole dish, add the stock and bring to the boil. Cook for a further five minutes, add the basil and purée. -
Curried prawns in agar agar and how to pluck a hen
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent
I’ve had quite a relaxing week because The Noisy One has been away on a sailing trip. I expect he’ll be quite hoarse by the time he gets home from barking orders at adjacent boats (did you like my animal imagery there?). Anyway, it’s nice to have some time off from being shot at and tackled to the ground. There has been one thing that’s been bothering me a bit though: two of the hens are nesting (and very unpleasant they’re being about it too), which leaves one hen wandering around alone looking a bit pathetic; even more so than usual ;-). I’ve been trying to keep her spirits up by grabbing her for a cuddle and an affectionate chew of her wings, but I just get yelled at by old Bossy Boots. Life can be very complicated sometimes *doggie sigh*.
Ingredients (makes 6 mini terrines)
250g frozen prawns
juice of half a lemon
25g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
150ml fish stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 shallot, chopped
1 bay leaf
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon mango chutney
4 fresh basil leaves
4g Agar-Agar powder
Place the prawns steeped in lemon juice in a frying pan and add the olive oil and butter. Fry gently, gradually adding all the other ingredients with the exception of the Agar-Agar and basil leaves. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the prawns are cooked through and the liquid partly evaporated. Once cooked, add the basil, blend briefly in a food processor and set aside. Dissolve the Agar-Agar in a small amount of water and bring to the boil (according to the instructions on the packet). Once boiled, add to the prawn mixture and distribute into moulds (I used silicon muffin moulds). Compact the mixture well. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours and serve chilled.
Health benefits of agar agar
Agar is a good source of calcium and iron, and is very high in fiber. It is an excellent aid in digestion and weight loss and also carries toxic waste out of the body. Other benefits include its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and benefit the lungs. -
Spelt kuglof and strange dog diets
My husband ceremoniously whipped up and presented Hugo with an an egg-white omelette yesterday. What was that all about do you think? I mean, just how bizarre is it to make an egg-white omelette for a big black labrador? As if the poor mutt doesn’t have enough issues to last a lifetime. Anyway, in a fit of rebellion I poured cream over his kibbles last night (Hugo’s, not my husband’s); he needs to learn to live a bit.
Kuglof (kouglof, kougelhof, kugelhof, kugelopf, kugelhopf or kouglouf) is typically found in Alsace, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Traditionally it is baked in an earthenware mould with a central funnel, although there are now silicon or aluminium moulds available.
Ingredients
75g raisins
4 tablespoons rum or kirsch
15g bakers yeast
200ml lukewarm milk
500g spelt flour (or plain if you prefer)
1 teaspoon sea salt
75g cane sugar
2 eggs, beaten
75g butter, softened
75g coconut oil, softened (or just use 150g butter)
20g almond flakes
1 tablespoon icing sugar to decorate
Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with kirsch or rum. Set aside to soak. Mix the yeast with 100ml milk and a tiny bit of flour and leave to double in volume. Mix the remaining flour, salt, sugar, eggs and milk. Beat or knead for about 15 minutes. Add the butter and coconut oil, mixing well. Next add the yeast and knead or beat until the dough becomes detached from the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave the rise for an hour in warm place (between 25-30°C). Reduce the dough to original volume by gently tapping. Add the soaked raisins and mix. Butter the mould and evenly distribute the flaked almonds in the bottom. Add the dough and leave to rise until it reaches the edge of the mould. Cook for 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C. Once cooked, remove from the mould and decorate with icing sugar. -
Spelt brioche and a water-locked house
We had almost as much rainfall overnight as we usually have during May and June combined. Here it doesn’t rain, but it pours; the house was surrounded by an impressive moat this morning that I don’t recall being there when we signed on the dotted line. We now also boast a second river, which sounds fine in theory, but is not so practical in reality as we’re not very well-equipped boat-wise. Hugo took one look outside this morning and went back to bed, sighing heavily, the hens are developing webbed feet and learning to swim and I was out early drying off the horses with my hairdryer. All-in-all an appropriate morning for brioche.
Ingredients
300g spelt flour (or plain flour if you prefer)
100g butter, melted
100g coconut oil, melted (you can substitute this for a further 100g of butter)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons dry bakers’ yeast
2 tablespoons cold water
4 eggs, beaten
40g cane sugar
Dilute the dry yeast in 2 tablespoons’ luke-warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, beaten eggs, melted butter and oil. Either knead by hand or beat in a mixer (better if you’re lazy). The dough must stay elastic in consistency so add a drop more water, if necessary. Leave the dough to rise in the mixing bowl for about an hour at a temperature of between 25-30°C (it should double in volume). Beat and knead the dough and leave to rise for a further hour. Beat and knead again and put the dough in the loaf tin. Leave to rise one last time. Preheat the oven to 200°C and cook for 25 minutes. -
Chickpea flour cauliflower cheese (gf) and the case for the defence
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent
I’ve decided that I’m a dab paw at blogging, so off I go again. I’d like a chance to set the record straight; I felt the last post was rather slanderous (I found that word in the dictionary I got for my birthday). First of all, I do not dribble. And second of all, I only toot the car horn when I feel that The Bossy One has talked to whoever it is she’s talking to for quite long enough and it’s time to get home. She seems to forget that I have things to do: keep the hens in order, bark at the horses if they’re in the wrong field (or for no good reason whatsoever ;-)), check the boundaries for stray deer, wild pigs and badgers, empty the rubbish bin in the kitchen… I could go on – a dog’s work is never done. Especially if he sits in the car all day *sigh*.
Anyway, I think she must have felt a bit guilty for bad-mouthing me because this was produced last night and she let me ‘clean’ the dish. 🙂
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 cauliflower
25g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
60g chickpea flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon mustard
200ml milk
100ml chicken or vegetable stock
50g comté (or other hard cheese), grated
50g parmesan, grated
Begin by cooking the cauliflower florets in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
For the sauce, place the flour, butter, olive oil, seasoning and milk into a saucepan and place over a gentle heat. Whisk until it reaches a gentle simmer. Continue whisking, adding the mustard and then the stock little by little, for just under five minutes. Add half of the cheese and whisk again until it melts. Pour over the cauliflower florets which you will have arranged in a baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the top and add a little more paprika. Cook for about 45 minutes. -
Mini salmon terrines and getaway strategies
It’s starting to be tricky to escape in the car alone; Motoring is Hugo’s absolute favourite. He prefers the front seat and I have, in the past, resorted to belting him in rather than take on the chore of coaxing him out of the car. Naturally, he takes it very badly if I kick him out. If, on the other hand, I leave him in the car and need to stop off somewhere, he presses on the horn with his chest if he feels I’ve ‘abandoned’ him for too long. He also dribbles on the seat. So it’s a toss-up between his being put-out and potentially depressed at being ditched, and my being mortally embarrassed by a high-maintenance, disruptive dog and wet front seat. I’m spoilt for choice.
This salmon terrine is an attempt to recreate a dish we had in our hotel in the Pyrenees this winter, as requested by Léo. It is, according to him, ‘quite edible’; Praise indeed. 🙂
Ingredients (makes 6 mini terrines)
2 salmon filets (250g)
juice of half a lemon
25g butter
150ml cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 shallot, chopped
½ teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Pastis
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons of diced cucumber
4 leaves of fresh mint
2g Agar-Agar powder
Place the salmon filets steeped in lemon juice in a frying pan and add the butter and cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and add all the other ingredients with the exception of the Agar-Agar, cucumber and mint leaves. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and the liquid partly evaporated. Once cooked, add the mint leaves, blend briefly in a food processor and set aside. Dissolve the Agar-Agar in a small amount of water and bring to the boil (according to the instructions on the packet). Once boiled, mix into the salmon with the diced cucumber and distribute the mixture into moulds (I used silicon muffin moulds). Compact the mixture well. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours and serve chilled.
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Spelt flour pizza base and stark-raving lunatics
The moon is full tonight. If you have animals anything like ours and had intended sleeping through the night, a word of warning: it ain’t gonna happen. 🙂
The horses will spend all night ‘partying’ (galloping from one end of the field to the other, whinnying to anyone who will listen and ‘fighting’ on their hind legs). They’ll be exhausted by the morning (thank God) and spend the whole day sleeping it off.
The hens are, at his very moment, on the terrace table doing a sort of flamboyant chicken tango, which involves much flapping, flirting, fluttering and hissing. In fact it’s so flamboyant that one of them fell off the table *snigger*.
Which bring me to Hugo. Being a bit of a primo uomo, Hugo makes sure that his behaviour trumps that of the other animals. Having pulled his chair away from the wall with his teeth, he has created a little game for himself. He charges the chair, throwing himself into it heavily to see how far it will ‘skid’ across the tiles. After several good ‘skids’, he runs dementedly around the house, blanket over head, seeking praise for his talent. Just shoot me now.
There are times when only pizza will do. This base, being made from spelt flour, is light, tasty, nutritious and more easily digested than a regular pizza base.
Ingredients (6 slices)
250g spelt flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sachet bakers yeast (dilute in lukewarm water 10 minutes before use)
pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Beat or knead for about 6 minutes, progressively adding a tiny bit of water, teaspoon by teaspoon. Be careful not to add too much water or the dough will become sticky. Leave the dough to rise at a temperature of 25°C to 35°C for an hour, then re-mix (or re-knead). Put it in the fridge for an about an hour and then roll out ready to apply the topping. I used fresh tomato sauce, black olives, chorizo, anchovies and parmesan. Cook in a preheated oven (200°C) for 15-20 minutes. -
Savoury chickpea pastry parcels and dog walking, matador-style
If you ever happen to be in the ‘Landes’ forest and spot someone dressed in full body armour, brandishing a big red cape, matador-style, that’ll be me. Hugo’s 30 kilos of muscular dynamisn, a by-product of daily triathlon training, plus an ardent passion for ‘walkies’ have become a mortal combination. He charges back and forth like a bull, playing ‘chicken’ with my unsuspecting shins and leaving it to the very last possible second to swerve to avoid them (or not as the case may be!) He also grabs my shoes in his jaws, willing them to move faster. I’ve been knocked flying on several occasions, which unfortunately has only ever served as a pretext for much guilt-induced licking which, frankly, I could live without…
These savoury parcels are finger-licking good, as well as being very nutritious and quick and easy to make. They are wheat-free.
Ingredients for chickpea pastry (makes about 4 parcels)
80g spelt flour
50g chickpea flour
50g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for filling
1 courgette, grated
1 potato, boiled and chopped into cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons pine nuts
6 fresh mint leaves, cut into pieces
Sea salt to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
To make the pastry, begin by cutting the butter and into small cubes. Sift the flours and a pinch of salt together into in a mixing bowl, also adding the cubes of butter. Rub in and blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the olive oil and combine well and then add the cold water, mixing rapidly 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.
To make the filling, combine the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and then press a little with your fingers so that the mixture gains in density.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll the pastry out on a clean, dry, floured surface. Cut into squares of approximately 15cm, put a good tablespoon of mixture into
the middle and then fold back the edges to meet in the middle and form a parcel. Press the edges together until the pastry sticks.
Place the parcels on a lightly oiled baking tray and cook for 20 minutes. -
Pot roast guinea fowl with orange, herbs and leeks
by Hugo, Canine Correspondent
I’m rather down in the dumps today. I don’t usually complain about Her Bossiness but I can’t help feeling she’s a bit blasé sometimes; The young hens have turned into ruffians. Shy and retiring when they first arrived a few weeks ago, they have become rather cocky and full of a sense of entitlement that just isn’t appropriate in a hen. Especially in hens that don’t even lay eggs yet. The worst thing is when their haughtiness involves my food bowl. They nonchalantly stroll into the house, plant themselves on my bed and dig in to my food. Surely that’s just not right is it? 🙁
I’m very keen on this guinea fowl dish, because I get to chew the carcass afterwards. I’m not ashamed to admit that while doing so, I fantasise that I’m devouring one of my volatile companions. 🙂
Ingredients (serves 6)
1 large (or 2 small) guinea fowl (about a kilo)
4 oranges, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
a handful of fresh thyme
a handful of sage leaves
1 tablespoon of olive oil
60g butter
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 leeks, washed and sliced
seasoning: sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika
350ml dry white wine
This is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Empty the bird and rinse well. Mix the oranges with the onion and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the guinea fowl(s) with the mixture and place in a casserole dish (dutch oven) along with the butter, olive oil, carrots, garlic, leeks and seasoning. Fry until golden brown and then add the wine, which should be brought to a simmer. Put the lid on the dish and cook in the oven for just over an hour, or until the ‘sauce’ is beginning to caramelise slightly. -
Tomato and goat cheese tart (gf) and upside down tortoises
Our last skiing weekend of the season was an unmitigated success after a slightly shaky start. I tend to be a bit bossy (as I think Hugo has mentioned), meaning that I pay a lot of attention to telling other people what to do, and less attention to what I should be doing. A case in point: on Saturday we took the first chairlift of the day with two other people and my backpack, which could quite legitimately have had a seat of its own, filled as it was with clothes, water, food, camera and video material. One would have been forgiven for assuming we were about to climb Everest, not spend a leisurely day in the Spring snow. In the interests of pedagogy, I explained to Léo on the ride up that, especially when there are four people on the lift, it’s important to go straight forward when you disembark. Five minutes later, I had ended up on my back with my skis in the air like a tortoise on its shell, unable to stand up due to the sheer size and weight of my backpack. The chairlift operator was very kind and stopped the lift (presumably to avoid a tortoise roadkill scenario) and hauled me up with a large smile (or snigger?) and a gracious ‘bienvenue Madame!’
These savoury tarts are quick and easy to make (particularly if you’ve made the pastry cases in advance) and will be even more delicious when tomatoes come into season properly.
Ingredients for pastry (makes about six mini tarts):
110g buckwheat flour
30g butter
20ml olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for filling:
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, cut into thin slices
6 slices of goats cheese
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika
To make the pastry, begin by cutting the butter into small cubes. Add to the flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the olive oil, blending well and then the cold water, mixing rapidly 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 tins. Bear in mind that buckwheat pastry is extremely crumbly as it contains no gluten to ‘stick’ it together. You’ll probably need to patch and press the pastry into the tins as opposed to just cutting and placing it in as you would with normal pastry. Precook the pastry for 10 minutes.
Fill the tarts with the shallots, garlic and tomato slices, finishing up with a slice of goats cheese on top. Season and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are ‘mushy’ and the cheese has melted.
