October

October kicks off with World Vegetarian Day which is held on the first of the month - a perfect excuse to get stuck into the squash that is in abundance this season. Carving pumpkins is a fun Halloween tradition but remember that the innards are a tasty treat. My favourite way to use them is roasted and puréed for a ravioli filling and when rubbed with garlic oil and roasted, pumpkin is a delicious addition to a Sunday roast. 

Of course, prolonged vegetarianism would be foolish seeing as October is when game starts trickling into shops. This year I got my hands on a glut of damsons and have made a jar of sauce that complements the meat beautifully. Loath as I am to utter the dreaded C word prematurely, it really is necessary to think ahead if you want to make your Christmas as tasty as possible. Damson sauce is a great alternative to cranberry sauce, if you fancy a more original addition to your seasonal table.

This month is also the height of the British apple season. It's almost a shame to cook them as they are delicious au natural but a bit of pastry never does any harm so I'm using this month to perfect my Tarte Tatin making skills. Waitrose stock "Weather blemished" apples which are great value, prevent food waste and give our orchard farmers a helping hand when the weather works against them. They are perfectly imperfect and I love them so much that I seek them out over their more aesthetically pleasing counterparts. It's the shopping equivalent of welcoming an abandoned kitten into your home, albeit less messy and a lot tastier.

Election Night 2015

To celebrate the General Election, I'm making burgers which will be themed around the main party colours.

So far I've got: 

Red meat and tomato relish (Labour)

Blue Cheese (Conservatives)

Cos Lettuce (Greens, obviously)

English Mustard (Lib Dems/SNP)

Burger Buns (slightly yellow in colour and possibly represent the Lib Dems desperately trying to hold everything together).

AND

A sorry little bit of beetroot which was added as an afterthought and doesn't really fit in with the rest of the meal ( UKIP...quite appropriate really).

For drinks, I fancy making this red wine, curaçao and orange juice concoction which looks a bit like a Labour/SNP coalition with a sprinkling of Green.

Whatever the result, it's highly unlikely that champagne will be in order...

Wiener Schnitzel

On the surface, Wiener schnitzel seems like a simple dish but there are various rules to follow which ensure that it tastes as good as possible. From the breadcrumbs used to the method of frying, here are my tips on making it perfect.

The meat: Veal escalopes are the way to go and they should be cut as thinly as possible and across the grain. It is also a good idea to bat them out at home with a meat tenderiser before coating them in breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumbs: Fresh breadcrumbs don't quite work here - they are too soft and don't develop the satisfying crunch that you get with dried ones. The breadcrumbs should also be fine in texture. I often give mine a quick blitz in a food processor to achieve this.

Egg wash:  A splash of double cream in the beaten egg adds a luxurious richness and compliments the milky taste of the veal.

Cooking: I've found a mixture of clarified butter and sunflower oil to be the best fats to cook the schnitzel. As the impurities have been removed from the butter, it can be heated to a much higher temperature without burning, meaning that the breadcrumbs have time to go crisp without acquiring those unattractive black flecks that often come hand in hand with cooking in butter. 

A generous amount of fat is needed to cook the veal (around 0.5 cm) and if you need to keep it to one side whilst batch cooking, place it on a cooking rack under a low grill. This allows any excess fat to drip out, hence preventing the crust from becoming soggy.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

400g veal escalope, sliced thin and tenderised

80g fine, dried breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten 

1 tsp double cream

Flour, to dust 

100g clarified butter

80ml sunflower oil 

Method

Everything has to happen very quickly here, so set up your workstation. Place the flour in one dish, the egg and cream in another and finally the breadcrumbs in a large shallow dish, big enough to accommodate the veal.

Place the clarified butter and oil in a frying pan and heat to a high temperature. Test this by sprinkling in a few breadcrumbs - they should turn golden straight away. If batch cooking, switch the grill on to the lowest temperature.

Dust the veal in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg wash, letting any extra egg drip off before placing in the breadcrumbs, making sure the meat is evenly coated.

Place the veal in the frying pan and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Whilst this is happening, use a table spoon and pour some of the fat over the veal, coating it entirely. This seals the breadcrumbs on top and lessens the risk of them separating from the meat. 

Carefully flip the veal and cooking for a further 3 minutes. When flipping, tilt the pan so that the butter and oil run to one end, then the schnitzel won't land in half centimetre of hot fat. The schnitzel should be golden brown all over. Remove from the frying pan and place under the grill until ready to serve.

Mix any remaining breadcrumbs into the egg wash and fry as a fritter. If you have children, it can be fun to give out the 'fake schnitzel' as a reward. Leo has painful memories of fighting for it with his brothers. 

We like to eat schnitzel with champ, sauerkraut and pickled red cabbage. Truffle mustard is more than a truffle expensive but completely divine, made and sold by Fitz Fine Foods at Borough Market. Beer makes a good accompaniment. Leo likes a traditional German Pilsner or a nice cool IPA, whilst I like a crafted fruity beer. Put Schubert on Spotify, preferably the Winterreise.

Mini Pork Pies

It's finally summer! When the sun is shining outside, there is nothing better than al fresco dining. These indiviudal pork pies are perfect for picnics and don't take long to whip up. I make mine in Le Creuset ramekins but they could also be made in a muffin tin. The hot crust pastry is easy to handle but work quickly - it's important to seal the pies whilst the pastry is hot.

Ingredients (Makes 4)

For the hot crust pastry

350g strong white bread flour 

80g lard

1 tsp flour

1 tsp paprika

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling

400g pork mice

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Small bunch of sage, finely chopped

1 tsp English mustard

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Lightly grease four ramekins and preheat oven to 180°

Gently fry the onion in the oil in a saucepan until softened. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes of cooking and then add this to a mixing bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients.

In a medium saucepan, melt the lard and tip in the flour, salt and paprika once it hits boiling point. Then take off the heat and beat with a wooden spoon (as you would with a choux pastry) until the mixture is well combined and a dough has formed. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.

Set aside a quarter of the pastry mix for the pie lids and place until a tea towel to keep warm whilst you line the ramekins with the rest. The pastry should be around 3 mm thick (there may be some leftover) and it's important to leave a slight overhang in order to seal the lids.

Divide the filling mixture between the ramekins and roll out your lids on a floured surface. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and place on top of the pies, crimping the edges with your fingers to ensure the pies are well sealed. Brush the top of the pie with the egg and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, take the pies out of the oven, gently remove from the ramekins and place on a baking tray. Brush the sides with the remainder of the egg and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes until golden.

Remove and allow to cool. These go wonderfully well with apple chutney - and a little bit of sunshine!

Poulet Noir Stock and Soup

Last Saturday at the Ginger Pig stall in Borough Market, we bought a gorgeous black leg chicken or "Poulet Noir". The average supermarket chicken has a life of around 39 days whereas the Poulet Noir is reared for a minimum of 81, giving it a deeper, almost gamier flavour. 

I lost my nerve a bit when I got it back to the kitchen, so Leo had to remove the intimadating head and large talons, which I reserved for stock. I also added some woody herbs, an onion, carrot and a few black peppercorns along with the leftover bones from the roast chicken. 

I boiled it slowly for a few hours, until I had around 100ml of concentrated stock. This cooled into a rich jelly which formed the basis of my spring chicken soup.

As the stock is so rich in flavour, I wanted that to be the main focus of the soup. I sautéed an onion, carrot and a large leek until soft and then added the stock with around half a litre of water. I then stirred in some spinach right before serving.

I was really impressed with the Poulet Noir and will be reluctant to go back to headless chickens... The head and talons made the stock extra tasty and the meat was beautifully moist and gamey.

Jerk Chicken on the Barbecue

Loathe to let the unforgiving British weather dictate my weekend plans, I went ahead with my barbecue last Sunday, despite the heavy rain and harsh wind. After all, there is no better way to cook jerk chicken than over hot charcoal. Fortunately, having a balcony off the dining room means we can cook outside and eat inside!

A jerk marinade can elevate the humble chicken to something wonderful. It's important to marinade overnight so that the flavours can penetrate the flesh as much as possible. Spatchcocking a chicken can seem like a daunting task, but a pair of good kitchen scissors and a cleaver make it easier.  Just cut through the parson's nose, all the way down the spine (which you should remove along with the ribcage and cartilage). Here's a demonstration: Spatchcock a chicken.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 large chicken, spatchcocked 

For the jerk marinade

1 bunch spring onions, chopped

4 red chillies, seeds removed and chopped

2 tbsp thyme leaves

2 tbsp allspice berries

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp black peppercorns

2 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Method

In a food processor, blitz the allspice and peppercorns to a fine powder. Add the rest of the ingredients and blitz until you have a thick paste.

Place the spatchcocked chicken into a large, shallow dish and massage in the marinade, making sure to distribute some underneath the skin. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight, to allow the flavours to permeate. 

Technically this could be cooked in the oven (at 180°C for around an hour) but you would be missing out on the tasty chargrilled skin, so it's worth breaking out the barbecue. On mine, this takes around an hour. We cook it with the lid on to get lots of lovely smokiness in the flavour. For cooking time, as all barbecues are different, what you should be looking for is for the juices to run clear when probed.

All this needs is some buttery baked potatoes and a large napkin. Enjoy!

Banana Nut Loaf

As much as I love bananas I can't bear to eat one that has gone even slightly black. I think this is a hangover of often finding a long forgotten one mushed up in amongst the books in my schoolbag... *shudders*. Instead of confining these tasty treats to the compost box, I made a loaf cake out of them. In baking, the riper the banana the better. At this stage their natural sweetness is at its peak, making them ideal for cakes. I add nuts to my batter, as I love how their woody notes compliment the sweetness of the banana. A warm slice of this with a cup of freshly ground coffee is like a little bit of everyday heaven.

Ingredients 

3 ripe bananas, mashed up

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

120g caster sugar

100g nuts (I used Brazils, almonds and walnuts) roughly chopped.

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a 1lb loaf tin.

Using a wooden spoon, or an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.

Sift the flour with the salt, baking powder and spice and add this to the egg mixture gradually, until a batter forms.

Using a spoon, stir in the bananas, honey and nuts until evenly distributed.

Place the batter in the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 1hr- 1hr 15 mins, until the cake is golden and feels springy to the touch.

Allow to cool slightly before serving. This keeps well for up to three days in an airtight container.

  

Nuts about Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has soared in popularity lately, and rightly so. It is infinitely useful - I use it to condition my hair, cleanse my face, as a mouthwash and in the bath when my skin needs some extra TLC. Not all coconut oils are equal though - here are my thoughts on the ones I've tried so far.

Superdrug Coconut Oil £2.29 125ml

This was the first coconut oil that I tried and I bought it without paying much attention to the ingredients. I assumed that all coconut oil was the same, but further research told me that hydrogenated oils (like this one) block pores, making them unsuitable for facial cleansing. The instructions also say that it isn't for "internal consumption" so unfortunately it can't be used for oil swilling either. It's not all bad though - this oil is fine to use as an intensive hair mask. As with all coconut oils, a little goes a long way, so it is good value and an effective conditioner. I'll keep using this until it runs out, but most likely won't repurchase as I'm not fond of the artificial coconut scent it contains.

2/5

Biona Organic Coconut Virgin Oil (Raw) £4.49 200g

This is my favourite oil as it ticks ALL the boxes. It is carefully produced, with no pasteurisation or bleaching and it is cold pressed, meaning the oil is as natural as possible. It has a beautiful, naturally occurring coconut fragrance and it really is a pleasure to use. After over a month of having this oil and using it in so many ways every day, I've yet to make a dent in the jar. It is a wonderful cleanser and leaves skin feeling soft and supple. It's nonhydrogenated so it won't block pores like some other coconut oils. I'll definitely repurchase this if the jar ever runs out - it's my coconut oil holy grail

5/5

Cocofresh Coconut Oil £1.59 250ml

I picked this up on impulse at my local green grocers. The packaging is pretty coy about the processing of the product - it simply claims to be "100% Pure Coconut Oil". As I don't know whether it's hydrogenated or not I avoid cleansing with it, but have found it really good to use on hair and for shaving my legs. It is an absolute bargain, so I would recommend it for everywhere but the face. 

3/5

Clarified Butter

Frying foods in butter gives a wonderful richness, but if the temperature is too high whatever is being cooked can often end up with unappetising black flecks. There is an easy way to avoid this and it's by clarifying the butter before use.

Clarified butter is basically butter with the impurities removed. The impurities are milk solids and water, so the key is making the butter anhydrous so it has a higher smoke point and can withstand longer cooking periods. Removing the water and milk solids from butter increases the smoke point by a whopping 150°C.

It is incredibly easy to clarity butter. Simply take a block of unsalted butter, place in a pan and gently bring to the boil. Milk protein in the form of a white scum will form on top and this is what we want to discard. Simply skim this off with a spoon until you are left with the luscious, yellow butter underneath. Decant this into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge, where it will solidify. Clarified butter keeps a lot longer than regular butter - up to three months -  leaving you plenty of time to get through it. It works well in curries, shallow frying, and garnishes.

Blood Orange Fizz

Blood oranges are my favorite fruit and are in season for a while longer, so I've been trying to think of imaginative ways to use them. 

As it was Valentine's Day last weekend, I thought I would juice them to add to champagne in order to create an alcoholic drink that is acceptable before noon.

The result was so delicious that I didn't even mind cleaning my juicer for once! It went really well with my luxurious Valentine's Day brunch and I'm desperately trying to invent another special occasion so I can have it again soon.

Brioche French Toast

My motto is that brunch should be easy to make, even after a glass or three of Buck's Fizz. Thankfully, french toast fulfils this requirement and is also luxurious and delicious to boot. I use brioche for mine, as it lends a sweetness that goes wonderfully well with whatever you serve it with, whether that be salty bacon or fresh fruit. It's best to slice the brioche and leave it out for a couple of hours before cooking, so that it hardens slightly, allowing it to absorb more of the egg mixture. 

Ingredients 

Serves 2

4 slices of brioche 

3 eggs

50ml milk 

1 tsp cognac (optional)

Pinch of nutmeg

Few grinds of black pepper

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp clarified butter

I served mine with some crispy streaky bacon, but it's also delicious with red berries or maple syrup.

Method

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, cognac, nutmeg and pepper until well combined. Press the bread into the egg mixture, giving it a few minutes to soak it.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium temperature until the butter has melted and the fat is hot.

Add the egg soaked bread and fry for two minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve immediately. 

5:2 Fast Day Recipes: Chicken Jalfrezi with Cauliflower Rice

Before embarking on the 5:2, Tuesday night was Curry Night in this household. I wanted to recreate that occasion, but knew the pilau rice, naan bread and popadoms would have to go. Curries in themselves are quite healthy meals- packed with fresh vegetables, tasty spices and lean meat, it only takes a bit of tweaking in order to make them suitable for a fast night. My biggest concern was what to replace the rice with in order to make the dish both taste and look like the treat we were used to.

Having recently discovered courgette spaghetti, I'm already a big fan of substituting carbs for vegetables. So for this dish, grated cauliflower replaces rice. This brings down the calorie count substantially, but also tastes great. Cauliflower is already a popular side accompaniment to curries (Aloo Gobi, anyone?) and once fried, it has a wonderfully nutty flavour and even looks like rice.

For obvious reasons, I've omitted the ghee in this recipe and replaced it with some crème fraîche to add a bit of richness. 

Ingredients 

Serves 2

For the curry

2 medium chicken breasts, diced 340 calories

2 medium onions, 1 grated and 1 chopped 92 calories

Medium green pepper, sliced 16 calories 

Medium red pepper, sliced 19 calories 

1 red chilli, chopped 20 calories

400g chopped tomatoes 82 calories 

1 tbsp cumin 15 calories 

1 tbsp ground coriander 10 calories 

1 tsp garam masala 12 calories 

1 tsp turmeric 12 calories 

1 tsp salt 0 calories 

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to garnish 5 calories 

1 tbsp low fat crème fraîche 12 calories

For the cauliflower rice

1 medium cauliflower, stems removed and grated.144 calories 

Salt and pepper, to taste 0 calories 

Total calories: 779

Calories per serving: 390

Method

In a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish, sear the chicken breasts over a medium heat until they are browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Place the grated onion and all of the powdered spices into the dish and fry gently until the onion has softened. Stir often to prevent the spices from burning. Add the chopped onion and fry for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, sliced peppers and browned chicken pieces to the pan along with 300ml of water. Stir until well combined, season with the salt and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add more water if nessescary.

To cook the rice, place the grated cauliflower in a frying pan and season with salt and pepper. Gently fry until it has browned slightly. This should take around five minutes. 

Just before serving, stir the crème fraîche into the curry and scatter over the chopped coriander. Eat immediately. 

5:2 Fast Day Recipes: "Faux" Pho - Prawn Noodle Soup

The wonderful thing about herbs and spices is that they are virtually calorie free - therefore liberal usage is encouraged. I wanted to created a dish like the pho I always order at my local Vietnamese restaurant, so my faux pho was born. I know the basic ingredients but have next to no idea just what makes the broth so delicious, so I experimented and was pretty pleased with the results.

To my delight, my faux pho was a heady, aromatic dream to eat - more feast than fast. I substituted the beef fillet I would usually opt for, for prawns - lower in calories but still meaty and delicious. For obvious reasons the noodles had to be rationed, but once I upped the quantity of bean sprouts this was barely noticeable.

Best of all though, this dish is both quick to prepare and to cook. One thing - this is one of those rare meals that does not get better with age... If left too long, the herbs and spices begin to lose their potency. For that reason it is best to eat this straight away which, given its deliciousness, shouldn't be too difficult.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 

150g fresh, raw prawns. 120 calories

150g dried egg noodles. 210 calories

200g beansprouts. 62 calories

100g babycorns, sliced lengthways. 24 calories

80g mangetout. 31 calories. 

1 red chili, thinly sliced. 7 calories

3 sping onions, chopped. 24 calories 

Inch sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 19 calories

1 garlic clove, finely chopped. 6 calories

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed. 10 calories 

Juice of one lime. 10 calories

Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 10 calories

500 ml chicken stock. 32 calories

Total calories: 565

Calories per serving: 283

Method

Heat the chicken stock in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the chilli, garlic, lemongrass and grated ginger. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, until the flavours have begun to penetrate the stock - this will form the base of the soup. 

Add the noodles and simmer until they have softened. This will take around 5- 10 minutes. Then add the sping onions, beansprouts, babycorns, mangetout and prawns. When the prawns have turned pink, they are cooked through.

Place in a warm bowl and squeeze over the lime juice. Scatter the chopped basil over the top and serve immediately. 

One last thing - the delicate but floral flavour of green tea and/or jasmine tea complement this dish really well and have the added bonus of being low in calories, so give them a try... Enjoy!

5:2 Fast Day Recipes: Pork and Basil Meatballs with Courgette Spaghetti

My love affair with courgettes continues in my new recipe. I bought a julienne peeler so that I could make the courgette spaghetti that is so popular at the moment. Replacing carbs with courgettes has allowed me to use a bit of meat in this meal, so I've added in some pork meatballs along with a tomato sauce. Although not as indulgent as my usual meatballs (which contain veal and breadcrumbs amongst other tasty ingredients) they hit the spot and this actually feels like a proper meal. Delicious, nutritious and just over half of the days calorie count... Delish! 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

200g lean pork mince. 302 calories

300 ml passata. 75 calories

2 garlic cloves, chopped. 16 calories

2 large courgettes (or 400g), julienned. 71 calories.

1 large shallot (or 40g) chopped. 26 calories.

100g mushrooms, chopped. 28 calories.

Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 6 calories.

Low calorie cooking spray. 1 calorie.

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Total calories: 525 

Calories per serving: 263 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Combine the mince and half the basil in a bowl and season to taste. Roll into bon bon sized balls and place in a frying pan, cooking over medium heat until the meatballs are browned on all sides.

The pork will release a bit of fat whilst frying, so that's what we're going to use to soften the veg. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place in an oven proof dish.

Add the onions to the frying pan, allowing them to soften before adding the mushrooms and garlic. Fry for a further five minutes before adding the passata, scraping the base to pick up all the flavours of the pan.

Pour the sauce mixture over the meatballs and place in the preheated oven. It should take around 15 minutes for the pork to cook through.

Five minutes before serving, heat the low calorie spray in a frying pan and add the courgette spaghetti. Cook until soft and on the verge of browning. 

Serve the spaghetti with the meatballs and scatter the remaining basil on top. Parmasan shavings are always a welcome addition if enough calories have been saved up!