Brain Boosters

A nice little collection of slow-release energy boosters that’ll sort you out till your next meal, or great for breakfast.

Exam season's looming now we're back at school so keep up with the brainboosters. Check out the exam section in Cooking Up a Storm. You can't go wrong with egg fried rice or a load of blueberries.

Back to Uni!
The first couple of weeks back at uni have been pretty good fun but it’s been a massive shock food wise. I got used to my sweet kitchen at home again with all its gadgets, space and proper equipment. Not forgetting to mention how clean it is! But I’ve been making do with the uni set up and have been turning out some pretty good meals. Last night’s effort was a gorgeous caramelised ginger pork fillet stir-fry. Tonight it’s lamb koftas, falafel, pitta breads and a few salad things. When everyone chips in and helps it’s done pretty quickly and it’s not that expensive.

Other news. Over Christmas I became an uncle for the second time so I have to say massive congratulations to my sister Polly, and Rob, for creating the gorgeous character that is Daniel.

Oh, and Rhubarb has to be the ingredient of the week. It’s around in all the supermarkets and markets. It’s the forced variety which has a lighter taste and texture than the later fruit. Give it a good wash then chop it into finger lengths. Put it into a frying pan or saucepan and just cover with water. Add a bit of sugar to taste. Bring it just up to boil then whack the heat down at once. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes till it’s soft but holding its shape still. Eat it hot or warm or cold. Blitz it up with a bit of custard to make rhubarb fool. Layer it up in a bowl with some plain yoghurt, honey, a few nuts. Stir it into a bit of whipped cream with a bashed up meringue or crumbled ginger biscuits. You can even team it up with a bit of fish. Eat it with a freshly fried mackerel or grill up a trout to enjoy with it. Sam x




New Year
Well, I suppose it had to happen. A nasty post-Christmas illness – so I’m not back at University. But at least I’ve managed to get out of bed. Oh well. Now it’s about recovery and fattening up again. I lost 9 lbs – in a week. Better than any diet though I wouldn’t recommend it. Diet’s definitely key to feeling better again. I recommend Chicken Soup. If you can get someone to make it. Or keep a stash of chicken stock in your freezer so you can easily do it yourself. De-frost and flavour it up with a bit of healthy and tasty fresh ginger and garlic. Bung a bit of green leaf and soy in there at the last minute. Chicken soup’s a natural antibiotic. Perfect. Get plenty of citrus fruit for the vitamin C. Chop oranges into quarters. Get easy-peel clementines or satsumas. Make up a cold-busting drink with boiling water, chopped fresh ginger, honey, fresh lemon juice. Let it all steep for a minute or two then sip slowly. Great for the throat.

Drink loads of water to push the fever through and keep hydrated. Mash up bananas for energy and easy swallowing. Get well soon.

Sam x

PS Doing exams? Good luck.


Merry Christmas.
It’s so good to be home. You really can’t beat it. Sometimes all you want is clean stuff - and for someone to bring you a cup of tea now and then. Currently I need to wash everything twice in my flat. Cups, plates, pans, dishes, trays – you name it, it’s dirty, which is a bit of a nightmare for me as I love to work in a clean kitchen. Things are so bad I even feel the need to wash my hands after I’ve used our oven gloves. Don‘t go thinking I’m some sort of a weirdo needing everything to be hyper-hygienic – I just don’t want to get ill every day! Oh, and it’s a beautiful thing when every shelf you look at is yours. At uni, you have to be sharing.

Anyway, I’m home and it’s on with the planning for Christmas dinner. The turkey’s ordered from our favourite farm shop and there should be enough to feed the masses. The only bad thing about this Christmas is that my sister Polly won’t be here. She’s popping out a baby at some point. So good luck! It’s a boy – user name, Baby David (after the baby in ‘The Royale Family’) though we don’t know what they’ll be calling him.

Before the big lunch I’ve got another dinner to prep. This weekend a couple of good mates from Uni are stopping off in York on their way back home for their festive events. I’ll be cooking up a nice little treat for them. I won’t say what as they’re likely to read this and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. One of the great things when you’re entertaining mates is to put the unexpected on the table. Anyway I gotta go decorate the house and dress the tree. If you fancy making up some spicy xmas biscuits to hang on yours – here’s my recipe. They look great and are well tasty. Happy Christmas – have a great one. See you in the New Year.

Sam xx

Iced Christmas Star & Tree Biscuits

250 g self raising flour

Pinch salt

125 g butter

125 g caster sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

1 small egg, beaten

1 tablespoon runny honey

icing

icing sugar (sifted)

lemon juice

1.Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt and butter.

2.Rub lightly together between your fingers.

3.Fork in sugar, spices, egg, honey.

4.Pull mix into a ball with your fingers.

5.Knead lightly on a lightly floured board.

6.Chill, I hour, wrapped in clingfilm.

7.Pre-heat oven 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease two baking trays.

8.Roll biscuit dough out to 3-4 mm thickness – cut into star and tree shapes without twisting cutters. Lift dough onto trays with a palette knife – it’s soft so take care.

9.Cook for 10 plus minutes till golden brown (watch them).

10.Cool on trays. Transfer to racks. Mix icing ingredients. Ice and leave to set. Store in tins.




Festive Food - To get you in the mood for Christmas!
So, December’s coming up and the build up to Christmas has begun. The Edinburgh lights were turned on a few days back and everything’s buzzing with the Xmas spirit. Incidentally, I saw my first DFS sofa sale advert today so that’s a sure sign that we’re heading for a New Year.

In the meantime, my mates and I are planning a Christmas gathering. We’re thinking mince pies, brandy butter and mulled wine and I’ll be turning out a few top bites like a batch of Chicken Liver Pate.

Chicken livers are pretty cheap. Get them from your butchers or supermarket freezer compartment and defrost them. Soak them in a bit of milk for 30 minutes then drain and roughly chop. Fry up a small diced onion or 3 shallots in a bit of butter until they’re soft and translucent. Add 3-4 cloves crushed garlic, a bit of thyme and 4-5 chopped rashers of bacon. Cook for a few minutes till the bacon fat starts to run. Chuck in your chicken livers and turn for a few minutes until they’re cooked but still a bit pink inside. To deepen the flavour, add 2-3 tbspns red wine, brandy or JD. Turn up the heat to evaporate the alcohol. Remove - season with salt, pepper, more thyme, a bit of fresh lemon juice. Blitz till smooth adding ½ a pack or more of cream cheese to lighten the texture. Pour into one big bowl or ramekins/bowl/cups. Leave to cool. Cover to seal with melted butter. Chill. This keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks. Spread on bits of toast – crostini – French bread – melba toast – crackers.

I’m also thinking ahead about Christmas dinner once I’m back home. Beef, turkey or duck? I’ll have to get my brother’s approval as he’s pretty picky about his xmas food and deciding who gets to cook what. Anyway, I’ve got to go sort out a shopping list for a batch of mince pies. Why not make some yourself? Have a good week!

Pastry doesn’t take well to too much handling, so, keep it light. And wash your hands in cold water before making it. Hot hands make for tougher pastry.

Traditional Mince Pies - for 18

225 g plain flour

50g ground almonds

125g butter, cubed

100g caster sugar

zest ½ lemon

1 egg yolk, beaten

3-4 tablespoons milk or water

½ jar good mincemeat

A little cream cheese or marzipan (optional)

Icing sugar for dusting

1. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the almonds and butter.

2. Rub the butter lightly into the mix using your fingertips, holding you hands well above the bowl to keep it airy.

3. Add the sugar and zest. Mix with a fork. Add the egg, and milk or water until the pastry holds together when you pull it into a ball. If it’s too dry, add a drop more liquid but too much will give you tough pastry. Use as little liquid as you can get away with.

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or clean surface. Knead it very gently and quickly till smooth Wrap in clingfilm/foil. Chill for 1 hour.

5. Pre-heat the oven 200C/400F/6. Grease 2 x 12-hole bun tins.

6. Roll the pastry out thinly on the board/surface. Cut into 36 circles with a floured 7.5 cm cutter or glass. You’ll use these for 18 bases and 18 lids.

7. Line 18 of the holes with pastry circles. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each. Top with a little cream cheese, marzipan or grated apple if you fancy.

8. Brush the edges of the pastry lids with a little water. Place these onto the pies, moist side down, pressing to seal firmly.

9. Brush the tops with a glaze of milk or milk beaten with egg yolk. Cut 2 small slits in the top of each pie to release steam.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes till golden. Cool 3-4 minutes in the tins. Remove pies with a spatula. Transfer to cooling racks. Dust with icing sugar – serve warm, cold or re-heat.


The Winter of Soups
Winter has definitely struck in Edinburgh. Bonfire Night was a hat, scarf and glove occasion! My friends and I (Dom, Laurie, Johnny, Rich and others) headed up to the top of Arthurs seat (a massive hill overlooking Edinburgh). It was ace to see all the fireworks from such a great viewpoint. The freezing cold certainly brought me around to thinking about winter foods and soups are permanently on my radar. They’re perfect to warm you up, they’re cheap and they’re healthy (full of minerals and/or from the stock and veg used) and of course, get them right and they’re bound to be tasty! Soups are perfect for students as you don’t need loads of fancy equipment to make them.

My absolute favourite is French Onion. It’s easy to make (see below) and the flavour’s beautiful. Top tip: it works out best if you don’t rush your onions. The richness develops and improves over a few days so make sure to make enough for leftovers.

For serving – I always bang some toasted crostini with harissa mayo and gruyere cheese on top (it’s a dream to eat) but plain crostini or bits of toasted cheese will do if you’re on a budget. Serve it really hot and this combo works as a complete meal.

This weeks Tuesday dinner gathering is another winter warmer, classic mash with sausage and onion gravy. Everyone is very excited! On that note, I’d better start cooking. I’m salivating at the thought of it all.

Hope you all had a great Halloween and Bonfire Night. Sam x

French Onion Soup

STOCK

A successful soup’s all about the stock. Homemade’s best. For chicken stock – you can boil up what’s left of a roast chicken with a carrot/onion/fresh or dried herbs for an hour. Drain, cool, chill or freeze. Or boil up a couple of chicken thighs or a chicken joint for 30 minutes.

Onion soup’s traditionally made with beef stock (roast the bones before boiling up into a stock) but that’s not always practical to do.

For vegetable stock – boil up a washed onion (skin on) with a carrot, bit of celery if you have it, fresh or dried herbs – for 30 minutes.

No homemade? I use Knorr chicken stock cube or a bit of Marigold Bouillon but they’re salty – so watch your seasoning.

RECIPE

1 tbspn olive oil (or what you have)

2 tbspns butter

5 very large onions (I try to get brown skinned but any)Peeled, thinly sliced across into rings

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tspns sugar

300ml white wine (or extra stock)

1.8 litres chicken or veg stock (or water but season it up)

Salt and black pepper

Croutons

6 slices baguette or rough bread

Cheese – grated gruyere or cheddar

A bit of mayo mixed with garlic and a little harissa paste (optional)



1.Prepare your stock.

2.If you’ve only got the one pan, decant the stock. Wash and dry pan.

3.Heat the oil/butter combo over a low heat in the pan. Add the onion and garlic.Stir well to coat. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a minimum.

4.Sweat the veg slowly for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Too much heat and the onions will burn and taste bitter – ruined soup.

5.Add the sugar and a bit of salt. Stir. Let the onions melt down further for 30 minutes or until they are reduced, soft and brown. This caramelisation gives your soup it’s deep flavour so don’t burn and don’t rush.

6.Increase the heat then add the wine. Boil the mix for 2 minutes. Add the stock and a bit of seasoning. Boil then reduce the heat. Cover the pan. Simmer for at least 20 minutes or until the soup tastes deeply flavoured. Season. The time taken will depend on the first processes and the quality of your stock and onions.

7.Toast the baguette or bake on a tray in an oven till crisp. Top with grated cheese. Place in the bottom of bowls and pour the soup on top. Or float on the soup.Or drop bits of toasted cheese on top. Your call…….