A thousand words. Or not.

Aka further experiments with my new Blogpress app...

You know how I said that I wished my blog had more pictures? Yeah, well. This is why it doesn't:


It turns out that one of my many talents is the ability to make perfectly nice platefuls look like dog food. This is stew and mash by the way.

Or this:


This is a spaghetti dish I have been meaning to blog about for ages. Gorgeous. Here, it looks like pale dog food. Note the artistic skewiffness to the set up...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I love to go a-wandering...

Well, I've finally gone and done it. Yep, the Foodie has got the technology. I've been doing so much travelling for work recently that my poor blog has been somewhat neglected. Now, with the Blogpress app, I can remote post with ease! Well, I think it is with ease. I mean, I haven't actually posted this yet...

I'm a homebody so being away is tough. It's especially difficult, when one is trying to shed some poundage, to be trapped in a fully catered facility where it is possible to eat three courses for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh, and biscuits are laid on every time we break for coffee. Damn those biscuits. So far, so good. I'm partly saved by the fact that mass catering - even reasonable quality mass catering - isn't a patch on home-cooked food so I'm not tending to over indulge. As long as I stand FAR away from the biscuits.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Diet averse

Stew!  (Image taken from deliciousmagazine.co.uk)

I was on the phone to my Mum the other day, discussing cancelling my subscription to Weight Watchers magazine because I found the recipes a bit “diet-ey”. Which D found amusing for some reason – “Of course they’re dietey,” he said, “It’s a diet magazine.”

I HATE the word diet – although dietey sounds a bit like doughty which I like...but the word diet, and the concept of diet food, stinks of deprivation and misery and steamed vegetables. I can’t count the number of times I’ve read some skinny sleb or other enthusiastically saying that their dinner tends to consist of grilled chicken and steamed veg. I bet they don’t leave the skin on the chicken either. If I thought I had to live on that for the rest of my life I’d attempt hari kiri with a piece of blunt spaghetti.

Take this week, for example. Among other things I’ve put away a great slab of sirloin steak and a rather delicious split pea and ham soup with a crusty, buttered roll for dunking. On Tuesday, I tucked into a hearty beef and red wine stew which I’d found lurking in the freezer, served up with Cheddar dumplings*, mashed potato and creamy leeks. I’ve sampled the new, limited edition Penny Pigs (I assume Penny is Percy’s girlfriend; she is lemon flavoured in any case), eaten several segments of chocolate orange, and a good few fistfuls of Maltesers. None of these things are dietey, or dietesque, in the slightest.

There are concessions, of course there are. I mean, I’m finally learning a bit of portion control – the steaks may have been huge, but there were no potatoes on the side because they just weren’t required and the Maltesers were weighed out. The “creamy” leeks were made with half fat Philadelphia. I haven’t had any wine. I’ve exercised. But, I suppose the point I’m trying to make, is that the concessions have been, relatively speaking, fairly small. I’ve been able to enjoy what I’ve eaten safe in the knowledge that it is a million miles away from a joyless plate of chickenandveg.

And at the scales today, I’d somehow managed to lose 6.5 pounds. I’m willing to make a few concessions for success like that.

*For the recipe, pictured above, pop across to the Delicious magazine website – according to the nutritional info it works out at a pretty reasonable 10 pro points per portion.



What is the use of a blog without pictures...?

Packet of peanuts for anyone who can identify the quote paraphrased above?  No?  Well, it's from Alice in Wonderland, spoken by Alice herself just before she falls down the rabbit hole.  Only, she referred to a book rather than a blog.  Blogs still being a twinkle in a white rabbit's eye at the time.

It keeps popping into my mind with regards to this blog because I'm extremely lax on the old picture front.  Some of my absolute favourite food blogs always have amazing pictures of gorgeous looking meals strewn throughout them and it always makes me feel a little shabby by comparison.

Yesterday, I had an absolute behemoth of a sirloin steak for tea.  Seriously, seriously huge, but also glistening and tender and totally delicious and would have made a fantastic (if rather carnivorous) blog illustration.  But I only remembered when I was about three quarters of the way through.  And no one wants to see a picture of a mostly-eaten supper.

So instead you get this:

It may look rather unprepossessing - but this is the basis of our rather fabulous smelling tea tonight.  Leeks, carrots, celery, dried split peas and homemade ham stock seasoned with black pepper, mustard powder and dried parsley all bunged in the slow cooker and then left to putter away on low for 6-8 hours before being whizzed up to make a gorgeous, hearty soup.  And I can't tell you how much it warmed the cockles of my heart to be able to use the words "homemade" and "stock" in the same sentence.  Just before serving, I plan to stir through a spoonful of mustard and some shredded gammon that has been languishing in the freezer since Christmas.  Perfect Sunday night fare.  

Lenten promises

Awww, how lovely it is to be missed! Thank you so much, Peridot, for your comment on my last entry.

I’ve not blogged anything for a while; time just hasn’t been on my side, but neither has inclination, if I’m honest. Of course, in dieting spheres this generally means bad news, and, I must concede, my heart hasn’t been in the counting lately. Apparently, the fact that I have to wear a wedding dress in, oh, six months, is not incentive enough.

It was in the run up to Easter last year that my efforts first started to seriously falter. I can’t even remember why now. So it seems fitting that in the run up to Easter this year I retake my mojo. Yes, for Lent 2011 this particular foodie is giving up giving up on WW. I even made a list of things that would help me use these six weeks to form some good habits, including cutting out all alcohol apart from the odd glass of wine (I appear to have developed a bit of a cider habit of late), exercising three times a week and dragging my sorry behind to a meeting without fail. Unless I have a really good excuse, like illness or death or something.

Actually, Lent has started a day late in our household due to me being away for work for a few days and missing out on pancake day. So we had pancakes last night, mine smeared respectively in lemon juice and sugar, Florentine butter and golden syrup. Gorgeous stuff, and I discovered D’s talent, hitherto concealed, for pancake flipping. A man of many and varied talents, obviously.

Recipe corner - Valentine's Raspberry Souffle

Edited Feb 2012: I'm adding this recipe to Mrs M's first ever recipe link party - it seems appropriate given the time of year!  This is a fantastic, simple and (relatively) virtuous dessert to make for the one you love...

Raspberry souffle - sadly not mine!  (Taken from the Good Food Channel website)

A belated happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Now, I know it is a cheesy Hallmark occasion designed to guilt people into spending money on cards and gonks. But I must admit that it does hold a special place in my heart.

A good few years ago – just over seven to be precise, I was in a pretty low place. I had just moved back in with my parents after a disastrous period of trying to assert my independence that had left me broke, tired and utterly heartbroken. That Valentine’s Day I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, sent by my gorgeous Mum to cheer me up. The gesture didn’t cheer me up though. It made me feel incredibly alone.

And so, it was on Valentine’s Day that I decided I needed to do something to take control of my life and I signed on to an Internet dating site. At that moment in time it didn’t cross my mind that I would meet anyone with whom I could have a long term relationship. But I wanted to take the initiative, seize the day...do something, anything, positive.

D was not the first man that I chatted with on there, but he was the first one that I actually met in person. As a couple, we didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts, but despite everything, the relationship prospered and grew. And this year, I get to marry my best friend in the entire world, and I get to stand up in front of my family and friends and tell them how much I love and value him. So I always celebrate Valentine’s Day, because it was the day on which I took the first steps along the path that would lead to here, and to him.

Enough with the gushy stuff and on to the more important part of this post – pudding and, specifically, the pudding that I served as the final hurrah of my multi course extravaganza of a Valentine’s Day dinner.

This recipe, which is by Paul Heathcote on the BBC website, describes itself as “foolproof”. Now I must admit that I tend to distrust anyone or anything that uses that particular adjective, but on this occasion it may have been justified. Certainly it was simple to put together, and a lovely way to end a meal. I didn’t pick it because it was WW compatible – that was just a happy accident, but I would definitely make it again, without a qualm, for a dinner party.

The only change I have made to the original recipe is to halve the portion size – and this is only because my ramekins could only hold a quarter, as opposed to half, of the mixture. After several other courses though, the reduced quantity was absolutely fine. One of the key things I’m learning about myself is that I need a lot less food than I think I do. And I would rather eat a smaller portion of something yummy that a large bowl of something bland and worthy.

Oh, and I should mention, that D used the remaining half of the mixture the following night. It had split slightly, but a good whisk to reincorporate the raspberry and the meringue, and Bob’s your uncle, two more soufflés. So they are obviously pretty forgiving if you want to make them in advance. Personally, I made the coulis before hand and then had the egg whites and sugar laid out in bowls to do the whipping and folding at the last minute.

Ingredients

250g raspberries
4 egg whites
100g (plus 2 tsp) caster sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour, dissolved in a little water
2 tsp butter

Serves 4, 4 pro points per serving


First, evenly butter and sugar ovenproof moulds for the soufflés and place in the freezer.


For the coulis, add half of the sugar to the raspberries. Place in a hot pan and cook quickly for 2-3 minutes with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Liquidise with a hand blender and pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Place 2 tsp of coulis in the bottom of the soufflé dishes and thicken the remaining coulis with the moistened cornflour.

For the meringue, ensure the whisk and bowl are free from grease by scalding in boiling water or rubbing a lemon around the surface of the bowl, then place the egg whites into the bowl and start to whisk (an electric whisk makes life an awful lot easier!) Gradually add the sugar until the mixture forms a soft, glossy peak then finish off with a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Briskly whisk about a third of the egg white mixture into the thickened coulis and then gently in the remainder, taking care to keep in the air.

Divide the mix between the dishes.

When ready to bake, space out on a tray and bake in a medium to hot oven (180C/350F/Gas 4) for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size and dish.

Dust with icing sugar, place a raspberry on top (if you so fancy) and serve immediately

The wanderer returns

The last week has seen me at a training centre, deep in the wilds of Lincolnshire. Well, I say deep in the wilds – it is actually just a couple of miles outside of Lincoln town centre. But it feels like the middle of nowhere.


After five days there I did feel a bit like a mole. Classrooms, bedrooms and dining room are all under the same roof and so, unless you make a conscious effort, or take up smoking, you never actually need to set a food outside.

And oh, the joys (or not) of mass catering. Actually, they make a fairly reasonable fist of it, but still…had I ever been allowed to have school dinners (I brought a packed lunch for my entire school career) I am sure this would have invoked flashbacks. L-Hall is kind of legendary in certain circles; people have been know to gain as much as half a stone after a week of three course breakfasts, lunches and dinners. They quite literally feed you into a sort of bemused submission.

I am pleased to report that I did not gain half a stone – in fact, a quick hop on the scales this morning, and I appear to have stayed the same, which I take as quite the victory. The week started well; I hit up the salad bar at lunchtime and stuck to one course, generally a veggie or fish option for dinner…however, by the end of the week I had made a couple of evening visits to reception to purchase a twin pack of Cadbury’s Caramel Bunnies to soothe my jangled nerves.

It was lovely to be home, and to be reminded of the pleasures of great home cooking. We’ve had quite a fishy weekend, the highlight of which was an amazing warm salad of pan fried mackerel fillets and grapefruit. It was D’s creation, much as I would like to take credit, and I’ve told him he needs to cook it again soon. The combination of the rich, oily mackerel with the sour grapefruit and a hit of wholegrain mustard was absolutely gorgeous – and I’m not usually a grapefruit lover.

I also realise I never got the chance to post here about the Valentine’s Day dinner I cooked before I left for Lincoln – but rest assured it was fabulous, even if I do say so myself. I do plan to share the pudding recipe here because actually it is a very WW friendly dessert, and easy to whip up midweek if you feel like indulging.

Right, off to plough through my inbox…

Backwards and Forwards, Up and Down…

For the last three weeks I have been full of motivation and resolve, eating well, hitting the gym and seeing some downwards movement on the scales. Hurrah.

And then, the last couple of days I seem to have slumped back into “don’t care” mode. Tuesday night, I decided to eschew the stir fry that was planned for tea and dragged D out for a drink instead. And then, a bottle of wine down, we phoned our favourite restaurant on the off chance that they would have a table available, and they did. So we went.

The meal itself was absolutely wonderful. I’ve waxed lyrical about J. Baker’s before, but (and I can’t emphasise this enough) if you ever find yourself in York and don’t choose to eat here then…well, there’s not a lot I can do about it. But you’ll have missed out.

Of course, I can’t entirely regret a nice evening out with good company, and fantastic food, including some amazing fresh crab served with apple sorbet and spicy granola (wow!) and one of the most delicious duck dishes I’ve ever tasted (seared, served with vanilla salt and mandarin balsamic if you’re interested). And, as my last weigh in proved, one bad day doesn’t undo a good week. But I suppose what bothers me is why I chose to go off piste. What triggered this particular little act of rebellion. Because although one bad day won’t make a long term difference, one bad day has a habit of becoming two or three or…well, you get the gist.

I’m a wee bit stressed out work wise at the moment – I’ve signed up to do something that I really don’t want to do, something rather pressurised, something that will potentially involve being away from home for extended periods, which I hate. And, I’ll be honest, I’m worried about how these periods away will harm my eating habits – I’ll struggle to count the catered food, and I’ll be lonely and prone to comfort eating Kit Kats in my room. I’m a wee bit stressed out about the upcoming wedding as well – some of the decisions we’ve made have upset some people which in turn has upset me. But I’m just kidding myself that pressure of this, or any other sort, is a license to anaesthetising myself with food. Which is really what Tuesday night was all about.

So, as of today, as of right NOW, I’m putting it behind me and starting all over again, and the thought of Jeff’s sublime aubergine-with-fifty-spices or his delicate cauliflower foam served with a poached quail’s egg will most definitely NOT make me lose my focus…for the rest of this week at least.

Lunch in the closet

I’ve given up trying to understand my body. Last week I pointed every morsel that crossed my lips and lost a pound. This week I spent most of Saturday afternoon indulging in wine and cakes and lost three. I’m not complaining. But I am slightly confused.

It was the final stage of my rather drawn out 30th birthday celebrations this weekend: some friends and I decided to indulge ourselves with lunch at a the two Michelin star L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Actually, D and I ate here a few years ago, and at the time found it a mixed bag – although the mashed potato (which Robuchon famously makes with a 50:50 ratio of potato to butter) was fabulous. The lunch deal this time round was too good to resist however: two courses from the lunch menu, followed by “afternoon tea” in the bar area upstairs in lieu of pudding, all for £35. It’s certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities of the Toptable website.

My starter of baked egg with wild mushroom cream was nice – although the fact that my friend described the texture of her egg as “slightly snotty” did put me off a little. Descriptive, no? The light-as-air mushroom cream was the star here; I loved the combination of its fluffy texture with the deep, earthy flavours of the mushroom – it was like getting a kiss from a big, burly farmer with a scratchy beard. Or something. The main course was good too. I couldn’t resist the pork belly – despite the fact that most of the time when I order it in a restaurant it compares unfavourably to D’s amazing twice cooked version. This was good though – much thinner that you usually see belly served out, with crispy fat and a warm hum of ginger; and I adored the combination of the pork with fat, juicy prunes. As an accompaniment, the table received a couple of bowls of matchstick fries – my only criticism here was that there were not nearly enough. Fat chips I can take or leave, but hot, thin, crispy, salty fries are irresistible.

Without a doubt though, the most exciting part of the meal was being escorted upstairs to sit in comfort in the third floor bar and indulge in the loose leaf tea of our choice with a selection of delicate confections. Unfortunately, my own photos didn’t come out (the lighting was terribly dark – how do other people manage?) but I managed to find this image online at bookatable.com which should give you some idea. I think the general consensus of opinion was that the caramel macaron was the standout here – gorgeously sweet with that little hint of salt which compliments caramel so well. Blissful.

So there you have it – apparently my dieting top tip this week is to go out and indulge yourself a little. On second thoughts, if my body is running a week behind, the fallout from my pointeriffic weekend may be yet to come…

L'atelier de Joel Robuchon
13-15 West St
London
WC2H 9NE

Recipe corner – Get Ready To Crumble!

Had a bad day?

Feeling like the world is against you?

You need….crumble!

There is no pudding in the world that can put a smile on my face like a gorgeous, steaming bowl of fruit crumble. Ooooh, except maybe sticky toffee pudding. Or hot chocolate fudge cake. Or….ahem. Easy there, tiger!

It occurs to me that anyone who ever comes across this blog may not realise how sweet a tooth I have, mainly because I never seem to post sweet recipes. I’m not sure why it is that I rarely make puddings – possibly because we tend to have a stash of chocolate in the cupboard most of the year round that provides sweet treats as and when required.

I have sampled, by way of research you understand, most of the WW own branded desserts and my feeling is, for the most part – don’t bother. They all taste a little artificial to me – and pudding is one area where quality is definitely more important than quantity. One thing I do often have in my freezer is a pack of Del Monte Smoothie lollies. These are 3 points apiece and gorgeously smooth and fruity, like a really indulgent sorbet. Far nicer than anything WW has yet produced in my opinion. I also recently discovered that Magnum Minis work out at only 5 points, which, ok, is not an every day kind of thing, but definitely worthwhile for the occasional splurge. The Limoncello and Irish Cream flavours that they produced for Christmas were fabulous – I’m hoping these are not limited editions.

Anyway, back to the crumble, and here is my recipe based on one from the WW site…the only concession it makes to virtue is using half fat butter, and I don’t find that this makes any real difference to the final flavour. I like Lurpak Lighter and tend to keep it in the fridge anyway for those times when only a crumpet or slice of buttered toast will do. I am also adamant that the best crumbles contain oats – purists may beg to differ, but what can I say, I want my crumble topping to taste a bit like a Hob Nob biscuit.

This is 9 points which sounds a bit ouchy – but the other night we had a bowl of 2 point soup followed by the crumble which was a fantastically comforting tea for a chilly January evening and, taken as a whole, doesn’t do too much damage to the daily allowance.

Ingredients

60g plain flour
30g jumbo oats
40g half fat butter
40g caster sugar plus a tablespoon for the fruit*
½ tsp cinnamon
6 sticks of rhubarb

*You could sweeten the rhubarb with artificial sweetener which would reduce the points by 1 per portion.

Serves 2, 9 pro points per person

Combine the flour, cinnamon and oats in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture ressembles damp sand (you can do this stage in a food processer which saves a bit of time). Stir through the sugar.

Meanwhile, chop the rhubarb into roughly 5cm pieces and place in a saucepan with a splash of water and a tablespoon of sugar (you could also add some warming spice at this stage – cinnamon and ginger both work well). Place over a low heat until the rhubarb has softened but still retains some structure.

Tip the rhubarb into an ovenproof dish and tumble the crumble (poetry!!) over it. Bake in a hot oven (180 – 200) for 30 mins, or until the top is golden and the fruit is beginning to bubble up at the sides. Leave to cool for 5-10 mins before serving.

Gorgeous with cream, ice cream or custard (unless you’re me and don’t really like the stuff – an Englishwoman who doesn’t eat custard! The shame!) – remember to include any additional points.

Sit back, relax and indulge.

Tales from the Scales

I don’t tend to talk an awful lot about the results of my weigh in. I’m not sure why, it just never seems to occur to me as a topic when I’m coming up with things to write about.

But I want to write about my result last night. Last night was my first weigh in since re-starting the plan two weeks ago post the Christmas and New Year merriment. My first week had been less than 100% stellar, not improved by the fact I had been unable to attend the week before (I’m a terrible sulker when things don’t go to plan), but I’d pulled it back and now I toddled along , having had seven perfectly tracked days in a row (plus three gym visits to boost the bank). I had that smug little glow that one gets when one is about to receive one’s just reward and I jumped onto the scales quite happily.

I had lost a pound.

A single, squiddly little pound. A decent bowel movement can get me a pound’s weight loss some mornings.

I took back my card, signed the weekly sheet and headed straight for home, definitely a bit moist of eye. I started doing diet arithmetic – you know when you think, “Well, if I lose an average of half a pound a week for x number of weeks then it will take me so long to get so far,” and that made the eyes even moister. By the time I got back to the flat I was sufficiently worked up to make D’s shoulder quite soggy.

Later, pootling up and down the swimming pool (and let me tell you, it took quite an effort of will to go to the gym after my disappointment – the two bottles of organic cider in the fridge and the takeaway menu drawer had been singing out my name quite loudly) I tried hard to be sanguine.

I bang on and on about the fact that I don’t regard WW as a diet – just a way of monitoring the way I eat to ensure I create a bit of a calorie deficit. The alternative to WW? Well, I’d still have to eat, I’d still have to plan my meals, I’d still want to consume sufficient nutrients for good health. There’d be a little less admin, but not a massive amount. And the trade off for that fifteen minutes spent tracking every day is improved health and an eventual decrease in girth.

I suppose we all want validation, we all want to know that our efforts are being rewarded. And the main way we seek that validation is the number in the scales. If the number goes up, or stays the same, or even doesn’t give us the drop we hoped for, if the number doesn’t feel like sufficient reward for our endeavours, then we judge ourselves a failure.

But I’m sorry; I did not “fail” at anything last week. In fact, there was plenty to be proud of. I made sensible, healthy decisions, I ate well, I exercised, I did not over indulge nor did I deny myself anything that I really wanted. That’s a successful week. Failure would have been allowing my disappointment to derail me, to allow the negative thought pattern of, “Sod it. This obviously isn’t working for me, I’m going to eat and drink what the hell I like and waistline be damned,” to take over. Success is accepting that if you do all the right things, the results will eventually follow. Success is realising that this is a life plan – not a quick fix, not a temporary measure. Success is keeping on and on and on, and not allowing a number on a dial to derail you.

In the words of The Beautiful South, you just have to “Carry on regardless.”

Lunch Bunch

Occasionally, (well, once or twice a week if we’re being strictly honest here) I decide to skip making a pack-up and “treat” myself to lunch “out”. I say out, but whatever I buy ends up getting eaten at my desk while I scan the BBC news headlines and wish I had a job that I could do from home. Preferably in about half an hour a day leaving me lots of time for fun stuff like napping and reading blogs. And I say treat but…well.

It was while I was standing in the Co-op earlier today, surveying the lunchtime options, that I realised a) they are not good with food and b) buying a crappy pre packaged sandwich or salad can in no way, shape or form be described as anyone who enjoys good food as a treat. I mean, everything looked so sad and grey and shrunken. I must have stood in front of the display for a good five minutes, just staring, blankly. Occasionally, I would pick something up to tap the nutritional info into my iphone (at least having a WW app makes it look a bit like you’re sending a text rather than calculating points) and spluttering out loud on discovering that some mangy, smelly tuna mayo on soggy stuff that used to vaguely resemble bread would set me back more points than a good home cooked meal.

No, I think me and the lunchtime takeaway may have come to the end of our love affair for a while. Increasingly, I just can’t stand spending a premium to eat bad ingredients badly assembled and left to sweat away in plastic. Especially when I think about the gorgeous squash soup with Gruyere leftovers that I was tucking into this time last week, a lunch that knocked any of the Co-op’s offerings into a cocked hat, and for half the points.

Should you find yourself in a similar situation, my current top options (and by top I mean best of a bad bunch) are:

Comfort Food – M&S Shepherd’s Pie in a Pot: Yes, M&S tends to be pricier than its rivals, but it also tends to be worth it. The meal-in-a-pot thing may be a bit of a gimmick but I thought the Shepherd’s Pie was pretty tasty and filling and perfect for a gloomy day. At 9 points it is by no means the lowest option out there, but it will keep you going, and there is a generous layer of cheese on top which appeals to this particular fromagophile. The M&S Count on Us Chilli Con Carne pot should get an honourable mention here too – a bit lacking in spice, but only 6 points a portion and also pretty filling.

Meal Deal – Boots still wins this one by a whisker, I reckon. The Shapers range tends to be ok - I’m currently opting for the Chicken Caesar Salad. The dressing is, of course, no where near the real thing, and the cheese is a bit on the plasticky side, but there are plenty of crunchy croutons and a decent amount of chicken in with all the salad and the whole thing comes to a mere 4 points. There are plenty of 0 point fruit options to get as your “side” but I often treat myself to a bag of Snack a Jacks at 3 points – I have a curious fondness for rice cakes of all shapes and sizes.

Fast food – You still can’t really go wrong with a Subway. All the nutritional info is listed online so you can go as low or high point as you like and bulk out your choice with plenty of salad. I used to be a turkey-and-ham-with-the-works-plus-light-mayo kind of girl but have discovered that I can get steak and cheese for the same number of points (9) and somehow the latter feels much less like diet food.

Any other bright ideas would be welcomed…although for the time being I think I’m going to stick to filling my mauve and pink “Kitten” lunchbox (yes, I am 30, no, I have no intention of giving it up to use sensible Tupperware) with homemade fare – I might put the money I save towards something exciting. Like…oooh, I don’t know, a wedding…

Recipe corner – Oven baked roasted red pepper and chorizo risotto

I must be on track at the moment, because this is the second recipe I’ve posted in a week! It’s so tasty though, I felt I had to share.
I love risotto, and this oven baked specimen means that you don’t have to spend a long time standing and stirring at the hob (not that this is a task that I object to particularly). The resulting texture is slightly less creamy than a traditional risotto – probably more akin to a paella.

This is an adaptation…an evolution, if you will, of a recipe that originally appeared on the Good Food magazine website. If you don’t already check this site out then go on, pop across now (as long as you come back here to copy this down afterwards). It has some fantastic, simple ideas for meals, plus, most of the recipes include a full nutritional breakdown which makes them easy to work into your day.

For the purposes of this post, I’ve calculated the points based on the individual ingredients. There are a few tweaks you could make to make it less pointy:

o Make it vegetarian by getting rid of the chorizo – total saving, 3 propoints per portion. Up the paprika a little if you do this for an extra flavour kick.

o Ditch the olive oil – total saving 2 propoints per portion. Use a spray instead.

o Use extra stock in place of the wine – total saving 1 propoint per portion.

o Reduce the total amount of Parmesan in the recipe by half (I wouldn’t ditch it altogether as it does add a lovely umami flavour) – total saving – 1 propoint per portion.

Ingredients

Tbsp olive oil
Red pepper, cut into quarter pieces
Red onion, finely chopped
Clove of garlic, crushed
50g chorizo sausage, diced
150g risotto rice
50ml white wine
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (opt)
200g (one small tin) chopped tomatoes

Tbsp balsamic vinegar
250ml veg or chicken stock
30g Parmesan, finely grated

Serves 2 / 15 pro points per portion

Firstly, roast your pepper. I find the easiest way to do this is to put the four pieces, skin side up, on a baking tray and stick them under a hot grill for 10-20 mins until the skin is blackened. Transfer the pepper into a plastic bag and cool. The skin will then slip off easily. Dice the flesh of the pepper.

In an ovenproof dish, warm the olive oil and add the chorizo. Cook for a while: the chorizo itself will release more oil as it heats up. Tip in the onion and the pepper, cook for several minutes until softening, then add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute or so more until the “raw” garlic smell is no longer present (I find adding the onion and garlic at the same time, as many recipes suggest, just causes the garlic to burn).

Now stir in your risotto rice, and make sure it is coated in the lovely, orangey oil. Then add the wine and allow to bubble down to almost nothing. Pour over the stock, tomatoes and add a good lug of balsamic vinegar for sweetness, cover the dish and transfer to a preheated oven (200 or 180 fan) for 25 minutes.

Stir through the Parmesan cheese before serving.

"Healthy" eating?

I came across a blog the other day, in the course of one of my random blog hopping exercises, of a girl who was losing weight while following a fairly strict vegan diet. Reading through what she ate on a daily basis was quite amazing – here was someone who was actually doing a Gillian McKeith In Real Life! Someone who didn’t have to go on the TV and extol the virtues of such a regime for the cameras while secretly fighting a burger craving*.

It made me feel a little inadequate, I must admit. I wouldn’t say I have a bad diet, I cook a lot from scratch, I try and eat plenty of fruit and veg (made easier, it must be said, by the fact that WW have now made fruit zero point) and try to be conscious of eating a good variety of foods to get in a range of nutrients. But I am never going to be someone who tucks into a bowl of roasted cauliflower for breakfast.

Then I started thinking about some of my sins. I often have a jar of ready made sauce in the cupboard so I can bung something together quickly if needs be. I am no stranger to the takeaway. I prefer a bag of French Fries to a handful of unsalted nuts. And (oh, hang your head!) I recently purchased a bag of frozen alphabet potato shapes on a whim. I started picturing my “Table of Shame” – you know, when McKeith used to take someone and lay out their weekly food intake in order to shock them into embracing their new diet. Was I the only person who used to look at that and think, “Oooh, I haven’t had Jammie Dodgers (or fish and chips or cheesy Wotsits etc…) for ages!”

But here is how I justify my less than flawless food habits. We all talk a lot about “healthy” eating, and when we use the word “healthy” we generally are referring to physical health – that food which will provide our physical bodies with sufficiently nutritious fuel to function at peak efficiency. How about mental health though? Let’s not pretend that emotions and food are not related; apart from the odd person who genuinely doesn’t given a monkeys about what they’re eating and, literally, only eats to live, we all make that connection. You know, a particular dish that will put a smile on our face after the shittiest of days, or a favourite chocolate bar that is the oral equivalent of a great big hug. If what you’re eating is (to your own palate) worthy but joyless, you won’t be particularly happy. And I personally believe that good mental health makes a significant contribution to the health of the physical body.

I would support the right of the author of the blog that set off this chain of thought, or Ms McKeith or anyone else to eat and drink exactly as they wish. If cauliflower for breakfast makes them happy then good for them. But for me, I’m going to try and learn to balance eating a diet that feeds my body and a diet that feeds my soul too – and that very likely means the odd indulgence and regular deviation from the path of nutritional righteousness. Sorry Gillian.

*NB: This is a complete and utter guess on my part – I’m just projecting.

Recipe corner - Roasted squash and thyme soup with Gruyere

Oh dear - long time, no post. The standard reason for a diet blog to go quiet is that said dieter has fallen spectacularly off the wagon and is lying in the gutter with crumbs down their front. While not quite plumbing the depths, there may well have been a pizza ordered at some point. Dominos have started adding a layer of pesto to one of their bases and I am very fond of pesto. It was research, people!

I went to a new meeting last night which is far more conveniently situated than previous ones but does involve walking past my favourite curry house which was smelling particularly delicious. My resolve was sorely tested – a special murghi massala with pilau rice would have gone down very well after the ritual humiliation that is the Weigh In. Luckily, I had my tea all planned out and so was able to resist – just.

This soup recipe is adapted from a Rick Stein effort on the BBC website (from where the photo also is taken - I must get into the habit of taking my own photos, although they never make the food look very appetising). I say adapted, but really, I’ve just substituted half fat crème fraiche for single cream and cut out a bit of oil. Most WWers are big fans of zero point soup and it may seem counter intuitive to start bunging butter, cream and cheese into it, but the result was a delicious, velvety, rich concoction which made an extremely filling tea. Our squash was freakishly big, which meant the soup was a touch thicker than what would be my personal preference, but you can always adjust the stock to solid ratio as per your own tastes.

Ingredients

Butternut squash
40g butter
Onion
1-2 tsp dried thyme
Litre of chicken stock*
4 tbsp half fat crème fraiche
120g Gruyere cheese

*One day I swear I will be sufficiently foodiefied to make my own stock. Until that day comes, I am very partial to the Knorr stock pots.

Serves 4, 6 pro points per person

Split the squash in half lengthways, and remove all the seeds and fibres from the cavity. Cut into large wedges, spray with a little oil and season the wedges well. Roast in a hot oven for about 40 mins, until tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat. Tip in the onion, season and add the thyme and allow to soften but not colour.

When the squash is cooked, allow to cool slightly before removing the skin and adding to the pan. Cover with the stock and simmer for about ten minutes, adjusting the seasoning as necessary (I find squash needs a lot of salt to counteract the sweetness, but bear in mind that the stock itself will have a fair amount of salt in it).

Blitz to a puree and then return to the heat, stirring in the crème fraiche. Serve with the Gruyere coarsely grated on top.

NB: D is of the opinion it would be easier to peel the squash before putting it in the oven to roast. I’ve kept to Rick’s method here, but you may wish to consider it, especially if you are in a rush – the squash can take quite a while to get to handling temperature.

Friday fun

Greetings, friends! The snow has started falling yet again here in Yorkshire, so no signs that spring is approaching yet. But as I head into the weekend, I just had to share these two pieces of comedic genius with you.

Read, and wonder at these two recipes and then (and this is key) scroll down to the user comments:

Rachael Ray’s late night bacon

and

Rachael Ray’s pineapple wedges

I had to stop reading these at work because I kept making odd snorting noises. Well, odder than usual.

(Classic) Recipe corner – Macaroni cheese*

*Inspired by Victoria – thanks for reminding me of this fabulous comfort food!

OK, probably a teaching grandmother to suck eggs post. I mean, I bet everyone has their own macaroni cheese recipe. But for those of us who count points, it is sometimes useful to have had someone else sit down and stick it through the recipe builder.

I have said it before and will no doubt say it again: I am a massive cheese lover. It’s genetic I think. My Dad would literally live on bread and cheese if left to himself. And as a general rule, I don’t approve of the concept of low fat cheese. It is one of those foodstuffs that you should embrace in all its lardiness or not at all (like low fat chocolate bars. Wrong, wrong, wrong).

But, when I popped to Tesco during my lunch hour I was tempted to break my golden rule by the sight of a trial size Cathedral City Lighter pack – a brand I’d heard reasonable things about. And, do you know what, not half bad. I mean, it’s never going to find its way onto a cheeseboard – if I want to indulge in a piece of real Cheddar I go for the absolutely gorgeous Black Bomber and points be damned. For a midweek macaroni cheese supper though, it was very Quite Nice indeed. And yes, I know that 14 points is quite steep for a meal, but in my opinion, worth every one.

Macaroni cheese is a please yourself kind of dish. I personally like a nice thick layer of melted cheese on the top, so I rely mainly on the Parmesan to flavour my sauce, but there is no reason to keep to my proportions. There are plenty of potential zero point additions: onions, leeks, mushrooms (I would always soften these in a separate pan before adding or they’ll be a wee bit too crunchy; one of the beauties of macaroni cheese is all the unctious squishiness). You could whack a tin of tuna into the sauce before combining with the pasta to make a delicious tuna pasta bake. A lot of recipes suggest adding sliced tomatoes and breadcrumbs to the topping. And of course, you could vary your cheeses. But here, I’m going fairly classic.

Ingredients

30g butter
30g flour
300ml skimmed milk
20g Parmesan, grated
Tsp dijon mustard
Scrape or two of nutmeg
80g reduced fat cheddar, grated
120g pasta

To infuse the milk:

Onion, peeled and halved
Garlic clove, lightly crushed
Bay leaves
Peppercorns

Serves 2, 14 pro points per person

In my opinion, one of the secrets to a good bechamel is to infuse the milk beforehand – but if you can’t be bothered then you can always skip this stage. In any case, all you need to do is tip the milk into a saucepan with the onion, garlic, a couple of bay leaves and a few peppercorns. Bring the milk up to just before boiling point (it should be frothing enthusiastically at the edges) and then turn off the heat and cover. Infuse for as long as you like – an hour or so should be fine.

Now for the sauce. Strain the milk into a jug first of all, wipe out the infusing pan and use it to make the sauce – no need for too much washing up! Melt the butter over a low heat before tipping in the flour and stirring well to combine into a paste (or a roux if you’re feeling particularly French). Then, little by little, add the milk, stirring well at each stage to get rid of lumps. Take your time – you want to make sure you cook out the flour or else you’ll be able to taste it in the finished sauce. I would reckon on this stage taking around 10 to ensure a glossy, lump free sauce. Stir through the mustard and season with nutmeg, plenty of black pepper, the Parmesan cheese (reserve a little for sprinkling on top), around a third of the Cheddar and salt if required (but leave this till the end – the cheese itself should provide plenty of salty flavour so you may not need to add any more).

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water and drain well.

Toss the pasta through the sauce and arrange in a baking dish. Top with the remaining Cheddar and bake in a medium oven for 10-15 mins until it is gloopy and bubbling. Serve with the remaining Parmesan scattered over – and perhaps a salad on the side if you feel the urge.

Bloody, bold and resolute

Ah, January. Probably the most depressing month of the year. Post Christmas, post birthday and post New Year celebrations, there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot to brighten the endless dark days, especially if one’s diet is equally joyless. Which of course it should be, as one tries to undo all the damage done by spending the last two weeks of December thinking it is ok to eat chocolate for breakfast, snack on mince pies and forget what a piece of fruit looks like.

Oh, was that just me?

I think I knew that I was ready yesterday. You see, I just couldn’t be bothered to eat. All day. A few pints of sugar free squash were all I consumed until about half seven at which time I heated up a bowl of split pea and ham soup and ate about half of it. This is a very rare occurrence and I recognise that it was my body finally telling me enough was enough. For all that I make New Year Resolutions, they seldom seem to start on January 1st itself – I generally require a couple of days of sulking and hoovering up the Christmas leftovers before I am truly ready to start again. Again.

The cupboard still contains more chocolate than is strictly necessary, but luckily most of it is easily portionable (is that even a word?) And I believe that there are some mini sausage rolls lurking in the freezer (shop bought I’m afraid – it’s a family Christmas tradition to get mini sausage rolls every year and every year I think to myself “Hmmm, I bet these would be much nicer if I made them myself…”) but again, easy enough to cook them up a couple at a time to have as an in-front-of-the-telly-with-a-puddle-of-ketchup treat. Everything else has been safely despatched. I think. Armed with my new Pro Points iphone app, surely, nothing can stand in my way?? (cue: evil super villain laugh).

2010: The Good, the Bad and the…

When I look back on 2010 it will not be as one of my more successful years. I’ve lacked motivation and focus in a number of areas. Work has been pretty meh for the most part. I've been even more accident prone than usual - managed to lose the diamond out of my engagement ring after a fall on the ice in January, and chip a front tooth during another fall a few months later (less ice more wine involved on that occasion). A lack of cash has meant an inordinate number of weekends sitting on the sofa drinking cheap wine and, er, complaining about the lack of money (although on the plus side, the new series of Doctor Who was fabulous) and never mind the fact that add up the cost of all those bottles and it probably would have paid for a couple of slap up dinners.

More distressingly, the anxiety issues, which I touched on briefly here, and which I thought were receding in 2009, came back to haunt me. I never wrote on this blog about, for example, the truly excruciating experience of the full blown panic attack in the clinical psychologist’s office because, frankly, I don’t know how many people would be that interested, and this blog is supposed to be food focused. But, where food forms such an intrinsic part of ones life, it is natural that other topics will come creeping in. And it is an indisputable fact that if I could sort out my head once and for all, I would probably not resort to the comfort eating and drinking that tends to be my diet downfall.

What of the “diet”? Or (since I hate that word) rather the “life plan that enables one to shed excess poundage while still eating beautifully cooked, varied and healthful foods”? Between January and April there was steady downwards movement on the scales. Around the time I started this blog, I’d hit a bit of a hump and I never really got past it. I’ve dithered. I am an expert ditherer. I’ve had plenty of ideas to kickstart my interest: detox eating, setting myself date specific challenges, even the act of writing a blog for gawdsake, but the overall results have been desultory. My gym attendance has been sporadic. I’ve gone to meetings to stand upon the WW Scales of Truth and then chickened out again after bad weeks. My current relationship with my bathroom scales has been reduced to me eyeing them mistrustfully every time I go to the loo.

So what has gone wrong with my thinking in 2010 and how can I fix it for 2011? Well, the anxiety issues have not and are not going away – that is the sad fact. I’m currently on a waiting list for something called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which I understand aims to reprogramme thought patterns and achieve better response mechanisms in the subject (which would be me). I’m hoping that talk of my eating habits can feature quite heavily in this, since it is clear to me at the moment that there is a strong link there.

Until such time as I rise to the top of the waiting list (and with the NHS that could well be many months) I’m going to continue to blog and to follow all the lovely blogs that I have come across. I’ve recently been reading just as many food blogs as diet blogs, and I love the way some of those people manage to make all their meals an act of celebration, the sheer joy and exuberance they take in food. One of the things I learned this year that continually being in “diet” mode (yes, that word again…) can suck all the joy out of eating – something that was really brought home to me by the bacon sandwich that may just be one of my best meals of the year. I want to aim to have everything I eat be carefully considered and constitute a real treat – whether it is a juicy satsuma or a really gorgeous cup of proper coffee or a full blown five course extravaganza. There will always be times when something needs to be grabbed on the run, but a little bit of forethought should prevent that from happening too often. Mindfulness and quality over quantity – these are 2011 mantras.

Detox eating may not be sustainable for me for long periods of time (by which I mean anything longer than two days looking back to posts on the subject), but I could certainly consider building some “cleaner” meals into the weekly food plan. Immediately springing to mind - a sharp and punchy fruit smoothie, a really gorgeous tuna steak, seasoned and griddled with some stir fried veg and perhaps a touch of five spice, or a roasted sweet potato with avocado and tomato salsa – fantastic, no sacrifice, and smug-makingly virtuous.

It’s sadly obvious as well that setting myself time or weight related goals doesn’t work either. In fact, they seem to send me running in the opposite direction with my fingers in my ears going “La, la, la.” Of course, I have just over eight months until I get married and I would love to be able to slip into a slinky size 10 gown and ooze elegant sophistication a la Hepburn – rather than blowsy bosoms a la Monroe. But there is no point killing myself over that particular deadline. I’m going to rely on Bridal Magic: which is to say that every bride looks beautiful on their wedding day whether or not they more generally resemble Jabba

And it’s not been all bad. My weight, while it has gone up and down over the course of the year, has not risen significantly overall. Anyone who has had a weight problem in the course of their adult life knows that sometimes just stopping the upwards trend is an important step in the right direction, so I’m going to give myself credit for that – not much, but a little. I’ve also started writing regularly – not just here, but also by starting a creative writing course at York University, finally recognising that a creative outlet is a healthy thing for me. I want to continue to develop my writing in 2011 – not necessarily with a view to doing anything with it, but just because it is something I love to do.

Ooooh, and I tried bone marrow for the first time in September. No year where you've managed to have a completely new food experience can have been entirely without merit.

Happy New Year everyone - let's make it a good one.

Recipe corner – Best Ever Braised Red Cabbage

Well, two sleeps left to go until what might just be the most important meal of the year, and like all good foodies I’m getting quite excited. We’re planning to be quite organised and do the majority of the prep work beforehand so on the big day itself we don’t have to worry about anything more then bunging stuff in the oven. But what do they say about the best laid plans?

Tonight, the main job will be to put together the best braised red cabbage in the world, ever and I’ve reproduced the recipe below (I believe it was originally by Marcus Wareing, but I’m not sure where exactly it came from). This is not a low point option – I have calculated the pro points, but more for the sake of interest than anything else; if I were in counting mode I’d probably use little if any butter and sweeten the vegetable with grated apple and onion, and it would be lovely. But just occasionally, this is worth the hit.

Ingredients

1 small red cabbage, cored and sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
150g unsalted butter
200ml red wine vinegar
50g clear honey
100g demerara sugar
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
Large pinch of salt

Serves 4-6, 8 pro points per person (if 6)

Set the oven to 150.

Mix together all of the ingredients and place in a roasting tray. Cover with foil and cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring regularly, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

(Note: if, after the 90 minutes have elapsed you still have a lot of liquid, it might be worth sticking the tray over a high hob to reduce – we did this last time we cooked it in order not to muck up the timings of other dishes, and it tasted just as nice).

Edited 23/10/2017
This recipe also works really well if you just bung everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for around 8 hours (or overnight).  The colour of the cabbage will be slightly less vivid but the flavour and texture will be utterly perfect.  If you use this cooking method, I would suggest reducing the amount of vinegar by half.

A bit of a do

We had our team Christmas “do” yesterday. Half the people I work with are off today. Of the remaining half, some of us feel somewhat delicate, but since I did most of my serious drinking after leaving the group to hit a Leeds hostelry with D, my dignity (in the office, at least) remains intact.

And so, The Spice Quarter. For £9.95 a head for all you can eat, I shouldn’t really complain. After all, the food was just there to provide lining for the stomach. But I’m going to (complain) because this is my blog and I can if I want to.

Firstly, I am always going to be suspicious of somewhere that purports to do Indian, Thai, Chinese and Italian cuisine. It’s like those dodgy takeaways you see that do curry, pizza and chicken and chips. You just know that none of those are going to be done in any way competently. So I did not have high hopes. And, to be strictly fair, none of the food that I tried at The Spice Quarter was actually inedible. It just all tasted a bit….nothingy. Bland. The curries had no heat and very little taste, plus you had to stand for a good few minutes at the buffet fishing around for bits of meat in the oceans of neon coloured sauce. The pizza looked and tasted like it had been taken from a supermarket freezer – thick, doughy base and a load of pale, sloppy cheese that tasted…pale and sloppy. I couldn’t be bothered to even try any of the desserts – they all appeared to be school dinner rejects with pallid, puckered skins forming beneath the lights. I’ve just remembered that I did quite like a tandoori chicken wing. But that’s about it.

There’s another one of these lurking in Cardiff apparently – but I can only assume, since it has won an award for being the best Indian restaurant in Wales, it is a) better or b) Welsh people don’t like good curry.

The Spice Quarter

Electric Press Building
Great George Street
Leeds
LS2 3AD

A Cold Front. And Back. And Sides.

Well, I’ve spent most of the last week skulking in bed with woman flu. Which is to say the real deal rather than the man kind. There has been lots of snivelling, sniffing, coughing and a marked decrease in my appetite - generally an absolutely sure-fire sign that all is not well.

So foodie adventures have been somewhat thin on the ground. I did develop a craving for cream of tomato soup last week, which was something of a cure all when I was wee. It tasted just as orange as I remembered it – lovely. And the last two Sundays on the trot we have had a very tasty oxtail stew. It’s the first time I’ve ever cooked oxtail and I absolutely loved it – so thick and unctuous. I think Santa (aka my Mum) is getting us a slow cooker for Christmas which I am extremely excited about – and oxtail stew will likely be making an early reappearance in the New Year, as that kind of cut is perfectly suited to long, slow cooking.

Christmas feasting is all planned out, and D ventured to M&S yesterday to stock up on some festive nibbles. I am particularly looking forward to trying the mini cubes of pork belly – which you may have seen Caroline Quentin waving about on the TV advert. What is it about Christmas and pork products? As well as my beloved sausage meat we’ll be eating quite a lot of gammon over the next few weeks as well, gorgeous with scrambled eggs for a light lunch or with roasties and pickles for something a bit more substantial.

I am making no advance apologies for going a bit OTT at Christmas (always assuming my appetite has returned by then) but I’ll be hauling myself up on the WWagon in the New Year in a last ditch attempt to hit beautiful bridedom.

Recipe corner - Nigella's Christmas Chutney

I didn't go in for homemade Christmas presents until a couple of years ago.  The reason being is that I am one of the least crafty people that you will ever come across - crafty as in Blue Peter, mind, not crafty as in a fox.  Or are they cunning?  Anyway, the point is that although I appreciate pretty things, I can't make them.  I can't draw, my handwriting is illegible and I even struggle to cut in a straight line.  So you can understand why I didn't want to inflict my homemade offerings on my mostly lovely friends and family.

That is, until I cottoned on to the idea of cooking their presents.  At first, this seemed doomed to failure, as biscuits or cookies or chocolates, all your typical gift fare, need to be nicely packaged and that might mean I'd have to try and make boxes or something.  But chutney - now, chutney is a different thing.  Buying a kilner jar is easy enough, and fairly cheap, and even I can just about manage a gift label.

I've experimented with different ones for the past few years.  Piccalilli is a firm favourite, not least because it goes so beautifully with the Christmas cheeses and meats.  And this year, in addition to a jar of that, my nearest and dearest will be receiving a jar of Nigella's Christmas Chutney.

Say what you like about Nigella - but I love her for the way she utterly embraces Christmas.  When I saw the recipe in Delicious magazine a month or so ago I knew it had to be done.  The chutney has currently been quietly maturing away in the cupboard for a week or so now, and already, the flavour is wonderful.  When I gave some to D just a minute ago he said "It tastes like Christmas" - and that is exactly right.  It is a lovely blend of sweet and sour and spice and all the flavours are completely redolent of an English Christmas.

Ingredients

750g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
500g fresh cranberries
250g soft pitted dates
Grated zest, pulp and juice of 2 satsumas or clementines
400g caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
500ml white wine vinegar
2 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes or 1 tsp table salt

Makes roughly 2 ltrs worth - negligible pro points per person


First sterilise your jars - and I tend to do this just by putting them through a hot dishwasher.

Put the apples, onion, cranberries and dates into a large pan.

Add the satsuma or clementine zest, then squeeze in the juice and add the pulp.

Add the sugar and spices then pour the vinegar over and sprinkle the salt.

Give it a good stir then turn on the heat and bring to the boil.  Once there, turn the heat right down and let it sit for an hour or so, uncovered, to bubble away until it is all reduced to a deep red pulp.

Spoon into the sterilised jars and seal.

In the pan, to become an hour later...

...Christmas in a jar!

The longer in advance you make this the better - Nigella recommends about 2 months.  Although I have to say it is already delicious after a week.  Oh, and I should add that I halved this recipe and it still came out beautifully - although I'm now wishing I had made a full batch!

Ghosts of Christmas dinners past

Yesterday, D came home with a plump little pheasant which will form the basis of our Christmas dinner this year. It is all rather exciting, because for the first time we will be on our own for this most important of meals so we have been able to please ourselves with the menu plan. The bird currently reposing in our freezer will be served with braised red cabbage, celeriac and thyme gratin and plenty of sausage meat.

The sausage meat loaf is the only traditional item on there – and even then, it is only really a tradition in my own family. Sausage meat is the one constant that we all insist on; it was the one item that all the family were guaranteed to fight over, to the extent that my Mum used to say that she was providing more sausage meat than turkey. The Christmas sausage meat is the foodstuff that ended my six month foray into the world of vegetarianism as a teenager. I remember vividly that Mum, despite the many misgivings she had as to my dedication to the vegetarian cause went out and bought me a veggie alternative to Christmas dinner. I remember, or think I do, sitting down to lunch and seeing this…grey mass on my plate where the meat should be. To be fair to M&S it probably wasn’t that bad, but to me every mouthful tasted like dust. I struggled to hold on to my anti meat principles through that last meal, and then, the next day demanded a turkey and sausage meat sandwich.

(That doesn’t take the prize as my worst Christmas lunch ever though, because that honour was awarded a year later when my Dad, my brother and I were all struck down with what we think was food poisoning from eating oysters on Christmas Eve. I think by the time my Mum had got the dinner on the table (we used to entertain all four grandparents at our house in those days so she was not serving it for herself alone) the three of us were all sprawled pathetically in the other room away from the smell of the food. )

But back to the sausage meat – and it’s funny how certain foods can be so evocative, especially those foods that we associate with Christmas. One of my favourite memories of my late mother in law is the first Christmas dinner I ate there: it was the first time that I had ever been away from my parents and I felt a little sorry for myself. Come lunchtime, she proudly presented me with not one but two different varieties of sausage meat – D had tipped her off in advance and she had gone to great lengths, consulting many recipes, to provide it for me, despite the fact it was not a feature in their household.

And do you know what, I have just realised while writing this, that I don’t actually know how my Mum makes her sausage meat!  Since she won’t be around on Christmas Day (she and Dad will be spending it with my brother and very heavily pregnant sister in law) I had better get on to her in advance. Given it forms a central part of my Christmas ritual, it would never do for it to be inauthentic!

Giving the gift of Gougeres

Ah, snow.  It may be cold and wet and make your toes go slightly numb when you are walking down the road with a hole in your boot, but it has its uses.  For instance, today, I am at home.  Living thirty miles away from the office has its uses too - especially when no one you work with lives in the same sort of direction as you.

In fairness, the roads are terrible and that's even if you manage to get out of our car park - D has helped to dig several cars out today.  And the station is a mile trudge down icy streets.  So I didn't have to exaggerate much when I phoned in.  And I've used the time wisely - a lie-in followed by a session in the kitchen making some gorgeous smelling Christmas chutney and a loaf of banana bread.

Today I'm going to give an early Christmas present which is a foolproof recipe for the best canape in the world, ever.  Gougeres are basically puffs of cheesy choux pastry - but despite the fact that they look incredibly impressive (homemade pastry always has that effect on people) they are a cinch to make.  Having this recipe up your sleeve means that whenever you decide to throw an impromptu Christmas cocktail party you will never be without a nibble for your guests.  These are cheesy footballs par excellence (was mine the only household that bought a tub of those things every Christmas, despite the fact that nobody seemed to like them...?)

Oh, and I've even put them through the WW recipe builder, in case you're the type of person who not only throws impromptu Christmas cocktail parties, but likes to be true to their diet while in the midst of them. These are a mere point each - although I defy you to limit yourself to just the one!

Ingredients

125ml milk (skimmed works absolutely fine)
100g butter, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
150g plain flour
4 medium eggs
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
pinch of cayenne pepper
small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
paprika for dusting (optional)

Makes 50, 1 pro point each

Combine the milk, 125ml water, the butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan and set over a low heat.  Bring to the boil and then immediately remove the pan from the heat.  Add the flour and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Return the pan to a medium heat for about 1 minutes, stirring, to dry out the paste.  It is ready when it all comes away from the sides to form a ball in the middle of the pan.  Tip into a bowl and allow to cool for a minute.

Add the eggs one by one, beating with the wooden spoon.  At first, you will have a mixture that vaguely resembles baby sick (sorry!) and doesn't seem to want to come together - but persevere.  Eventually you will have a smooth, shiny paste.  At this point, tip in three quarters of the grated cheese, the cayenne and the nutmeg. You can make the mixture a couple of hours in advance up to this stage.  To prevent a crust from forming cover with clingfilm, allowing the clingfilm to sit on the surface of the choux pastry like skin.

Most recipes would now tell you to transfer this mixture to a piping bag - but I've found that there is absolutely no need.  Line some baking trays with parchment paper and use a teaspoon to blob the mixture onto the trays, well spaced apart as they will puff up in the oven.  Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

Bake at 200 degrees C for 15-20 minutes until the little buns are dry and crisp on the outside but soft on the inside.  Dust with paprika before serving.

This recipe is taken from "Eggs" by Michel Roux - an amazing book that is well worth getting if you like, um, eggs.