June 30th, 2010 by Jackie
Submitted by Fiona BallantyneThis is adapted from a recipe from a book called ‘Home baking’ by Carole Handslip, which was 99p well spent in a bargain book shop!Ingredients
125g (4oz) margarine
125g (4oz) golden caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
2 eggs (duck eggs work very well)
175g (6oz) self raising flour, sifted (from the wholefood co-op)
4 tblsps desiccated coconut (from the wholefood co-op)
2 tblsps milk (may need slightly more)
Method
Cream the fat and sugar together till light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour with the second.
Add the remaining flour, 3 tblsps of the coconut and the milk.
(This recipe also works well by adding all the ingredients to the food mixer and mixing together, and I often add all the coconut to the mix rather than sprinkling on the top and it binds well with a little extra milk.
Turn into a lined and greased 1lb loaf tin and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
Bake at 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F, GM 4 for 1 to 1¼ hours.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Nice plain but also very good with home made jam and desiccated coconut on the top.
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June 20th, 2010 by Kate
Similar to the last recipe. Child no 2 said she liked it and then had more. This is a big result. We served this with asparagus as a starter, and then with roast potatoes and beans.
Ingredients:
3lb top rump steak or chuck steak (ours was from Ken Wilson in Aird)
1 cup red wine
2 onions (home grown)
3 cloves of garlic (home grown)
A stem and leaf of lovage (wild or home grown)
A bunch of marjoram (home grown)
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
4oz Bacon, unsmoked
Method:
Leave the meat in a few large pieces. Marinade overnight in the red wine, one sliced onion and the chopped herbs and garlic. Make sure the meat is turned in the marinade so that it all soaks up the flavour.
Take the meat out of the marinade about 4 hours before you intend to eat. Scrape off any adherent herbs. Strain and reserve the marinade for later.
In a large oven-safe pan, heat some oil, and brown the other onion, chopped.
Next add the beef and brown on all sides. Add the bacon and the strained marinade. If you have pork rind, this adds a good flavour. We had some salt pork, which worked really well.
Once the stew has started to bubble properly for a couple of minutes, add half a cupful of water. Cover and simmer on a very low heat for three hours. We put ours in a very low oven, which also worked well.
Posted in Organic meat, Recipes, wild food | No Comments »
June 12th, 2010 by Kate
Recently we had an AGM. Here are the AGM 2010 minutes Please take a look as it is full of news.
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June 6th, 2010 by Jackie
A gluten and dairy free cake which is best served the day after making to allow the flavour to develop. This is another BBC recipe and is a firm favourite.
Ingredients
5 egg whites from local eggs (at room temperature)
pinch of salt
75g/3oz organic, fair trade or unbleached caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
175g/6oz organic ground almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
1 orange, zest only, grated
1 tbsp orange liqueur (optional)
25g/1oz organic slivered almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
1tsp almond extract
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Grease and line a 20cm/8in springform cake tin.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt until they stand in soft peaks. Whisking constantly, add the sugar a little at a time. Continue whisking until the mixture is firm, shiny and very thick.
Fold in the ground almonds,almond extract, orange zest and the liqueur, if using, with a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen, turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Posted in Baking, Gluten-free, Puddings and icecream, Recipes, Simple | No Comments »
June 4th, 2010 by Jackie
This makes a fantastic starter for four or serve with a leafy salad between two as a main course. The sherry vinegar is available on ebay, of all places.
Ingredients
1 tbsp light organic olive oil (from the wholefood co-op)
1 cinnamon stick (from the wholefood co-op
6 cloves (from the wholefood co-op)
1 star anise(from the wholefood co-op)
2 Braeburn apples, cores removed and chopped
200g/7oz unsalted pistachios shelled, (from the wholefood co-op)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juice only
100ml/3½fl oz extra virgin organic olive oil(from the wholefood co-op)
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (on ebay, not cheap, you could use cider vinegar instead)
1 tbsp clear organic honey (from the wholefood co-op)
1 small pinch saffron strands (from the wholefood co-op)
1 Granny Smith apple
12 local, dived, scallops, cleaned and corals removed
Method:
Fry spices gently for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to release their aromas. Add the chopped apples and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes, or until very soft.
Discard the spices and add half the pistachios to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend to a purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl and season with a little lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Clean the bowl of the food processor, then add the remaining pistachios along with the extra virgin olive oil. Pulse the mixture so that the nuts are finely chopped instead of being puréed. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Heat the sherry vinegar in a small non-reactive pan until reduced in volume to about a teaspoon. Stir in the honey and saffron and keep warm over a low heat.
Peel, core and cut the Granny Smith apple into matchsticks. Toss in a little lemon juice to prevent the pieces from browning.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan until smoking hot. Season the scallops with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sear the scallops for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on both sides, or until golden-brown all over and just-cooked in the middle. Using tongs, dip one side of each scallop into the sherry vinegar glaze.
To serve, spoon three rounds of the apple and pistachio purée onto each serving plate and set a scallop onto each round, glaze-side up. Arrange the apple matchsticks on top of each scallop, then spoon over the pistachio oil.
Posted in Local fish, Recipes | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2010 by Kate
I took an Italian recipe for stracotto, and substituted to try and use more local seasonal ingredients. This is really tasty.
Ingredients:
Lean Beef, about 1 lb (Local)
3oz fresh lean pork or Italian pork sausage
1 Carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small leaf/stem of lovage, homegrown, finely chopped
1 oz organic butter
3 floz dry white wine
pepper
about 5 floz stock (Marigold, from the wholefood co-op)
1 tbsp tomato puree (from the wholefood co-op)
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Method:
Fry off the onion, carrot and lovage for around five minutes
Add the beef in one piece, and the pork. Cook for about ten minutes on low heat.
Add the wine, stock, and grated pepper, and bring to the boil.
Cover the pan and put it in a slow slow oven for around three hours minimum
Serve with potatoes and a green vegetable.
Posted in Organic meat, Recipes, wild food | No Comments »
June 2nd, 2010 by Kate
More on the theme of eating locally. Scots Lovage is a seaside plant, whcih can be found growing wild mostly in Scotland. I have only seen it grown in gardens as a large and ungainly perennial. In fact, it was already in our garden when I moved in. It is incredibly tough, and had stood up to years of neglect and the attentions of sheep. It is described in ‘Food for Free’ (Richard Mabey) as a stocky umbelifer growing wild in Scotland, and useful for treating scurvy.
Garden lovage prefers a fairly good soil, not too dry, and some shade. It copes well with being planted close to the sea in salty soil. It dies right back in winter, only the tops of the roots showing. In spring, reddish green foliage spikes come up in April, and by June, the plant is nearly six feet tall. The leaves are divided, and a clear green,with hollow stems. The flowers are an unappealing cluster of little yellowy green florets, usually beset with flies on still days. The cultivated variety is somewhat larger, with while flowers.
When it comes to eating lovage, I take the leaves and stems, particularly in spring, and use it in place of celery. The seeds can also be used like fennel or caraway, although I have never tried them. The leaves taste curiously of strong celery, but with a twist of lemon and salt. It goes very well indeed with beef in a casserole, and removes the need to add salt to the stew. It also goes well with chicken, and I use a very small amount chopped finely to add to tomato salad.
Posted in Grow your own, wild food | No Comments »
June 2nd, 2010 by Kate
I have been developing my ideas on eating locally, and started looking into what was around, uncultivated and free. Several late night conversations later, I have a few leads. One of these discussions has led me to researching the subject of wild food by reading books. The most entertaining, relevant and helpful has been ‘Edible Seashore’ by John Wright. This book is number 5 in the River Cottage Handbook series. If they are all as good as this, I think I shall be buying more. Why is it so good?
Information: Everything in the book that I know about seems correct, and with more detail on the subject than I was aware of. He also discusses common problems and pitfalls of identification very clearly. For example, he has a great chapter on finding, cutting, cooking and eating ‘Alexanders’. At one point he covers which plants look similar, with a very clear photograph right next to the text. His description on the taste leads me to believe that he has eaten ‘Alexanders’, and also convinced me that I have other things to try first. He also describes how to get winkles and razors, and his descriptions are spot-on.
Illustrations: The photographs are clear as could be. Even the photographs of edible seaweeds are clear enough for an amateur to recognise dulse, or gutweed. I haven’t taken to book with me to the beach yet, but it will be happening.
Facinating detail: The description of the mating habits of lobsters, or his observations on the popularity of winkles in Victorian London, both good examples of why I was reading this book from cover to cover, instead of just using it for reference.
Wit: I have never laughed before at a chapter on legal pitfalls.
The only weakness was perhaps a few gaps in the list of what could be gathered. That said, it is a worthy and inspiring starting point for wild food. I commmend this book to you.
Posted in BLOG SPOT, Book reviews, wild food | No Comments »
June 2nd, 2010 by Jackie
This is the Bakewell tart served at the recent AGM - I left the skin on the almonds to give a more wholesome appeal - you will have to grind your own almonds to achieve this as most ready ground almonds have been blanched. The recipe includes links to the bbc food pages, which have a good recipe for gluten free pastry. If you are not sensitive to gluten, then ordinary shortcrust or sweet pastry would do.
Ingredients
500g/1lb 2oz Gluten Free shortcrust pastry
3 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
175g/6oz organic butter, softened (available from MacLennans)
175g/6oz organic, unbleached or fairtrade caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
4 free-range local eggs
175g/6oz organic ground almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
4tbs Meridian Raspberry Fruit Spread (from the wholefood co-op)
40g/1½oz flaked toasted organic almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Roll the shortcrust pastry out onto a lightly dusted work surface to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness.
Carefully line a 23cm/9in, deep-sided tart tin with the pastry, pressing the pastry into the edges of the tin.
Next beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
Crack in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until all of the eggs have been fully incorporated into the mixture.
Fold in the ground almonds until well combined.
Spread the raspberry jam in an even layer all over the bottom of the tart. Spoon in the almond mixture and smooth the surface with a palette knife.** Dust the top of the tart with icing sugar, then sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
Place the tart to the oven and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling has risen and is cooked through and the surface is pale golden-brown (NB: The filling is cooked through when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.) Remove the tart from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before serving.
** If you prefer an iced tart then omit the icing sugar and flaked almonds. Allow tart to cool before icing with water icing and perhaps decorating with glace cherries.
Posted in Baking, Gluten-free, Recipes | No Comments »
May 30th, 2010 by Jackie
This recipe can be adapted to take in any herbs that you like, and was first posted on the bbc website. . The courgette can also be replaced with carrot which makes a striking colour addition too.
Ingredients
900ml-1.2litres/1½ -2 pints vegetable stock, eg marigold (from wholefood co-op)
60g/2oz organic butter (sometimes available in MacLennans)
1 onion, locally grown, chopped
600g/1lb 5oz courgettes
1 tbsp extra virgin organic olive oil, (from wholefood co-op)
225g/8oz risotto rice(such as Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)(organic, from wholefood co-op)
150ml/5fl oz white wine
small bunch fresh parsley, locally grown
small bunch fresh basil leaves, locally grown
small bunch fresh chives, locally grown
small bunch fresh tarragon (can be grown locally, but doesn’t overwinter)
small bunch fresh mint, locally grown
salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g/1oz parmesan, freshly grated
Method:
Melt 15g/½oz of the butter with the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Chop the remaining courgettes into 1cm/¼in cubes. Add the chopped courgettes to the pan with the butter and olive oil and saute over a medium to high heat, until they’re tender and beginning to turn brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Add the rice to the pan with the onion and grated courgettes and stir for 30-60 seconds to mix well. The rice should become translucent.
Pour in the white wine. Simmer until the wine is absorbed.
Chop the herbs finely. You should aim for about two tablespoons each of chopped fresh parsley, basil, chives and mint and half a tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon.
Season the risotto with salt and pepper. When the wine is all absorbed, add a ladleful of the hot stock and keep stirring, until that has been absorbed. Keep adding the stock in the same way, stirring as frequently as you can, until the rice is cooked al dente (that is, tender but still with a slight resistance to the bite). This will take 20 minutes or more. If you run out of stock before that, just add boiling hot water. At this point, the risotto should still be fairly wet, and moist, but not swimming about in a lake of liquid.
When the rice is cooked, stir the sauteed courgettes and most of the chopped herbs (keeping aside a sprinkling for serving the final dish) into the risotto and cook for a further 1-2 minutes to heat through.
Finally, stir in the last of the butter and the parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve, sprinkled with the reserved chopped herbs.
This works really well with lamb stock as well, if you are not vegetarian.
Posted in Gluten-free, Recipes, Vegetarian | No Comments »
