Autumn Cottage Diarist

A Little Light Lunch - Home-made Hummous

One of my staple purchases in my weekly supermarket shop used to be a pot of hummous, but over the last year the quality of the purchased product has deteriorated considerably... so I decided to go back to making my own - which I had done many, many years ago, but given up when time was short and the children were rising.

I had forgotten how easy it was, how economical, and how delicious. I'll not be going back to what my mother would have very disparagingly called 'shop bought rubbish' in the near - or far distant - future.

Home made hummous it is for me!

Roz's Home-made Hummous 

400gm tin of chickpeas

2 tbsp good olive oil

Juice of two lemons or 2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini (Sesame seed paste)

2 large garlic cloves (best) or 2 tsp ready minced garlic

Ground sea-salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (start with 1/2 tsp of each)

Tbsp mixed Italian herbs

 

Finely chop garlic cloves

Add to drained chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and tahini in the blender/food processor

Blend until amalgamated - I like a bit of texture left in mine.

Season and taste, adjust seasoning to your liking. Add extra lemon juice, olive oil and tahini as and if needed for your own personal wishes.

Finally add mixed Italian herbs (or any other herbs - again to your own taste) and give a short burst in the blender.

Chill for at least an hour.

Serve with carrot, celery, courgette & spring onion crudites and good wholemeal bread or focaccia.

Enjoy!

(Almost) All is Safely Gathered in...

The last of the Pumpkin, Squashes, cherry Tomatoes and Runner beans

Just a few weeks ago we were sweltering in the hottest summer for forty years, but on cue, Autumn never fails to arrive and last night we were given our first 'frost warning' for this end of the year - so it has been 'all systems Go!' to bring in the plants - Pelargoniums that have been dotted around the garden and other plants (Abutilon etc…) that will not enjoy the colder temperatures. This had to happen, of course, on a day when I chose to make another batch of chutney, alongside a paella for lunch and an apple crumble for pud - so that the day  was pretty well 'wall to wall' cooking .

Apple Crumble - a non-negotiable requirement at this time of the year!

But it was all worthwhile and now I have a nice stash of two types of chutney put away in the store cupboard (last week's Apple & Mixed Fruit, and  yesterday's sweeter Apple, Pear, Apricot and Sultana).

I'm really happy to have the bigger potting shed this year - as I am also able to get a number of larger pots under cover in there - between the shed and the greenhouse (as small as that is) I should be able to protect most plants that are too tender to be out in the winter blasts.

Off to the potting shed and conservatory!

I'm a 'jam-jar hoarder' all through the year, so I've been able to pick and choose just the right sizes for myself, but it’s also been pleasing to put three big bags & boxes of jars on Freecycle and the local neighbourhood message board and have three 'takers' reply within minutes. What goes around comes around, eh? Lovely to have a community to share things with…

I'm enjoying the 'Golden Days' of early Autumn right now - those special days when everything is peaceful and I'm not battling to 'keep up' in the garden any more. I've brought in the last of the veggies that we have grown this summer, though the Purple-sprouting Broccoli will overwinter, waiting for the winter frosts to perk it up.  It's a time of harvesting and savouring now - of moving back indoors after living outside for months and of clearing up the main room that had become the usual summer dumping ground - I guess, in preparation for Christmas!. Won’t be long before weekend fires are lit, the curtains are closed against the dark and the 'long dark night' pursuits will begin again. My revived interest in sewing and my everlasting fascination with family history will be much on the menu this year.

We've had a memorable summer and I've loved every minute of it - but now I'm ready to tip the Equinoctal balance and point forward down into the dark once more…looking for the treasures that I might find there as much as those that glitter in the sunlight.

The Birch tree turns to gold....

Easy Curry Supper

Not feeling my best today - so I wanted something easy to make for supper. The peeling, chopping and stirring while preparing this dish (which I made up as I went along, with ingredients from the garden (Aubergine!) and the store-cupboard) was so soothing...and the glass of Croft sherry served up to me as I worked made me feel even better.

Here's the recipe for anyone who wants a go...let me know how yours turns out?

Rozzie's Ultimately Easy (almost) Vegan Curry

1 large (or 2 medium) red onion

1 large courgette (zucchini)

1 large sweet potato

1/2 large aubergine (eggplant)

3 cloves pickled garlic

4 Quorn fillets

3 dsp Korma paste (I use Patek's)

1 tin coconut milk

2 tbsp good olive oil

1 tsp Garam Masala

 

Roughly dice the red onion, courgette and aubergine (2 cm pieces?)

Peel and dice the sweet potato

Chop garlic

In a heavy cast iron casserole (I use Le Creuset), gently fry the above for 5-10 minutes in the olive oil

Meanwhile, marinate Quorn fillets (sliced into 2 cm strips crosswise) in the Korma paste.

Open the tin of coconut milk and drain of most of the liquid into a jug, retaining the thick cream in the tin.

After 10 minutes, stir marinated Quorn into the vegetables, fry for another 2-3 minutes to allow the paste to release its oils and aromas, then add the coconut cream, and enough coconut liquid to cover. Bring to simmering.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour at 180C. Stir once.

Just before serving, stir in 1 teaspoonful of Garam Masala (or more to taste).

Serve with boiled Basmati rice and side dishes of chopped spring onions and lemon juice in yoghurt, and chopped plum tomatoes in balsamic dressing. (Using Almond cream instead of yoghurt would make this dish completely vegan).

Enjoy!

Hunkering Down on a Sunday

Roz's Ratatouille - wonderful with fish dishes

We have a forecast of the temperature rising and going 'into double figures' by midweek - but at the moment, we have grey skies and a bitterly cold wind blowing across the south of England. 'Outside' is not a pleasant place to be.

The place to be is indoors, with fires lit and casseroles on the cooker; some to fill the freezer, some to fill our tums, accompanied by a glass of wine and followed by sitting in a nook with a jolly good book!

This is what I have been doing this weekend - and this is where I am doing it…

Portioning up the Ratatouille for the freezer - recycled 'takeaway' meal tubs hold just the right amount for two!

Add a batch of Leek and Potato soups - very satisfying! (Pip not interested, though...)

...and for the tum? Friday supper - Sausages in Cider with Black Olives...served with mashed potato

On the bookshelf...plenty to keep me occupied...

...tucked up in this cosy book corner on the landing

Always a good topic for our journals - our food, drink and books say so much about our lives, don't they? So what are you eating, drinking or reading this weekend?

 

Roz's Cheap & Easy Ratatouille

(Makes approx 12 portions)

 

2 x 500 gm packs inexpensive mixed sweet peppers

3 red onions

1 head celery

3 tins  'Value' or 'Economy' chopped tomatoes

1/2 tube tomato puree

1 glass white wine

2 tbsp sliced black olives

5 large cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Mixed Italian herbs

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

 

Slice in half and remove the seeds from the peppers, then cut into roughly 2 cm (1 inch) pieces

Peel onions, cut into similar chunks

Wash celery, slice into 2 cm pieces

Chop garlic, add to onion

Fry all for 5-10 minutes in the olive oil until onions start to become transparent

Add glass of wine, simmer for 2-3 minutes

Add tinned tomatoes, bring to simmer.

When hot, Add italian herbs, season to taste with salt & pepper.

Stir in tomato puree & sliced olives. Cover and simmer for 1 hr.

Allow to cool before placing in tubs.

 

The Funny Bits of the Broccoli

Preparing a family Sunday  lunch yesterday, part of which was broccoli - one of our favourite veg. All the 'little trees' were nicely arranged in the steamer, but then came the peeling and slicing of the main stump - which to me is one of the delicacies of the vegetable, rather than something to throw away. Drizzled with butter, it has a flavour and texture reminiscent of an artichoke heart, which to me is a gastronomic pleasure of great delight (especially those bought, floating in brine, from the street market just off the Gugli bridge in Venice! ) 

Sliced and ready to go

Nothing wasted - off to the compost!

The prep procedure, and the thought that this part of the plant is normally discarded, set me to thinking of all the other things which were served to me as a child - all of which I happily consumed - that fell out of favour in later years, and would now definitely be considered 'funny bits'. My housewife mother was, shall we say, not well funded on the housekeeping front , such that - like most other valiant women of her background and era - she spent a good portion of her life shopping for, preparing and cooking food for her family. Economy - *great* economy was the order of the day - yet I have memories only of the most delicious and abundant meals appearing daily on the table.

In truth, most of the dishes would not now suit me, as they were mostly meat based and I now rarely consume  animal flesh; but as a post-war child, I was used to food animals still being kept on a small scale in many back gardens. Chicken and rabbit appeared on my plate quite regularly (though whole chickens were reserved for Christmas and Easter). Apart from what was home-provided, money was spent on all manner of meats from the butchers - a place I now avoid, but remember from those days only as the shop with the doorway filled with tiled pictures of hearty bulls and sheep - and a smiling piggy-butcher 'mannikin', complete with pristine apron and knife held in trotter, in the window where pork joints would later lie!

 

(Looks as if they still make those figures now! *)

Those expensive joints rarely came home with Mam - but with what she did bring, she worked miracles. Huge cow's hearts - to be stuffed and sliced (and in later years, 'borrowed' to be dissected beforehand, as part of my 'A' level Zoology course); rolled breast of lamb; tripe - wonderful tripe - cooked in milk with carrots, potatoes and onions (oh, I can smell it now!). And there was more….

My father kept several Alsatians - brought with him out of the RAF from his time as a Police Dog Handler there - and my uncle was bailiff on a dairy farm. When a stillborn calf was born… well, put the two together and more economising was under way.

I clearly remember how expert I was - at the grand old age of four - in ably assisting the 'preparation' of such bounty; my own final job being to take the calf's head (already split in two) into Mam, in the jam-making pan, to be boiled up, cooled and then picked over, finally to make wibbly-wobbly brawn, and tongue, separately coiled and sliced. You might think that these sights would give a four year old nightmares - they certainly did not give me any - only  abiding interest, awe and reverence at the bodily beauty and intricacy of all creatures.

But nowadays, I make do with broccoli!

Romanesco Broccoli - the Italians always do it better :-)

Much more on economical cooking at this interesting, entertaining and informative site

(* Pig-figure Image from www.lifesize-models.co.uk)

Books to Feed Body and Soul

Another foray to the Hungerford Antiques Arcade on Thursday - en route to lunch with a dear friend; lots of little 'bits and pieces' picked up - but also two very interesting books, for just a couple of pounds each, on the cultural history of food and food-writing.

It's a field which fascinates me, both because I am interested in all aspects of life in the past, but more particularly since we bought the house next door to Autumn Cottage 20 years ago, when we 'inherited' a boarded up fireplace, which turned out to hold an inglenook plus the entrance to the beehive oven which was already visible on the outside of the house. It looked intriguing but I had no real idea of how a bread oven had worked; once I had my own, I hunted down books on the subject (Dorothy Hartley's Food in England was a treasury of information on the topic) and was also lucky to see one in use at my neighbour's house. She had restored her oven to working order and held a 'baking day' especially to demonstrate how it was practically operated. (a third, more prosaic reason for buying both books is quite simply that I love finding, eating and sharing good quality, interesting food - surely one of the great pleasures of life?)

 

The two books I brought home with me were Marwood Yeatman's 'Last Food Of England' - a survey of both the historic sources, preparation and serving of food through history in England, but also a survey of those whom he considers the best purveyors at the present time of the best quality foods in the country. It is a book written by someone who clearly feels strongly about the quality of good food and preservation of its availability by the continued existence of small local producers and shopkeepers; There is much more about the book here and also a description of his home, which illustrates his philosophy of lifestyle here

 

The second book - Mark Kurlansky's  'Choice Cuts' - is a more general anthology of food writing from the Romans onwards - a lovely book to dip into along with a cup of tea and a piece of cake, more for entertainment than inspiration, though I suppose the one often leads - directly or otherwise - to the other!

I cannot end without mentioning - again - one of my favourite blogs - The History Girls - and yesterday's post on their site by Michelle Lovric,  regarding the upcoming 500th anniversary celebrations of Aldo Manuzio, publisher and printer of Venice. Books, Printing presses and Venice - what more could you ask me to leave you with! Off you go, to savour the whole delicious article here

Rescuing Poorly Plants in Penwood!

Continuing to carry out my Services to Poorly Plants (or those that have flowered, failed, died back or whatever) by rescuing several Kalanchoe from the local Homebase store, where they were being sold off for 10% of their original price. As you can see, they are (only slightly) past their best, but even when the flowers have gone, this plant will give long term glossy leaved pleasure in the winter conservatory.

 
I get a lot of fun by rescuing plants (which are sometimes of poor quality and overpriced in general DIY stores) and will happily purchase those that look as if they have seen far better days. It is a challenge that I enjoy to resuscitate them, and is often a case of just giving them some TLC: Fresh air (if they have been crammed together) - light, water - and sometimes a severe 'haircut'. I have been rewarded with some miraculous revivals - and a conservatory and garden full of some choice plants as a result - it's always worth giving them a chance.

The provoso is that I will also willingly pay the asking price for good plants from a nursery where I am also paying for horticultural knowledge, advice, and knowing that the plants have been properly cared for. (I realise as I am writing this that I see plants very much as I see animals - with the same needs, and the same requirement for rescue and nurturing if circumstances dictate it!).

I am blessed with a fine example of  caring and knowledgeable plantsmen (and women) at the local Penwood Nursery, very near to me, very trustworthy and taking such good care of their plants. I never look for 'Sale' tables there - they never have them. They don't need to - all their plants are of wonderful quality and value already, and always come with good advice and information on the needs of the plants. Even with all those extras, am astonished at how often their prices are considerably LOWER than the superstores. I respect them and their work, and I'll always pay full price for that!

And now - back to the tapas table. Margaret, Jamie, Fran, Brigitte - you are all very clever!  From the back row...curried potato salad, olives (kalamata & green garlic-stuffed), chipolata sausages in fig & balsamic vinegar chutney, sun-dried tomatoes, (second row) - squid in oil, smoked oysters, mackerel fillets in tomato sauce, king prawns in sweet chili sauce, smoked salmon pate & pimento on sunflower bread, (front row) - veggie stuffed mushrooms in garlic butter, grilled courgettes (zucchini) & tortellini. Many of them prepared in advance, everything easy, and all a happy reminder of days in Lisboa!

Mmm - feeling quite hungry now - I feel a stuffed mushroom or two coming on - see you on the weekend, mes amis!!

A First Time for Everything!

I’ve taken to buying prepared sushi for myself at the local supermarket, as a quick lunch when I return home after shopping. But I was recently watching an episode of Spendaholics on TV - “how to lead a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.”, a series in which people with enormous debts are given a lifestyle makeover to help them get their lives – and spending - back on track. The “star” of this episode was overspending partially due to her addiction to expensive sushi, so I thought I would follow their advice and try making my own.

I’ve had the ingredients lurking in the cupboard for a couple of months now, but last night I thought I would have a go. It was very simple, but it does seem to be important to have the right “bits and pieces” before you begin. Proper Sushi rice, which is very starchy – and therefore very sticky – rice vinegar, sheets of Nori (seaweed) and a rolling mat. (It would probably be possible to roll them without a mat, but why make life difficult?)
I followed the instructions on the packet of rice – half a bag, with 330ml of water, simmered for 10 minutes, and then left, off the heat, to steam, with the saucepan lid on.
Meanwhile, I made the rice dressing by mixing a tbs of rice vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar and one of salt (I may add more of both of those next time) – and when the rice had cooled, I stirred the dressing into it.
Then I laid one sheet of nori onto the rolling mat, spread rice on top, then lined up the fillings about 1/3 of the way along the rice (don’t worry if you want to try this – all the instructions are on all the packets). I used sliced king prawns, and sliced red peppers, carrot and celery. I will add cucumber and perhaps palm hearts next time, for a variation in texture.
Using the mat, I rolled them up like a swiss roll cake – and dampened the edge of the nori at the other end to seal it. I sliced them into five or six pieces, and there they were – Bob’s your Uncle – Sushi!
The slices from the ends of the rolls are a bit scruffy – but who cares, they tasted the same, eaten with soy sauce for dipping and grated ginger (again available in jars in the “World Foods” section of the supermarket). I estimate that I made roughly six times the amount I would buy from the shop for the same cost. A pretty good saving, I reckon!

If I was making them for others, I’d take more trouble, but for a first effort, after sampling, I can definitely declare them Not Bad At All - what do you think? Any suggestions for fillings and better methods would be very gladly received!

 

 

Captain Courageous

Free range chickens, doing what they oughta in an apple orchard

At last, SOMEONE is prepared to take on a very distasteful subject – the insidious and horrific practice of intensive animal rearing – and specifically, just how cheap chicken meat is produced.

Courageous, because this man has made himself VERY unpopular with certain sectors of superstore-dom, and the producers themselves.

For a long time, one of my heroes has been Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I was hooked from the first episode of “River Cottage” – the story of his experiment in self sufficiency, and now his latest venture, an experimental comparison between free range and intensive chicken rearing, is guaranteed to have me glued to the TV for each of the other two, hour long programmes (Programme 1 was on this evening). 

I have long refused to have anything to do with battery farmed chickens (we did have two free range organic chickens for Christmas lunch, though for 20 years we were vegetarian – another “another story”!) or intensively reared anything else. Even for slight meat eaters – (and in my case, very slight), the welfare of the animals is paramount. I can still not understand why the banning of fox hunting engaged the UK Parliament for so long when these disgraceful practices are still allowed to continue. 

Read more about the new programme Chicken Run here – and share your thoughts with me on how you feel animals should be/are treated in the food industry.

Me? I'm on my way back to almost-vegetarian. Almost because there maybe a shellfish or two - but for the rest, you can keep it. The price is just too high.

 

Do You Have a Larder (Pantry?)

Dear Friends of Autumn Cottage Diary 

Its been a long time since I checked in with you all – the beginning of October 2007 seems so far away in many respects (and Lily and Pippin have grown even more!). Even the New Year has been slow in kicking into action here at Autumn Cottage. But I’ve finally been prompted to put finger to keyboard  after mentions of the Slow Food Movement by Britt-Arnhild and Chel of the Yahoo Armchair Travelling group .
 

Tim goes back to college tomorrow, and I had promised him that before he did, I would make and freeze a batch of home made soup for him. These soups are something of a tradition in our family – they are very much “slow food” in their preparation, but fast in the effect that they have of bringing people from the far end of the house to the kitchen, enticed by the herby, garlic-y fragrance which floats abroad when the soup is simmering on the cooker. 

So this afternoon was already designated “soup time”, but mentions of  the interest that others have in Slow Food inspired me to take a few photographs to show just how simple the making of this root vegetable soup really is. Here’s a little gallery of images to show how it progresses – and here is the recipe. You won’t find many weights and measures in it – this is cooking the way that my (our?) mother/s did it – with plenty of tasting along the way to make sure that the things which count are there!
 

We start with this - easy!

Autumn Cottage Root Veg Slow Soup

2 large onions

½ head of celery

¼ Swede

2 large potatoes

8 medium carrots

At least 4 large cloves of garlic

A bunch of sage, rosemary and oregano

About 2 tbsp olive oil

About 1 tbsp butter

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

One of the most important additions - a bunch of herbs - can you smell it yet?
 

Put the olive oil, butter and chopped or crushed garlic into a large pan and allow to sweat on a very low heat for 5 minutes – (infusion rather than immolation!). 

Peel and roughly dice all the vegetables, then add to the oil and garlic. Give all a good stir, put the lid on the pan, and allow to sweat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water. 

Add the magic ingredients – the bunch of herbs (add any that you have – fresh are better than dried, but if dried is all you have, Italian herb mixes work well – I imagine about a tbsp would do). 

Pour boiling water over to just cover the vegetables. Lid back on, bring back to the boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for an hour. 

Add 1½ cups of red lentils; continue to simmer until all the water has been absorbed. A little more water may be needed as you go along if it gets too thick – different lentils absorb different amounts of water. 

Allow to cool, removing the bunch of twigs which will be all that is left of the herbs! 

Either eat “chunky” with good granary bread, or whizz in a blender for a smoother soup. Season to taste.

(Throw nothing away! Peelings  can happily be added to the compost heap - where they will miraculously turn into Black Gold for the garden over the space of a few  months - all for FREE!)

The contents of the compost bin - greens, peelings, old paper and cardboard. Magic!

My question in the title was inspired by opening the door to the larder to find the lentils (which I then dropped all over the floor when returning them to their shelf, but that is another story – Lily and Pippin have offered to clear them up – I don’t know if I should believe them?). Every time I look in that cupboard, I have a little thrill of pleasure, to see the shelves lined with packets, pots and jars - all manner of good things. 

I was determined to keep the larder when we bought “part 2” of Autumn Cottage (then called “Myrtle Cottage”) in 1995. So many people rip them out, in favour of “integrated” storage in a fitted kitchen, but, though small (what I really long for is the bliss of a walk-in Victorian larder, complete with slate and marble shelving), it is my cool repository of magical ingredients, which will transform a pot of water and humble vegetables into wholesome soups, purees, olives and pasta which will transport me back to Italy, powders and potions which will take me travelling to the Middle East and India., What a treasure nook it is! So, do you long for or have a larder? If you do, what do you keep in it? If not, what would your ideal larder be?

[I thought that these links may be of interest, noticing that several comments to this blog have noted the use of "Pantry" for what I have termed "Larder". I've certainly learned something myself - especially that there is even a website dedicated to "Everything Pantry"!]
 

Though we have travelled three months through the fallow part of the year, dear readers, there have been many changes at Autumn Cottage – and the coming year promises to see many more. Change is often difficult, and without burdening you with tedious personal details, I have found some of the changes more challenging than I expected. Looking back, I am now trying to do what I sometimes encourage my clients to do, to find the learning in all the events that have, and continue to occur. (I am SO much better at telling other people how to live their lives than I am at living my own!) 

Alec is seeking horizons new, after leaving the work he has done for 29 years. I, in turn, am now also open to the possibility of new things in my life, new directions, new adventures, new challenges – which I hope I shall continue to meet here at Autumn Cottage. 

I still continue to study at Winchester for the moment, though the openness to new challenges may include suspending those studies for a while, while I continue to build my counselling and psychotherapy practice, which will be extending more into on-line work in the next year, and also to offer many more day classes and courses here at the cottage. The new herb garden will be another place for my lovely workshop attendees to sit,contemplate, and write. here it is, in the depths of winter. Watch this space as it develops over the year.

In fact, I am returning to some of the things that first brought me to writing “Autumn Cottage Diary” on the Internet, some 12 years ago. I still want to share life here in an English country cottage with those of you who love such things – I want to return to sharing the changing seasons of the beautiful countryside with which I am surrounded, the old buildings in the interesting towns and villages which still exist – if you know where to look for them – the old bookshops, the antiques, the crafts, the good food and drink that can also still be found. 

Not every town has been completely taken over by plate glass-windowed emporia, clones of their brother and sister shops in every other town – all lookalike “Next”, Debenhams, Homebase and Tesco. The interesting and the downright eccentric still exist! (The superstores are also great – in their own way – but often very unlovely). 

So join me through 2008, as I bring the pleasures that I enjoy daily – here in the garden and house at Autumn Cottage, and when I travel in the towns and villages of England and abroad. I’ve missed you all – thank you, so many of you, for writing and telling me how much you have missed me. Your sincere concern has been heart warming to me. 

To bow out for today, who else could I leave you with other than Pippin, Lily, and Lissie (who decided to feast a day early at Christmas, ending up on the veterinary operating table the day after Boxing Day – but that, too, is another story!)

Who's bigger now? Lissie, thin and fragile but OK after surgery.

Another computer geek in the house!

 

A belated Happy New Year to you all!