Rosemary and black olive soda bread

As one of our wedding presents, we were lucky enough to receive a bread maker. I was absolutely thrilled. Successful bread baking is an art that has long eluded me and despite people waxing lyrical about the stress-reducing powers of kneading bread, I just can't get enthusiastic about it. I love the idea of it all but when it comes to the process, I just find myself if a sticky mess. I'm usually left feeling rather disappointed with an equally disappointing (and frankly indigestible) loaf in my hand.

Fellow bloggers may well feel I'm letting the side down and that I should persevere. But I'm afraid that now I have my lovely bread machine, it may take me a while to get back in the bread-making saddle. There are many other people making wonderful bread so I shall leave it to them for now.

I have, however, had more success with soda bread which is far easier to make. I love the slightly different texture and find it goes brilliantly with hearty autumn soups or toasted and spread with a really good marmalade.

I discovered this particular recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook. Don't let that put you off - it works brilliantly and tastes fantastic. Today it is chilly, damp and distinctly autumnal and a wedge of this bread went very nicely with a bowl of butternut squash soup.

Rosemary and olive soda bread

Makes 6 wedges

Ingredients

200g self raising flour

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

30g pitted black olives

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary plus a few small sprigs to decorate

100g low fat natural yoghurt

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Sift the flour, salt and bicarb into a mixing bowl and stir in the olives and chopped rosemary.

3. Mix the yoghurt with 3 tablespoons of water and then add to the flour mixture. Stir with a table knife to bring the dough together into a clean ball. You may need to add a little more water to achieve this.

3. Lightly grease a baking tray and then press the dough out into a 15cm/6 inch disk on the tray. Mark into six wedges with a knife, taking care not to cut all the way through. Stick a rosemary sprig into each each 'wedge'.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into wedges and enjoying!

Notes - this is best eaten on the day it is made. However, it does freeze well.

Aga saga

I've had a fairly serious break from blogging. The past 18 months have seen some fairly serious changes in my life and, to be honest, I haven't much had the time (or inclination) for my blog. First there was the flower-sender. We met just 19 months ago, were engaged after four months and in May we got married...

Prior to the wedding, we took stock and decided that we both needed to lose weight. We've lost over 6 stone between us and I am feeling decidedly lighter on my feet. Our diet is certainly much healthier but, fear not, I still enjoy the occasional treat! For some reason, I didn't much feel like blogging during this period. I wish I had though as I miss having all my recipes in one place for reference.

In the midst of the wedding preparations, Sinbad arrived. Deeply naughty, very cute and completely lovable, we were totally unprepared for the chaos that comes with an eight week old puppy. We wouldn't have it any other way though and he is now a fully-fledged member of our pack.

Whilst all this was going on, we decided it would be a good idea to move house. I've lost count of the number people who told me that moving house is one of the most stressful things one can do and was I really sure that getting married, changing job and moving house all in the same year was a good idea. I suspect they may have had a point. Particularly as we were moving to a whole new area. From start to finish the process took almost a year but I'm pleased to say that we've finally sold my London flat and are now renting a house in a chocolate-box village in the Cotswolds.

In London I woke to the sound of planes coming in to land and opened my curtains to the charming view of a brick wall. Now I wake to the sound of silence and open my curtains to this...

The trees in the garden are laden with apples, pears and plums. I finally feel like I can breathe out after all the mahem of the past year. Above all, I feel reinvigorated and newly inspired. I can't wait to gather in the autumn produce from the garden, forage in the hedgerows which are laden with blackberries and sloes and install myself in the kitchen.

The kitchen. The new kitchen. It is twice the size of the London one, plus it opens out onto a large dining area. It is a proper, sociable kitchen which is flooded with light. I look out onto the garden. Installed in the 1970's, it is not the most attractive kitchen in the world but I love the feeling of space.

There is however, one rather large problem standing between me and a coruncopia of culinary delights. Let me introduce our Aga...

Many people dream of a kitchen with a range such as this. Until we moved here, I considered myself one of them. What could be nicer than a permenantly warm stove? The heart of the home. I pictured myself as domestic goddess extraordinaire gliding around the Aga with the dog at my feet, casserole in the bottom oven simmering away. Life would be good.

But then I realised that I didn't actually know how to use an Aga. It couldn't be too complicated, surely. My husband kindly gave me a book on the subject for my birthday. I read that the secret to successful Aga cooking seems to lie in never opening the top lids and investing in a whole new set of expensive pans. Not good.

I'm being unfair. This isn't really the case. I'm certainly not buying new pans just yet (especially as we were lucky enough to receive some extremely smart ones as a wedding present). But I do need to learn the Aga way of cooking. It is different. I find that I am allowed to open the lids and cook on the top after all. I just have to understand that when the lids are open, I'm losing heat from the ovens. The 80:20 rule is apparantly what I need to follow. 80% of cooking should be done in the ovens, a mere 20% on top. Follow this 'rule' and I will, so I'm told, learn to love my Aga. I don't doubt it. Anyone I've ever met who has one is completely wedded to it. I suspect I will be too in due course.

We are lucky enough that there is another oven to use as a backup and we're waiting for the temperature to drop a little before we fire up the Aga. I'm excited about the challenge and looking forward to sharing the results of my efforts here. I hope you'll enjoy reading about them!

Chocolate brownies with roasted plum sorbet

It has been months. And months.

I've been cooking. But I haven't felt like blogging. A variety of reasons I suppose. Two burglaries last year meant that I was without a decent camera for a while. The laptop was also stolen and took a while to replace. Our wedding is fast approaching (eight weeks to go) and preparations have taken up much of my time. We've also been dieting. My passion for all things bad for me finally got to a point where I felt the need to take action (...the prospect of looking reasonable in my wedding dress had nothing to do with it, of course....!). Between the flower-sender and I, we are now nearly five stone lighter. Quite an achievement certainly, but I guess I just haven't felt like blogging about it all.

Anyway, today I'm back in the mood. Or at least, I was in the mood until I discovered that blogger has changed and uploading and positioning photos has turned into something of a nightmare. Bring back drag and drop!!

The arrival of this little fellow on Wednesday, means that I am pretty much housebound until he has his second lot of jabs, freeing him up to go and explore the world. Currently, he is spending most of his time sleeping (during the day), chewing our shoes (in the evening) and howling (at nighttime). Not ideal, but he is adorable all the same... I hope you'll agree!

Months of healthy eating have left us deprived of good cakes (low-fat cakes hardly ever cut the mustard with me) and I'm also not good at the whole 'just a small slice' thing so it has been better not to have them sitting in the cake tin in temptations path. But we have been making exceptions when we have people round. It is a great excuse to bake something naughty and delicious and enjoy it knowing we've been good the rest of the week.

A few weeks ago, I fancied something chocolately. I'm still on a quest for my 'perfect' brownie recipe and whilst flicking through a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cook book, I was drawn in by a photo of divine brownies topped with a vibrant plum sorbet. I dug out the ice-cream maker (doesn't tend to get much use in the depths of winter) and set to work. The sorbet is simplicity itself - and it contains no raw egg white so is 'safe' for pregnant guests or anyone else who needs to be careful. The plums are roasted with vanilla and sugar before being pushed through a sieve (a bit time-consuming, but hardly arduous) and then churned until set. Served on top of warm chocolate brownies, it is perfection. The contrast of cold and warm and the sweetness of the brownies next to the slight bite of the plums is quite excellent. Well-done Hugh for an inspiring combination!

Use your own favourite brownie recipe (though Hugh's was rather good). You can find the original recipe for the sorbet on p360 of his excellent book 'River Cottage Everyday'. Here is my version.

Roasted Plum Sorbet (with chocolate brownies)

Ingredients
1kg plums
2 vanilla pods
100g caster sugar (plus more if the plums are sharp, but don't overdo it)
1 batch of your favourite brownies, warm from the oven

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C.

2. Halve and stone the plums and place in a roasting tin. Split the vanilla pods and chop into small pieces - add to the tin. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and add 250ml water. Roast for 30-40 mins until the plums are very soft and blistering round the edges.

3. Push the contents of the roasting tin through a sieve - this is time consuming, but hardly arduous. And it is worth it, I promise!


4. Taste the puree and add more sugar if required. You want a little bite to it though! Chill for a couple of hours before churning until thick in an ice-cream machine (or freezing in a shallow container and beating by hand every hour, three times to prevent ice crystals).


5. Enjoy with warm brownies!

Rabbit and artichoke paella

The past month has seen me spend little time in the kitchen. I've been struck down with two tummy bugs which seemed extremely unfair. I'm just getting over the second one and after five days of consuming nothing but dry toast, mashed potato and plain pasta, I'm finally hankering after something a little more interesting (...and nutritious!)

Back in September, the flower-sender celebrated his birthday. Like me, he is a fairly keen cook and one of his signature dishes is paella. Until earlier this year, I had never enjoyed a paella. I can't eat shellfish and as all paellas seemed to involve mussels or prawns or clams, I assumed it was a treat I'd ever enjoy. How wrong I was. On an early date, the flower-sender wowed me with a special shellfish-free paella made with monkfish, chorizo and a variety of vegetables. This delicious dish now makes a fairly regular appearance in our household. His only complaint was that he didn't really have the right equipment to make an 'authentic' paella. So, for his birthday, I decided to invest in a proper paella pan. I chose a kit including special 'La Bomba' paella rice, saffron, pimento and other bits for making the perfect paella. I also invested in a book all about the famous Spanish dish.

The book is actually really rather interesting - much of it talks of the techniques and tools required to make a good paella and the other half is full of great recipes. What interested me most was the number of these which did not contain shellfish, or even fish for that matter. I was allowed to choose the first recipe cooked in the new pan and selected an interesting sounding rabbit and artichoke paella.

This really worked very well - it was delicious. The rabbit was moist and tender and the rice perfectly textured and flavoursome. The only problem we had was the instruction that we shouldn't stir the paella. This was not really a goer as the food soon started to burn on the bottom of the pan. We eventually added more stock but unfortunately a few burnt bits did make their way into the finished dish (...as you'll see from the photos).

We asked the butcher to joint the rabbit for us and halved the recipe. We also used chargrilled artichoke hearts rather than preparing our own fresh artichokes, so I've adapted the recipe to take this into account. Make sure you hang onto the rabbit's liver - pounded together with almonds, it makes a delicious addition to the paella (although it was so delicious I almost ate it all before we got to the stage of pounding it in the pestle and mortar).

Please excuse the 'wide-screen' nature of the photos. New camera and I'd hit the wrong setting by accident!

Paella de conejo y alchachofas
(Paella with rabbit and artichokes)
From 'La Paella' by Jeff Koehler
Serves 6

1 whole rabbit, cut into 12 pieces, keep the liver
6 tbsp olive oil
6 artichoke hearts (we used ready cooked hearts and washed off as much preserving oil as possible)
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped into 1-inch square pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 tsp sweet pimenton
8 cups chicken stock
2 pinches saffron threads
3 cups short-grain rice (buy special paella rice or look for a brand such as La Bomba)
handful of tomatoes
handful of chopped parsley

1. Toast the saffron to release extra flavour. Do this in a dry saucepan until the saffron starts to change colour and then crumble onto a piece of paper (or pound with a pestle and mortar).

2. Season the rabbit with plenty of salt and pepper. In a large paella pan (or large wide saucepan), heat the oil and brown the rabbit for around 5 minutes, along with the rabbit liver. Set aside.

3. Pound the rabbit liver with a handful of almonds in a pestle and mortar and set to one side.

3. Grate the tomatoes. To do this, cut the tomatoes in half, remove seeds with your finger and grate on the widest setting on a stand-up grater. Discard the remaining skin.

4. Cook the pepper in the pan over a medium heat for 5 mins. Add the garlic and tomatoes and a couple of pinches of salt and cook until the tomato starts to darken (about 5 minutes). Return the rabbit to the pan along with any juices and cook for another 5 minutes. This base is called the 'sofrito'. According to the author, it should look 'pasty' at this stage (...though I'm not sure how pieces of rabbit can look pasty!).

5. Sprinkle in the pimenton and stir to combine. The add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts.

6. Sprinkle in the saffron. Taste and add seasoning if required. Increase heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Sprinkle in the rice and with a wooden spoon, push rice to ensure it is evenly distributed.

7. Do not stir again but cook, uncovered for 10 minutes over a high heat. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is 'al punto' (with a slight bite to it).

8. Remove paella from heat, sprinkle over the ground rabbit liver/almond mixture, cover with paper towels and leave to rest for five minutes.

9. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Guilt-free sticky toffee puddings!

It has been a long interlude! When I last posted in September, I didn't for a moment think that it would be November when I finally returned.

The reasons for my blogging absence have been various. It has been a busy few months with much change on the horizon for me and I just haven't felt like blogging. So much has been up in the air and I suppose I've been concentrating on all those other things. Finally, my plans are all out in the open and I feel able to think about other things. I won't bore you with details of these plans but essentially they involve a big move (out of London to the Cotswolds). The big move also involves a change of job as I won't be able to commute to Hertfordshire from that area. As yet, I'm not sure what this will be as I'm not sure when we will be able to move (it depends on the sale of my flat). So, exciting things ahead but also an air of uncertaintly. I've handed in my notice with nowhere to go next and I have to say that it is a little scary! In between getting my flat ready for sale, planning our May wedding, looking at properties in the Cotswolds and looking for jobs I've had little time to blog. That's not to say I haven't been busy in the kitchen, I just haven't felt inclined to grab the camera as much as usual.

I'm hoping to get back to normal now though I suspect the next few months may be a little erratic. Please bear with me - once the move has taken place, I suspect to have much more time on my hands (...in theory!).

Anyway, with a very lovely wedding dress to show off in May, I've succombed to the inevitable pre-wedding diet. I've been very overweight for years - my love of puddings, cakes, pastry, cheese and butter are entirely to blame (...along with my total lack of enthusiasm for most forms of exercise). I finally decided that with something to aim for, it was time to reign it in a bit. Fortunately for me, the flower-sender is equally keen on pastry and decided that he should also get on the bandwagon. So, one stone lighter than I was in August, I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. It has been challenging though and there is still a way to go.

The biggest problem for me has been puddings. I'm the sort of person who doesn't feel that a meal is complete unless it ends on a sweet note. And by this, I don't mean a piece of fruit. I like proper puddings. Lunch isn't a problem - I'm happy with a yoghurt. But in the evening, I want things to end properly. The trouble with most low-fat dessert recipes is that they are generally what I call 'non-puddings'. Fruit salads. Poached pears. Compote of plums with greek yoghurt. These things are all perfectly nice, but they don't really satisfy the craving in the same way that a crumble, sponge or treacle tart would.

I've become almost desperate in my search for low-fat puds to satisfy my sweet tooth and have come to the conclusion that the whole point of a dessert is that, by its very nature, it is something indulgent and that a low-fat pudding is really something of an oxymoron.

In the meantime, I have found this rather nice little recipe. It is, if such a thing can exist, a low-fat sticky toffee pudding (...did someone say something about oxymorons?). Usually someone who extols the idea that a thing is only worth doing if you do it properly, I decided to give it a whirl.

It is a recipe from BBC Good Food - a website useful for dieters as each recipe is accompanied by the full nutritional information. I made these as a treat one Sunday night after our weekly roast. Sticky toffee pudding is perhaps a bit of a stretch. It isn't really the same pudding at all. But it was rather good despite this. It had good date flavour and whilst maple syrup is hardly a substitue for a good toffee sauce, it is still rather delicious. My craving was completely satisfied and I'd definitely make these again. It is a very simple recipe and individual puds look so pretty for a dinner party. Ideal for the colder nights!

Guilt-free sticky toffee puddings
Makes 4 individual puds
Original recipe here

175g pitted dried dates
150ml maple syrup, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
85g self-raising flour
Low fat greek yoghurt or custard to serve

Individual pudding moulds
Food processor

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

2. Place the dates in a saucepan with 6 fl oz/175ml water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Tip the dates and water into a food processor with 6 tbsp of the maple syrup and the vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and then mix in the egg yolks.

4. In a spanking clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the date mixture.

5. Grease the pudding moulds and then pour 1 tbsp maple syrup into the base of each. Then divide the pudding mixture evenly between them. Cover each tightly with foil and place in an ovenproof baking dish.

6. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes half-way up the sides of the pudding. Place carefully in oven and cook for an hour (until skewer comes out clean).

7. Turn the puds carefully out onto plates - you may need to loosen with a palette knife. Serve with yoghurt, custard or ice-cream and an extra drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

Another interlude!

No sooner have I returned and I'm off again!

Today we are heading off to Cornwall for a week's holiday in Port Isaac. Looking forward to the freshest of fish and perhaps even the odd pasty.

When I return, I'll be sharing the recipe for this delicious terrine!

Normandy Apple Tart

What a long time since I last blogged! A catalogue of reasons for this, mainly camera-related. Having had both our cameras stolen earlier this year whilst on holiday, we finally bought a replacement. All was going well and I was even quite pleased with the food photos it was taking. Normality resumed. Until a few weeks ago when the camera suffered a bit of an accident and, sadly, no longer works.

We have since invested in yet another replacement - this time a rather cheap camera as a stand-in until we can get another we like. I've not been pleased with the quality of the photos and as such, haven't much felt like sharing them on the blog.

But I've finally pulled myself together and plan to do the best I can with the tools I have - I'm still busy in the kitchen and have lots of food to share!

A few weeks ago I turned thirty. To mark this milestone, I had a lovely party with friends and family at my parents' home on the Isle of Wight. For three days, my mother, the flower-sender and I cooked and baked and chopped and cooked some more. I have to admit to feeling rather pleased with myself when I saw it all laid out and people trying to cram a bit of everything onto their plates.
I have lots of recipes to share - we poached a whole salmon, made a beautiful terrine, baked a ham and prepared all kinds of salads, nibbles and starters. We also made three divine puddings. One of the most striking was this lovely apple tart made by my mother. It is the sort of thing that I would probably never make - I don't have much patience for 'perfect' presentation and my apples wouldn't be nearly so neat on top. It didn't just look good though, it also tasted superb. It is really a very simple recipe and when my mother assembled it she didn't actually think that the recipe would work - the purée seemed to runny. However, it firmed up nicely when left to chill overnight in the fridge.

The recipe comes from an Isle of Wight cookery book which was published some time ago in aid of charity. It is a basic recipe rather than a detailed one but fairly easy to interpret.

Normandy Apple Flan

12oz Shortcrust Pastry
1 pint thick apple purée, well sweetened
3 dessert apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons Apricot Jam
2 tablespoons water

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Line 9in flan ring or tin with the pastry.

2. Prick base and bake blind for 15 mins.

3. Fill flan case with apple purée and then arrange the sliced apples over the top. Pour over half the lemon juice.

4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins. Remove from oven and cool.

5. Heat jam, water and remaining lemon juice until syrupy, but do not allow to boil. Press through a sieve and spoon over tart to glaze.