Hunger pangs!

Just looking through my photos to do the last post and found some naughty foods I would love to sink my teeth into right now.

This is a photo from Christmas Eve. PORK PIE AND HOMEMADE BREAD. MMMMMM.

Think Thin, Mrs P!

Pie. Cheese. BREAD.

Gammon exploits and More dieting (sigh)

During a "girly" weekend we decided to have a Sunday roast. Living in close proximity to the Ginger Pig, my girlfriends drove up there to pick up a joint. Time was of the essence as one of them had a train to catch, so they asked the butchers to suggest something that would be quite quick to cook. This goes against my better judgement, as I prefer to leave a joint to slowly roast on a low heat for several hours... mmm. But unfortunately this could not happen.

Interestingly, she returned from the butchers with a large joint of gammon! Firstly we had to speed up the de-salting by boiling it in water for about an hour. Sadly, I think it would have been better if we had had the day before to soak the joint as it did remain rather salty. After the attempt at de-salting, it was boiled in water with an onion and some cloves.

 

Next step was to glaze the now cooked gammon "hunk".

So we made up a honey and mustard glaze. Spread on the fat and put in the oven for half an hour. That's it! In this picture you can glimpse my leeks in white sauce (again made hurriedly, so not my best work).

All in all, rather tasty. Served with new potatoes, carrots, broccoli.

So, boringly, the diet continues. Mr Parkinson had bought some ready made puff pastry prior to the health kick, so some of it had to be used (any excuse!). I made a chicken pie filling, recipe below. Then we used about 85g each of the pastry and baked separate pie lids. I am usually against this practice, a pie should have a pastry base and lid and be cooked together in the oven! However, my health kick has sent me slightly gaga so...!

Unglamourous pie day

Pie "filling", hidden from view in pie picture.

HEALTHY (ISH) CHICKEN PIE RECIPE (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced
10 mushrooms of choice
1 carrot, diced small pieces
1 onion, sliced
Bay leaf
Tarragon
Splash of white wine (probably optional)
1 tbs plain flour
Water
Seasoning
1 tsp olive oil

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat. Fry the onion, carrot and mushroom. Whilst these are softening, dust the chicken pieces in seasoned flour.

Add chicken to pan once veg softened. Allow to colour.

Add splash of white wine if you have some. Add about a teacup of water, stir.

Add bay leaf, tarragon, seasoning to taste.

Leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Sauce should thicken naturally.

Serve with a puff pastry pie lid!

Dieting

Since we got married in September, we've obviously become a bit too contented and comfortable and become a bit fat. I've put on about half a stone. I actually thought it was more, my trousers felt incredibly tight! Anyway, I need to get fit and back into an exercise regime. So I have started running regularly again and so far, so good.

We also need to eat less. I have given up cake, biscuits, crisps and chocolate for Lent, like I usually do. For dinner tonight I made a vegetable lasagne with no pasta! I think Mr P is still hungry, but he'll just have to get used to it.

HEALTH KICK LASAGNE RECIPE (serves 2)

Ingredients
1 aubergine, cubed
1/2 butternut squash, cubed
1 onion, cubed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 courgette
3 garlic cloves
1 can chopped tomatoes
1tsp sugar
1tsp red wine vinegar (any vinegar will do)
Seasoning to taste
3 tsp olive oil

White sauce - use whatever recipe you're used to to make about 300ml. 

Heat oven to 200 deg C. Put the aubergine, squash, onion, red pepper and garlic in a roasting tin. Pour over 2tsp olive oil, seasoning, toss. If you have fennel seeds sprinkle a few on top. Put in oven for half an hour until veg softened.

Meanwhile, put 1/2 tsp olive oil into a pan on medium heat. Fry a sliced garlic clove. Add chopped toms, sugar, vinegar and seasoning to taste. Let simmer whilst you wait for the veg to roast.

Slice the courgettes lengthways (you'll get about 4 slices per courgette). Scantly brush a frying pan with oil, fry the courgettes for a few minutes on each side till slightly coloured. Rest on kitchen paper to absorb moisture.

Layer roasted veg, tomato sauce then courgette slices. Repeat. Top with the white sauce and some grated cheese of your choice. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes.

St John Bread & Wine

Mr Parkinson and I went to St John Bread and Wine for dinner last week. Partly because we couldn't get a table at Brawn and it was on our "to do" list. 

It was busy given that it was just any Wednesday evening. We were absolutely ravenous, having both had a hard day at work. Fortunately a big wodge of bread came out, but this only served to fuel our appetites. It seems sparsely staffed there so it took a while to get our orders in. We opted for three of the "starters" (around £6-7) and one "main" (around £14). The main was teal and we were informed it would take half an hour, but not to worry as the other dishes should arrive before then.

Which they did, after about twenty minutes, one by one.

Ogleshield, onion and potato.

Ogleshield, it turns out, is a mild Jersey cow's cheese. This was sort of a fancy cheesy chips you might say. Very tasty and the mild cheese offset the tartness of the onions very well. Our appetites were now on overdrive. Eventually the next dish arrived.

Duck liver and foie gras toast

This was lovely crisp toast smeared with a rather creamy rich livery goo. Nice cornichons. Now the wait for the next dish...

Monk's Beard, anchovy and duck egg

We were intrigued by what Monk's Beard might be and fortunately it turned out to be a green shoot type vegetable not unlike samphire. It was enveloped in a salty anchovy sauce. This went very well with the perfectly cooked duck egg which melted all over the "beard". By now I was gagging for a bit more bread to soak up the remnants. At this point we realised we may not be sated and considered ordering more dishes, but the waiting had put us off somewhat.

It got to an hour after we had ordered and we felt we ought to say something, which is very unlike us. The kind waitress informed us that "the teal takes half an hour, but I'll try to find out", before zipping away without us being able to say well actually it's been over an hour! Anyway, it then turned up shortly afterwards and although it was very nice it was (a) on the cold side and (b) small.

Mr Parkinson and the teal, savoy cabbage and quince

We then ordered pudding, of which I had heard great things. Other choices included a blood orange trifle, profiteroles, chocolate ice cream and honeycomb. Mr P went for spotted dick and custard.

I opted for ginger loaf with butterscotch sauce. This was served with a blob of clotted cream.

My dessert was rich, warming and comforting. I was by now full, but Mr P was still hungry. To the extent that on our walk up Brick Lane he said he "could eat a curry"!

Mr P and I are greedy individuals and it is rare for us to go home hungry if we've eaten out. If we were to return I think I would go for five of the "starters" and abandon the "mains", ie the pricier ones. The food was delicious, just a shame it was a bit slow.

Dinner Party

We spent a long time deliberating our menu for entertaining our very good friend and her new gentleman friend. Something comforting and easy.

Dinner table. New napkins!

So, we settled on a starter of warm goats cheese on a bed of rocket and caramelised onions. We prepared the onions in the morning, roasting them with sugar and red wine vinegar till they were darkened and sticky.

Then we made something which was for us a first. Venison and chestnut mushroom suet puddings, an adapted recipe, with creamy mash and braised red cabbage. The venison was stewed in the oven for about two hours with celery, red wine, gin and herbs. The venison meat was separated from the thick juices which were further simmered to make a thick, intensely flavoured gravy. The suet pastry was easy to make and texturally was stodgy and like a big warm blanket. Red cabbage was braised with red wine vinegar.

After this, we rolled out a banoffee cheesecake from Nigella's new book, "Kitchen". I am a fan of making a cheesecake using a bain marie and this was pretty tasty. Next time I think I'll try the peanut butter cheesecake in that book which looks incredible.

Hopefully my entries will get a little more interesting as they go on! But I'm pleased I've got this off the ground.