Winter is on its way

Winter is almost upon us, and we are already craving comforting, warming foods. We want casseroles, stews, curries, one pot wonders. Anything warm and cosy that will make life feel good.

Celeriac is a wonderful root vegetable at this time and if you haven't tried it I strongly recommend it just now, while its in season. Here are a few recipe ideas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?keywords=celeriac

Another thing I love at this time of year is a pudding, or a scone, or a cake in the evening. One of my favourite cake/loaves is Date & Walnut and Nigella has a wonderful recipe for this: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/date-and-walnut-loaf-1748

Finally a word on thrift regarding winter warmers. We bought a whole rabbit from the butcher last weekend and made a wonderful stew with half of it but the bones were terrible! Please be aware that if you are having rabbit there are many, many bones, some of which are tiny but could make you choke so please be careful.

We also bought a very cheap piece of lamb - the rib. This, stewed or casseroled over 2 1/2 to 3 hours with onions, carrots, garlic, cayenne pepper, stock and bay leaves is simply divine. The meat melts off the bones. I have never been a fan of ribs until trying this and it was so good we are serving it to guests this weekend. Add potatoes in for a filling meal.

On a vegetarian note, puy lentils are a fantastic staple. They are highly versatile and very good for you, hold their shape far better than red or dahl lentils and can be used for chilli's, casseroles and anything else! They will take the boldest of flavours so don't be afraid to try new recipes.

This looks to be a winter of bad weather and cold and/or wet nights. Stay warm and well fed x


On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1 The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Sourdough breads and soup

I've been busy doing a lot of bread baking over the past couple of weeks and the one I would like to share with you is the sourdough bread recipe. It is from Patrick Ryan and is on the BBC Food website - Link : Sourdough Bread

It is a wonderful and not too complicated recipe. Some of the others out there suggest very long proving times but if you've never baked this bread before you can't go wrong with this - you can experiment with times as you gain experience.

In a bid to use less processed items in my life, I have opted to substitute the sugar with organic maple syrup, such as Meridian Organic Maple Syrup. This syrup is so divine you'll want to drink it!! I used 1 1/2 tbsp instead of 10oz of sugar.

Another pointer is that I have substituted the strong white flour for Allinson country grain flour and it worked just as well. The bread was beautiful and toasted extrememly well too.

I will warn you that making sourdough bread is sticky business :O) It is a little like a gooey glue until it is kneaded thoroughly.

The other part of this blog is on a rather tasty alternative lentil soup I made. It is very healthy and inexpensive.

2 handfuls puy lentils
2 pints stock (veg or 1 veg, 1 chicken)
1 carrot chopped or sliced
1 potato chopped (maris piper tend to hold their shape better)
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 dozen button/crimin or chestnut mushrooms, whole or if fairly large, half)
1 leek, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
Few needles of fresh rosemary
good dash cayenne pepper
good dash paprika (possibly twice paprika to cayenne)
glug worcester sauce
Olive oil (optional)
raw/uncooked sesame seeds (optional)

add stock to a warm pot and add the lentils, followed by the onions, carrot, leek, garlic, mushrooms and potato.
add all your other ingredients.
Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minitues or until puy lentils give.
Serve with a small amount olive oil and (if you like) some sesame seeds.

The soup doesn't need to be cooked with the oil but it does make a difference if added at the end - and olive oil is very good for you like this. The sesame seeds are also packed with nutrients, which is why I have put raw - as they lose many of those nutrients when cooked. The mushrooms together with the puy lentils give an earthy flavour that tones the w. sauce down.

The real hero is the rosemary. it should permeate every part of the soup but not overpower it x

All the best and happy baking/cooking.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin