Moving on from work in Spain - Tales from London

A sheikh from the Middle East is married to 5 wives. He has had to divorce one as only 4 wives are permitted. Normally he would accommodate all 5 plus their children and many grandchildren at the Dorchester hotel. Extra rooms allocated for the servants and drivers, taking over half of the hotel. The sheikh has decided to buy land in Buckinghamshire and after Covid-19 restrictions started to ease, he obtained planning permission to build four residential buildings and a hotel in the middle. The idea being that the residential buildings will house his wives and ex wife plus their entourage. Whilst the servants can be accommodated in the hotel. When they aren’t in residence, the whole complex can be rented out to other rich people. ◦ How am I aware of this? My husband works for a car hire company regularly used by the group. Last night he received a call asking for a car to collect the architect from the airport. She was transferred to Berkshire to oversee the whole project. Will it be successful? Who knows. My husband worked in years gone by for a very elderly Sheikha. She bought a large family home in West London and asked us to do minor decorations. Surely she could afford professionals but she wanted us. You won’t believe this, but she continued to live in her luxury Park Lane flats. That’s correct. Plural. The big family home with massive garden was only utilised by her chef to cook in comfort and transport the food back to Park Lane.  ◦

ANISE

 ANISE - not to be confused with STAR ANISE

 

 It is related to the carrot and parsley families. 

The seeds taste of liquorice and come fron a plant with long feathery leaves.  They help counteract wind and are a natural stimulant.  It is said that the Romans used to eat it at the end of a meal in order to aid digestion.  Indians also use the seeds to aid digestion.  It is used in stews, cheese dishes, fish and of course, with curries.  

The seeds of the anise or aniseed plant are used in cookery. They have a very distinctive liquorice flavour and a sweet yet spicy aroma. The dried seeds are ground to make powdered ground anise, which can lose its flavour quickly so it is best to buy seeds and grind them freshly or to buy ground anise in small quantities.

Anise is popular in savoury and  sweet dishes including Indian dishes, bread and fish recipes. Anise adds flavour to biscuits and cakes. It is also the main flavour in many drinks including Pernod, French Pastis and Greek and Turkish Ouzo.

It is probably best to dry-fry the seeds in a hot frying pan for a few minutes until the aroma is released.

This spice is widely used in Middle Eastern, Italian, Indian, German and Mexican cooking. Anise seed is used in Italian biscotti, desserts, and charcuterie.

 

A Quick Make It Up as you go along Rogan Josh

 Ingredients:

 teaspoon of Nigella seeds

 teaspoon of mustard seeds

 a sprinkle of chilli flakes or a whole chilli

 4 heaped teaspoons of paprika

 10 cardamom pods

 salt and pepper

 Quick and easy ginger paste

 Quick and easy garlic paste

 Frozen onions....a good chunk, the more the thicker the sauce

A tablespoon of turmeric

500 grams of fillet neck lamb cut into chunks

1 large soft tomato, cut and chopped

A large tablespoonful of ghee to cook with

Method

I felt lazy today and short of time to cook, so did a quick, from memory, rogan josh. I decided to use the slow cooker as I wanted to go for a short walk too. Good for the mental health during this Covid pandemic, or so they say. It looked like heavy rain, so didn't wander far, just to the postbox and back. Before I went I did this:-

Took the slow cooker internal pan onto the hob and added the ghee, then threw in the frozen onions, quickly followed by the garlic and ginger paste plus the turmeric. At this stage, it looked a little dry, so I threw in a glug of extra virgin olive oil (posh chefs wouldn't approve). Then I fried the lamb and added the paprika, salt and pepper, tomato, yoghurt, mustard and Nigella seeds, cardamom pods and some chilli flakes as the red chilli I found in the fridge had seen better days and went in the bin. I added a little hot water, no measurement, just until it looked enough liquid to cook in, and put the dish back into the slow cooker which I set on high for 4 hours but it was more than ready in two hours, so switched off. Husband made basmati rice with mushrooms, turmeric and peas and I made a sambal of cucumber, tomato, red onions, coriander, crushed cumin, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

 

Middle Eastern Kibbeh in Tomato Sauce with Turnips and Parsley

 

 

Ingredients

Kibbeh (available frozen from Middle Eastern supermarkets)

A whole tube of tomato puree

1 litre of water

A bunch of parsley (use half)

6 turnips, peeled and sliced 

Cooking oil (I use olive oil)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

 In a large saucepan, mix the tomato puree with the cooking oil over a low heat.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Cook the turnips for about 10 minutes and then add the frozen Kibbeh.  Simmer on a low heat for about 25 minutes.  Add salt and pepper as well as chopped parsley.

Serve in a large soup bowl with hot rolls and butter.

Alternatives:

If you don't have turnips, or don't like them, sliced potatoes could be substituted.

Spanish Supermarket Stew

 

Well, that's my name for it.  When we lived in Spain, we used to do a big shop at Carrefour hypermarket, once in a while.  Carrefour is so big that we often spent several hours there and stopped for lunch.  One of my favourites was the beef stew and I think it was a little like this.

 

 

Ingredients:

Chunks of beef for stewing

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped, or if you really like garlic, put a whole bulb cut in two halves.

A small tin of tomato puree

Olive oil for cooking

A red bell pepper, cleaned and sliced

Salt and black pepper

Beef stock

3 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

A jar or tin of pre-cooked peas and carrots

1 tablespoon of gravy granules with 200 ml of water

Method:

Cook the beef in a pressure cooker if you have one

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil (large saucepan)

Add the tomato puree, cooked beef, salt and pepper, vinegar and gravy made up with the water.  Add a beef stock cube and more water if necessary.  When everything is soft, add the red pepper, peas and carrots.  Adjust the thickness of the sauce with more or less stock.

Serve with either a baguette to dip or paprika potatoes sliced in the oven on a tray, cooked for about an hour on 180C.  Or Yorkshire pudding goes nicely with the stew.

SPICY FRENCH CHICKEN

 Ingredients:

A whole free range or corn fed chicken

A chunk of onion

A whole lemon cut in half

Parsley leaves and stalks

A few bay leaves blended with paprika

Salt and pepper

A knob of butter or two

A cup of water

A tablespoon of cornflour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C

Place the chicken on a rack over a roasting tray

Cover with the ground bayleaves, paprika, salt and pepper

Dot with butter and squeeze half a lemon on the chicken, then pop the lemon and onion inside the chicken to create steam inside.  Put the chicken in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.  Take the chicken out and cover with tin foil to rest for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour the residual juices into a pan, mix the cornflour with the water and pour that in the pan.  Simmer until you have a sauce.

Maybe serve with potato dauphinoise.  Rub a pyrex dish with garlic and olive oil or butter.  Add thin rounds of potatoes.  They should be floury, such as King Edwards, Desiree or Maris Piper Add 500 ml of double cream.  Bake with the chicken and decorate with flat leaf parsley.  The cream can split if the oven is too hot, so if you are lucky enough to have a second oven, put them at a lower temperature of 140C.

 

TIPS FOR MORE HEALTHY EATING

Choose lower fat alternatives, such as substituting low fat cheese for cream cheese.

One third of your meals should consist of salad or vegetables.

Remember to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

To help you use less olive oil, try using an olive oil spray for cooking, or when making salad dressings.

If you are trying to cut down on salt, use extra spices and herbs to add flavour to your meals.

Want to cut down on fat? Swap frying or roasting with grilling, using a griddle pan or steaming your food.

Choose a leaner cut of meat without fat such as poultry with skin removed, fillet steak. Cut off any visible fat.

Choose wholegrain rice and pasta as they are higher in fibre than the white alternatives.

When using cheese, maybe think about a mature Cheddar or a hard blue cheese, for more flavour, but use less of it, perhaps grating it.

 

TOMATO, YELLOW PEPPER AND CELERY SOUP

Having had my second Covid 19 vaccination today, I fancied something nutritious to eat, followed by an afternoon with my feet up resting.  I didn't have any side effects from the first vaccine, but that doesn't mean I will escape this time.  So far, so good.

I didn't know what to have for lunch.  We often eat our main meal at lunch time, but today is other half's day at the office instead of working from home.  So I checked for any vegetables past their best in the fridge and popped them in the soup maker with a vegetable stock cube.

Ingredients

2 carrots, cleaned and chopped

2 celery sticks, cleaned and chopped

1 yellow pepper washed and chopped (discarding the pith and seeds).  Other colour peppers are fine.

1 clove of garlic (for healthy reasons)

2 cleaned spring onions (scallions)

2 soft tomatoes, washed and chopped

1 vegetable stock cube

2 cups of water or more according to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Lemon juice and crusty bread to serve

 

Pop all the ingredients (except the lemon and crusty bread) in the soup maker and set it for 21 minutes on blend.

 

Handy Household Hints and Tips Part Four

Chopping boards need a clean?

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of salt on the chopping board.

Wipe down with half a lemon

Rinse in hot water, but don't soak.

 

Does your iron look dirty?

Spread clean paper onto your ironing board and sprinkle with salt

Disable the steam button on your iron and make sure there's no water in it

Turn the heat setting to maximum

Pass the iron over the salt to remove any dirt.

 

Dirty oven? Try this

Pour one cup of baking soda in a bowl.

Dab a wet sponge in the soda and apply generously to the dirty parts of your oven

Using a spray bottle, spray white vinegar on the paste

Wipe clean with another clean sponge.



Clogged drain? Why not try this?

Mix half a cup of baking soda with half a cup of salt, in a bowl

Pour the mix over the blocked drain

Then pour a cup of warm vinegar over it and leave for a few minutes

Rinse with at least 1 litre of boiling water.

 

DOGS NEED A HOLIDAY TOO

 

How do you deal with your dog when you go away? Do you put Fido in a reputable kennels or take him with you? A pet is part of the family. I should have some idea, having owned a boarding cattery for a few years and written a book about it. Before Covid 19, I started to work as a pet sitter but only had chance to look after one lovely white doggy called Stitch, for a neighbour.

 

If you prefer to take Fido with you (do you know anyone who has a dog called Fido?) then why not stay in a dog friendly hotel? I haven’t stayed in any of these, but they sound good.

Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside. They even have a bar called Copper Dog. It isn’t cheap but has what looks like a wonderful whiskey bar and the country walks look appealing.

Overwater Hall in the Lake District. Every doggy visitor will have a homemade biscuit on arrival. Adrian has shared the recipe with owners. There is no additional charge for Fido. Dogs are welcome in one of the hotel lounges and bar, but they don’t allow dogs on seats. The hotel is set in 18 acres and has a woodland board walk. They offer breakfast and a limited dinner menu in your room if you wish to eat with your dog as they aren’t allowed in the restaurant. A dog sitting service can be arranged for rainy days.

Tyddyn Goronwy Camping Park near Snowdonia. Dogs are allowed at this site which is close to the beach. They take tents and campervans. At the moment it isn’t allowed, due to Covid 19, for people living in England to book.

The Grosvenor Arms in Shaftesbury in Dorset. Dogs are welcome in the bar with a full menu, but not in the restaurant. Boutique style bedrooms and dogs allowed in all of them.

Cholmondeley Arms in Cheshire. A very dog friendly hotel with a charge of £10 extra per room. There are water bowls at the front door as well as around the garden, dog biscuits at the bar and even doggie beer available to buy. Well behaved dogs preferred.

New Park Manor in the New Forest. Dogs are welcome in the rooms with doggy biscuits, blankets etc. They do a Paws break.

When booking accommodation it might be an idea to check if they only allow small dogs. Also how many dogs are welcome and check what restrictions apply to where the dog is allowed.

If you are travelling by car, it’s best they are in a container but with room to stand, sit down and turn around. Making regular stops for a leg stretch and toilet break for you and Fido.

 

If you decide to leave your pet at home, there are several options, a kennels, pet sitter or perhaps a relative who will look after your dog.

As I write, hotels are closed due to Covid but restrictions are being lifted.

Dog friendly beaches, all year round, Milford-on-sea, Hampshire, Troon beach in Ayrshire, Sandymouth in Cornwall, Babbacombe in Devon, Perranporth in Cornwall. Watcombe Bay on the Isle of Wight, Lulworth Cove in Dorset. Embleton Bay in Northumberland has a wide beach.

CHEESE QUOITS FOR SOUP

Why not liven up tinned soup with these delicious cheese rings.

Ingredients:-

6 ounces of plain flour

Half a teaspoon of cream of tartar

Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Half a teaspoon of salt

A sprinkle of black pepper OR cayenne powder if you like things spicy

Half an ounce of fresh butter

2 ounces of cream cheese

2 or 3 tablespoons of milk

A little beaten egg

2 tablespoons of grated Cheddar cheese

Method:-

Sift the powdered ingredients into a bowl. Rub in the cream cheese and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Blend with milk to a soft dough. With light strokes, roll out fairly thin and use a round cutter to make rings. Brush over with egg and dip into the grated cheese. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 10-12 minutes. They should be nicely risen and golden coloured. Re-roll some of the leftover pastry if you wish to make more. Serve piping hot on top of soup, tinned or homemade.