blog – FOODFORUM

31Jan 2022 by Ali

My twelve days of Christmas

Nice Cuppa and a Natter, Recipes over Troubled Water

Before Christmas 2021 is a distant memory I decided to do a round up of my highlights and tips for bringing joy into the world - a post advent calendar, if you like, since moments of high anticipation and glad tidings need not be confined to the festive season. On the 1st day: Mariachi comes to townStarting with a bit of mariachi fun I had with some pumpkins left over from Halloween. See what I did there? In case anyone wants to recreate similar (and why wouldn't you?!) I used some South American terracotta wind chimes that had become tangled beyond repair as sombreros for the mini gourds. On the 2nd day: Feeling gingerHaving been admonished as a teenager by my mother, for incinerating my first attempt at a Christmas…

12Aug 2021 by Ali

Tasty Lankyshire Curd Tarts

Nice Cuppa and a Natter, Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

How to describe a curd tart?It's not the egg custard tart of my childhood which screams pasty as in pallid and not pasty as in pic-nic, although my mum and her mother could make an excellent home-made egg custard freckled with grated nutmeg. Not forgetting that it isn't nutmeg unless it has been lurking in the bottom of the baking drawer for a good few decades. Nor is it the Manchester Tart from school dinners with a dollop of jam on top of solid day-glo custard and a smattering of desiccated coconut and certainly not the unctuous and ubiquitous Portuguese Tarts that grace delis, cafés and food shops. The Yorkshire Curd Tart hints at the texture of a baked American cheesecake but isn't sickly or rich. Buttery, fruity, slightly tangy…

30Mar 2021 by Ali

Full Circle Wild Garlic Scone

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

In March 2020, acclimatising to pandemic mode, I was establishing this blog and posting about wild garlic. Fastforward to March 2021 and I find myself in foraging mode again as the weather springs us forwards and signs of a fresh, new season can be i-spied all around. Perspectives shift with time and it's the little things around us that impact strongly - buds, shoots and shades of green. Reality keeps pace with this generous-spirited season as we emerge from the tunnel of Covid restrictions and follow chinks of light. "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." Leonard Cohen I love whiffy woodland walks as the ramsons (wild garlic) scent the air and carpet creep the ground. And so in homage to the full circling of…

12Feb 2021 by Ali

Soup it up

Nice Cuppa and a Natter, Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

I could dine on soup alone and often I do ...BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,Waiting in a hot tureen!Who for such dainties would not stoop?Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Lewis Carroll We revere soup as a great comfort food, a winter warmer, a real crowd pleaser. Whether a quick lunch or supper, the first course of a meal or the main event, soup is worthy of celebration. Yet this sits uncomfortably against images in the press of 2021 soup kitchen queues and underlines the nonsense behind inequalities that threaten our sense of living in a democracy. To those people standing in line, soup represents a last resort, a lifeline, not luxury at all. Back in time for soupIt has been said that "Soup…

29Sep 2020 by Ali

Ode to Autumn Salad

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water, Salad Days

When I'm in need of some build me up butternut therapy I go into roasting mode with a butternut squash and make it into a salad - it works wonders served warm or cold. "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" John Keats, Ode to Autumn. The generosity of Autumn can boost our mood - whether walking through autumnal woods or sitting down to a mellow feast of colours and flavours. In the northern hemisphere the autumnal equinox around 22nd September each year marks the beginning of Autumn. The word equinox derives from the Latin meaning equal day and night and is the transitional point at which the equator is closest to the sun and northern and southern hemispheres are illuminated equally. Autumn is typically marked by customs and festivals that…

31Aug 2020 by Ali

Quick fix salads

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water, Salad Days

The JuicyThe Green & CrunchyThe Spiralised The MediterraneanBring the outdoors inThe Salsa Sunshine vitaminsEven as we head towards autumn when the sun is thinner, there's nothing better to lift the mood than sitting outside surrounded by all the colours under the sun, catching some back end of summer rays and with a bowl of Mediterranean freshness topped with crispy Habas Fritas. Everyone can dream. Originating in Spain, Habas Fritas (roasted, salted broad beans) have become popular as a snack but you don't need a gin and tonic to enjoy them. They are currently my favourite crunchy topping for salads. You can roast your own, thereby controlling the amount of fat and salt, in which case dried split fava beans from Hodmedods are just the job and are British grown. Or…

17Aug 2020 by Ali

Somewhere over the rainbow

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water, Salad Days

A celebration of saladsIn celebration of the lockdown summer I am writing a series of blog posts on salad-making. Not just salads as a side serving but as a meal in themselves - as protein-rich, good-fat and low-carb as you like, brimming with vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. If you don't want to addle your mind with all that nutrition and food science simply go for a variety of differently coloured plant-based ingredients and you can't help but benefit from a nutritional boost and a taste sensation. Follow the yellow brick roadStarting with a Rainbow Salad you can either create one rainbow plate singing with colour or put together a selection of salads in harmonising parts. The more colours of the rainbow you include the greater the range of phytonutrients, your…

09Jul 2020 by Ali

Time for tea

Nice Cuppa and a Natter

I love my creature comforts. Don't you just love a nice cup of tea and a sit down? We are creatures of habit and so we punctuate our days with tea-breaks ... in the morning with a slice of hot buttered toast, as a break from work or household chores, when we've been on our feet all day and, of course, when the clock strikes four, everything stops for tea. Tea - a drink with jam and bread ... Memories are made of teaMy tea childhood memories include being sent to the Co-op at the bottom of the avenue, for "a quarter of tea" and rushing home to discover what collectable card was lurking inside the packet. We would swop them with friends and paste them into albums until our…

03Jul 2020 by Ali

Comforting Cauli-Mac

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

No sooner have I turned my attentions to a season of summer salad blog posts when the skies cloud over, rain sets in for a staycation and thoughts U-turn back to hunkering down with a large plate of comfort food. And if you can bring together the comforts of macaroni, cauliflower and cheese you really are onto a winner - carb and cruciferous heaven. Grown to be in season for most of the year, so perpetually available, my heart nevertheless skips a beat when I see a display of caulis. Their distinctiveness knows no bounds, from the flavour to the brain-like shape. If you have any faith in the ancient Chinese 'Doctrine of Signatures' claiming that many foods mimic the part of the body they benefit, then it follows that…

19Jun 2020 by Ali

Let’s twist again

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

What's all the fuss about zucchini noodles, zoodles, low-carb noodles? Is the good old fashioned grater not good enough for you? Why pander to the gadget and gismo market? Why bother when these faddy items end up in festering and taking up space in a kitchen cupboard in no time? All these quips and more when I go into raptures about spirilizing. I'm here to tell you that there is a world of difference between a grate, a slice, a strip and a spiral twist and that each and all of them have a place in my heart! I haven't tried all spiralizers by any means but my firm favourites are the two featured here. They get my vote only because they work and are not over-ambitious. Good design -…

09Jun 2020 by Ali

Nowt like Courgetti Spaghetti

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

There is nothing (or nowt as we say where I come from) wrong with pasta. However, on the occasions where you feel like something lighter, want to avoid overdoing the carbs, or you have a glut of courgettes because it seemed like a good idea to try growing them ... then spiralised courgettes might be your answer to take the place of linguini or spaghetti. You don't even need a spiralizer. Courgettes are a delight to grow because, with not much more than a good compost and plenty of watering, they reward you with a sudden growth spurt and burst into vivid yellow flowers. These too are edible - the icing on the cake or the garnish on the salad. Dip them in a light batter and fry until crisp.…

31May 2020 by Ali

Parmigiana à la Babs

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

Of those vegetables beginning with A, aubergines are my favourite with their pleasing shiny, purple skins and pithy, spongy inner flesh. I think it was in the late 1970s when the colour mauve became aubergine. In Bolton at any rate. I had a wet-look mac in this new-fangled colour and wore it over an aubergine coloured midi dress with integrated pale pink blouse and hot pants. It was an all-in-one, but not a onesie. Around the same time I became aware of aubergines, and red and green peppers which were considered exotic, but took a while longer to appear on the market stall where I had a Saturday job. Back in the room with the aubergines, they are vegetable royalty in many cultures and take centre stage in dishes from…

28May 2020 by Ali

All you need is lovage

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

It all started during a phone chat with a friend, telling me about the lovage in her garden and asking whether I liked lovage. Next thing I knew she had sent some my way to see what I made of it. No excuse now. Lovage brings to mind the character written for Dame Maggie Smith in Peter Shaffer's satirical play "Lettice and Lovage" - surely I was onto a winner. Lovage is a herb, that much I did know, but I can't say I'd ever used it. What I wasn't aware of was that its seeds have long been used as a spice in European cuisine and that its leaves can be infused and drunk as a tea. With the flavour combination of parsley and celery its leaves and stem…

10May 2020 by Ali

Going vintage for VE Day 75

Recipes over Troubled Water

We'll eat again! OK so we haven't had to cope with rationing but there are some parallels when it comes to food and diet between WW2 and where we find ourselves in 2020. In Covid lockdown, as in wartime, people are reminded that farmers, producers and cooks all matter when the world is shifting beneath your feet, there is a threat to the status quo and you are trying to keep yourself nourished through food. In celebration of what we can do with what we have and not dwelling on what might be in short supply or currently out of our reach, Bank Holiday Friday (there's a novelty) saw the preparation of a VE Day pause for thought 75 years on. Everything stopped for tea to commemorate the end of…

05May 2020 by Ali

Finding your inner frittata

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

As lockdown continues and an altered reality sets in some of us may have time on our hands and minds. A vast number of people are working, juggling that with home-schooling, care-giving, supporting friends and family, staying safe and healthy, making ends meet and grappling with what their lives will be from hereon in. It might be that all that consumes you is how to put together a meal from whatever is available. Any or all of that is stressful and head-banging. The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown it into further sharp relief, freed up time but also given us more to think about and do. Right now we need some things to be easy and enjoyable and to be creative with the skills and resources we have in order to…

24Apr 2020 by Ali

Wild Garlic Hummus

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

The defining ingredients of hummus are chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste). It can be hard to distinguish either of these flavours in shop-bought hummus but, by making your own, you have control over flavour and texture. Plus you get to lick out the mixing bowl. Chickpeas are a nutritious vegetarian staple and provide protein, iron, B vitamins and fibre to soups, stews and casseroles or can be made into falafels or burgers. A note on the chickpeas if using pre-cooked - now that's what I call a convenience food - they vary in size and tenderness from small bullets (desi) to the larger and more plumptious (kabuli). A particular favourite of mine are the Spanish variety in jars (Garbanzos) although it is advisable to rinse off the brine in which…

23Apr 2020 by Ali

Wild Garlic & Cheese Scones

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

There is little more satisfying and more-more-more-ish than a savoury scone. My top tip would be not to get carried away and incorporate too many ingredients as they will cancel one another out. A good rule of thumb is 1 type of cheese, no more than 2 other flavouring ingredients and no more than 2 herbs or spices. Here is my recipe for a wild weekend at home, mid-morning snack with a cup of great coffee. One with a bowl of soup makes a meal. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C /Gas 7.Start with 250g SR flour, 2 x 5ml (tea)spoons baking powder and 100g butter or vegetable fat in a mixing bowl. Rub fat into flour with fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs. Add 100g grated cheese (retain…

17Apr 2020 by Ali

Wild Garlic Pesto

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

Pesto is easily made in a food processor or blender using something green - typically fresh basil leaves, a nut or seed, oil and optional cheese. Wild garlic makes for a great "something green" and blends well with almonds, cashews, walnuts or pumpkin seeds. Traditionally it would be made with pecorino or parmesan cheese, but this recipe packs so much flavour that it really is not missed and is then vegan. Depending on the consistency you opt for you can then use the pesto as a dressing, spread, pasta sauce or dollop it on the top of a bowl of soup with a swirl of yogurt. For this recipe a couple of handfuls of wild garlic, 1 preserved lemon, a pinch of chilli flakes, 60g whole almonds. Add juice of…

16Apr 2020 by Ali

Wild Garlic Soup

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

Soup is as old as the hills. Throwing whatever ingredients came to hand into a pot and boiling them up made for a cheap and nutritious meal. Nothing went to waste from bones to vegetable peelings - a genuine case of a little going a long way. Broth, soup or gruel was known as peasant food with every country or culture having its own signature soup - Italian Minestrone, Spanish Gazpacho, Russian Borscht, Middle Eastern Harira, Japanese Miso Soup, Indian Mulligatawny. And so it is in lockdown that soup really comes into its own. It is cheap to make, is filling and nutritious, you can use whatever you have to hand and the variations are endless. Those peasants knew what they were doing. Prepare the following ingredients: 1 onion, 1…

13Apr 2020 by Ali

Wild about Garlic

Recipes, Recipes over Troubled Water

Wild garlic - "it's the future" as us folk from Bolton would say! So what do we know about it? Found in British woodlands and on riverbanks you will probably notice the smell of garlic in the air before you see it and may well have walked past dense carpets of wild garlic without realising it. The garlic found growing wild is milder than traditional bulb garlic, yet still the leaves and flowers add a pungent flavour to dishes whether raw or cooked. The leaves are best picked in early Spring in the UK (March/April) whilst still tender. They should be washed well and dried (kitchen roll or salad spinner) and will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen. Wild garlic, AKA allium ursinum, ramsons,…