Quick Kedgeree

INGREDIENTS

8 medium free range eggs, boiled so yolks are still just runny

2 shallots, finely diced

60g butter

2 tbsp curry paste

3 bay leaves

Boneless haddock, (1 piece per person) gently poached in boiling water and butter  for 5 mins

600g cooked basmati rice, flavoured with saffron

Juice of 2 lemons, plus wedges to serve

500g fresh spinach

Fine green beans, lightly steamed

Handful chopped parsley, to serve

DIRECTIONS
Heat butter in a large sauté pan. Add the shallots and cook for 5 mins, stirring gently. Add the curry paste and bay leaves, cook for a minute then stir in the rice. Stir to coat. Once poached, flake the fish from the skin, and set aside.

Stir in the lemon juice and spinach into the rice, cover and cook gently for a few mins. Stir in the fish, green beans and parsley, heat through, and serve.

Wholemeal Drop Scones

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

100g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch of salt
1 large egg, beaten
150 ml semi skimmed milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well for the egg. Break the egg into the well and then mix together quickly with a metal spoon, gradually adding the milk until you have a smooth batter.

Don't let the mixture rest, use it immediately.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and melt a knob of butter in it.

Drop a level tablespoon of batter into the pan for each scone.

TOP TIP- drop the batter from the tip of the spoon for round cakes and from the side of the spoon for oval cakes.

Cook gently for a couple of minutes until bubbles start to appear and then flip over and cook for a minute on the other side. If there is room in your pan you can do more than one at a time. 
Cook the scrambled egg - melt a knob of butter in a small saucepan and when the butter starts to sizzle slightly, pour in the egg mixture. Cook on a low heat, stirring slowly until the mixture begins to thicken and starts to become creamy. Remove from the heat immediately now before the mixture goes solid.

Serve up about 4 scones per person, pile the scrambled egg and smoked salmon on top and sprinkle with chives and a good grind of black pepper. Scatter the capers around the side of the dish with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the salmon.

For the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs:

4 slices of smoked salmon

4 fresh free-range eggs

A splash of milk

Knob of butter

Salt and plenty of black pepper

Lemon wedges, a few capers and chopped chives to serve

Get the smoked salmon, lemon wedges, capers and chives ready for when the scones and scrambled eggs are cooked.

Tom Yam Soup

INGREDIENTS (serves 12)

 

2 litres fish or  vegetable stock (or chicken if you are making this for omnivores!)
300ml water

300ml coconut milk
5 sticks lemongrass, lightly crushed
8 fresh coriander roots, crushed
220g fresh galangal, peeled and sliced (available from Asian supermarkets)
12 pomodorino tomatoes, cut into quarters, seeds removed

3 generous handfuls of Shitake or Oyster Mushrooms, thinly sliced
10 kaffir lime leaves
3 to 4  limes, juice only
3 tablespoons of tamarind paste

4 red chillies, thinly sliced
150ml fish sauce (nam pla), or to taste
150g palm sugar (or brown sugar if unavailable)
3 raw tiger prawns per serving,  shelled, gutted and split in half
 
To serve
fresh coriander leaves
lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

Place the stock and water into a large pan over a high heat and bring to the boil.
Add the lemongrass, coriander roots, galangal, tomatoes, lime leaves, lime juice, tamarind water and red chillies. Return to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Taste the stock and add as much fish sauce and palm sugar as necessary to keep the salty-sour-hot-sweet taste, then remove from the heat.
Add the prawns and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, or until prawns are completely cooked through.
Add the coconut milk and turn off the heat.

To serve, pour the soup into bowls and garnish with finely chopped coriander and a wedge of lime.

Cheat's Pumpkin Ravioli

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet of fresh lasagne per 4 ravioli

1 large pumpkin
4 shallots
2 cloves  garlic
2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons cream
4 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper



DIRECTIONS

For the filling, deseed and slice the pumpkin into large chunks and roast for 40 minutes until the inside is soft. I did this in October and froze the flesh.

(Hence the cheatin’ and references.)

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic and sauté in the butter and olive oil until tender.

When cool, spoon out the pumpkin flesh and discard the seeds and the tough fibre in the centre. Place the pulp in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the shallot and garlic mixture, the cream, grated Parmesan cheese, and white wine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Lightly flour a flat surface and lay out a few sheets of the fresh lasagne. 

Using a square cutter, cut out squares of lasagne to form the ravioli.

Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the pumpkin filling in the centre of half of the squares.

Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush around the sides of every square. Cover each pumpkin-filled square with an empty square, pressing all four sides down to seal the ravioli, and allow to dry for at least 10 minutes.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add a slug of olive oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking.

Using a flat spatula, ease the ravioli into the water and cook very gently for 12 minutes. Do not allow to boil vigorously or the ravioli will break open. Remove and drain.

Serve immediately with the blanched broad beans, a sprinkle of parmesan, a splodge of Speedy Pasta Sauce and a generous helping of freshly ground black pepper.

Lavender Cupcakes

These unusual lavender-infused cakes are a popular flavour in the summer. Try making them with essential oils rather than dried lavender. About 4 or 5 drops should be sufficient to flavour this amount of mixture.

Infusing the milk with lavender oil or flowers makes the flavour subtle. The icing can be left plain, or you can use a bit of food colouring to give it a light lavender colour (makes 12.)
photograph © Peter Cassidy


INGREDIENTS

120 ml whole milk
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
12 small sprigs of lavender (optional)
25ml whole milk
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
A couple of drops of purple food colouring (optional)
A 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

DIRECTIONS

Put the milk and dry lavender flowers in a jug, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight if possible. Do the same with the milk and lavender flowers for the frosting, in a separate jug.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark three.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Strain the lavender-infused milk (for the cupcake) and slowly pour into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.

Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely
Lavender frosting
Beat together the icing sugar, butter and food colouring, if using, in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Turn the mixer down to a slow speed. Strain the lavender-infused milk and slowly pour into the butter mixture. Once all the milk is incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.

Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy (at least five minutes.) The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the lavender frosting on top and decorate with a sprig of lavender, if using.

Special offer: £2 off The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook You can buy the book at the special price of £14.99 with free p&p (rrp £16.99) by calling Macmillan Direct on 01256 302 699 and quoting the reference code GLR1KP.


Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
By Tarek Malouf and the Hummingbird Bakers
Photography by Peter Cassidy
Published by Ryland Peters & Small

Beetroot and Orange Soup

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 kg fresh beetroot

4 litres vegetable stock

Juice and grated rind of 8 fresh orange (or 800ml fresh orange juice)

4 teaspoons ground coriander

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Scrub the beetroot and chop off the roots and stalks.

Either chop the beetroot finely or grate it. A food processor is a lovely way of doing this, without covering everything in purple splatters!
Fry the chopped onion until translucent. Place in large soup pan. 

Add the beetroot and the vegetable stock, orange rind (if using) and bay leaves. Simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the beetroot is soft.

Add the spices and orange juice. Remove the bay leaves.

Liquidise until smooth.

Either serve warm with sourdough bread, or chill and serve with a swirl of cream, a drizzle of honey and some orange rind curls, as a perfect Summer Starter.