Comfort food - artificial sunshine

There are times when food really is the answer.....

I'm not talking about famine and food banks, neither of which should feature in our 21st century society and both of which remain fixed in the reality of the present day.

We have just been bombarded with the shrapnel (forgive me if that is an inaccurate military metaphor) of election issues, and whilst these food issues were not at the forefront of the debates, in fact were sadly little more than footnotes, let us hope that they WILL be tackled.

............and so,  back on message as the pollsters would say.

I am talking about *overused cliché alert* "comfort food", the so-called "hug in a mug", although I much prefer the "high in a pie".

This is about using what you put in your mouth - no smutty jokes at the back of the class, please - as a means to  lift your spirits and feed body and soul. A genuine mood enhancer.

If you believe in karma,  it will come as no surprise to you that after I started formulating this piece, I reached page 179 of Kay Plunkett Hogge's The Adventures of a Terribly Greedy Girl - the Comfort of a Roast Chicken.  This perfectly sums up everything I wanted to say. Damn you, Kay.  I urge you to read the whole book and appreciate the "full emotional clout of food"

Kay is an incisive, entertaining writer, her words compelling you to turn the pages and I write in her shadow.  But stick with me, you may find some resonance in my ramblings.

This is not about quick fixes and instant gratification. I am as prone as anyone to cravings, it's just that I am not a chocolate biscuit kinda girl and am most likely to found stuck into an oversized pot of coconut yogurt - each to their own!

This is not about reaching for the yogurt pot or a Mars bar, any more than it about ripping open a bag of crisps, face-planting a bowl of popcorn or cramming in a cream horn.................  I told you, no giggling at the back.

What I am ranting and rambling about is the solace of sustenance and the sheer joy of comfort food, achieved through comfort cooking.

The simple, yes, it has to be simple - go read Kay and Diana Henry  - process of mixing and heating.  A chemical reaction and an exercise in philsophy. Concentration, focus, dare I say "mindfulness.

Comfort cooking is not about cleverness or cockiness, it is about simplicity and satisfaction, and, quite possibly, a little alimentary alliteration.

Much has been said recently about coalitions of chaos, a phrase lately referring to the politics of our times,  but also, I believe, descriptive of the tsunami of alleged nutritional advice that swamps all forms of media and drowns out the little voice in your head that says, "All I want is a cheese sandwich"  White bread, saturated fat, gluten, carbs aaaargh!!!!! Shame on you.

We are assailed by wellness bloggers (yeah, ok so the English language is evolving, but like seriously, what even is that?), we are bewildered and bemused by an array of diet regimes (fads), rendered guilt laden if our calorific intake is not clean or real, bombarded by acronyms - just go away JERF - blinded by pseudo scientists telling us to eschew all E numbers (did you know that E simply stands for Europe and E300 is Vitamin C?) and misled by claims of the benefits of low fat and low sugar prodcuts.

If you have the time, please read Michael Mosley and One Angry Chef on these topics - they are waaaaay more qualified than I am to explain/debunk this crap to you. 

It is a sad truth that for many people, food represents challenges rather than comforts; be they pecuniary, supply issues or health related.

But for the rest of us, we can revel in food, take joy from growing it, buying it, engaging with producers, preparing, cooking and finally eating it - with relish!

Whereas junk food will give you a quick hit, prolonged satisfaction (again, quiet at the back, please), can be had from lining up a few ingredients, switching on the heat, switching off the outside world and performing a little alchemy.

Here is a little artificial sunshine, for days when you need a little lift.

Apricot and brown sugar cobbler

3oz butter

A dozen apricots

Maple syrup

2 oz ground almonds

4 oz self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

2 oz dark brown sugar

Approx 130 ml buttermilk

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC

Put 1oz of the butter in a shallow Prospector pan and place over a low heat.  When the butter foams, add the halved apricots, cut side down.

Drizzle with maple syrup - it's up to you how sweet you want them and how ripe they are (the riper the fruit, the more naturally sweet they will be). Turn off the heat.

Put the pan in the oven and roast the apricots for 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, place the almonds, baking powder and flour into a food processor or large bowl. Chop the remaining butter and add to the flour.  Process/rub until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add the sugar and mix well.

Add just enough buttermilk (substitute plain yogurt or milk if you wish) to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces.

Roll each one into a slightly squashed ball.

Remove the apricots from the oven and arrange the dough balls on top.

Replace the dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve warm, rather than piping hot with clotted cream.

© Netherton Foundry 2017 

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Comfort food in troubled times

The last week or so has been turbulent and troubled, by any standards.  The world may still be revolving on its access, the word seismic has been overworked, but it definitely feels a little wobbly - like an old fashioned spinning top that is losing momentum.

A referendum was called to ask the man in the street (RIP Sid Vicious) to make a judgement on something that he/she was far from qualified to do and the resulting bitter campaigning and final outcome rocked the establishment that set the ball rolling. 

We now have a governing party whose leader has stepped down, and with a backbiting contest to find a successor.

Meanwhile the Opposition are led by someone who claims to have the backing of tens of thousands of party supporters, but who cannot fill his own front bench.

Throw the English football team's dismal performance in the Euros into the mix alongside the nosediving pound and you may feel like pulling the duvet over your head and waiting for Christmas.

I was about to add that nobody died, but of course, that's not true.  We must not forget the senseless murder of the MP, Jo Cox admired and respected across the political divide.

Of course, things could be worse, we are not at war and the sky has not fallen in, so let's look for reasons to be cheerful.

The Welsh football team have put in their greatest performance since 1958, when a young player called Pele put paid to their progress.

All credit to the whole team - many said before the tournament that it was Gareth Bale and 10 other blokes heading to France, but those 10 blokes have more than proved themselves.  As have the Welsh fans, who have conducted themselves admirably and of course, proved to be the best singers there.

And whilst they beat England, you have to cheer on the Icelandic team, drawn from a nation of just over 350,000 people.

What I'd give for a Wales v Iceland final :-)

As for the Netherton crew, last month, we were fortunate to have been invited to the official opening of Finnebrogue's new facility in Downpatrick, just outside Belfast, where the guest of honour, ceremonially cutting a string of sausages, was Arlene Foster, First Minister of Northern Ireland.

This is a remarkable success story and we are delighted to be associated with some of the team who made this happen.

We love owner Denis Lynn's philosophy:

Offer something truly different and unique. Really understand your competition and work out how to do it better.

Once you know how to do it better, then sell the story. Nobody will buy your products unless you can articulate your unique selling points.

Deliver both margin and volume. Avoid getting into the commodity trap by selling cheap basic products at low margins just to get volume through the factory.

Never Stop. Innovation is continual. Keep working on the next big thing and put as much energy into long-term as short-term.

Get a reality check: It is easy to get caught up in the world of innovation and product development, but unless you connect back to the real world, and the customer, then you can drift off course. Listen to the customer.

Don't innovate for innovation's sake. Ask good questions and listen to real people.

He has followed his own advice to create truly wonderful products and we believe that our aims are the same.

                         

We came away from the launch with a sackful of their top quality sausages, with which to create some new dishes.

This caused much amusement when our rucksack passed through the scanner at Belfast Airport - how many sausages!!!!!

In the interests of national harmony, I have used our English pan to cook Northern Irish sausages, made with Welsh Cheddar to produce a hybrid of two of my favourite comfort foods; shepherd's pie and bangers and mash.  Because this is made with pork, rather than lamb I have named it the Swineherd's Pie.

2 onions, peeled and chopped

1 apple, cored and chopped - no need to peel it

1 pack of Asda Extra Special Pork, Welsh Cheddar and spring onion sausages

300ml dry cider

4 medium potatoes

100g strong cheddar cheese.

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC

Put 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil into an ovensafe frying pan and put on a medium heat.

Once the oil is warm, add the chopped onions and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Chuck in the apple and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the skin off the sausages and discard.

Once the onions start to take on a little colour, put the sausages into the frying pan and break them up with a wooden spoon.

Cook for around 5 minutes.

Pour over the cider and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the sausage mix is cooking, peel and chop the potatoes and boil until soft.

Drain and place back on a low heat to drive off any residual moisture.

Crush with a potato masher or fork - this is not going to be a smooth mash, so don't overdo it.

Stir in the cheese.

Pile the potato mix on top of the sausages and place the pan into the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until the top is golden.

Pour yourself a glass of cider and tuck in!

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Cauliflower soup

I hadn't intended to write this one up, after all, it was just "lunch". But after I carelessly posted a picture on Twitter, I got a request for the recipe.

So without further ado and none of my usual ramblings, here we go:

4 tblsp rapeseed oil
1 onion
1 cauliflower
2 large potatoes
700 ml vegetable or chicken stock
Grating of nutmeg
Black pepper
Grated Parmesan
50g hazelnuts
Sage leaves

Chop the onion finely.
Warm half the oil in a large pan or casserole
Add the chopped onion and cook over a gentle heat until soft and translucent.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into even sized chunks.
Cut the cauliflower into florets
Place potatoes and cauliflower in the pot with the onions.
Pour in the stock, season to taste with nutmeg (optional) and black pepper (essential!)
Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
Stir in Parmesan to taste.
Blend the soup until smooth.
Check the taste and add salt if you wish - do not add salt before you add the Parmesan, as it contains a lot of salt itself.
Keep warm.
Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat - keep an eye on them, they can burn in the twinkling of an eye
Chop coarsely when cool enough to handle.
If using the sage leaves, warm the remainder of the oil in a frying pan and drop in the sage leaves. Cook briefly - we are talking seconds - until crisp.

Drizzle the oil (either cold or from the frying pan) over the soup and sprinkle on the nuts and leaves.

You can make a vegan version of this by omitting the Parmesan

Serve with bread or cheese scones.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015

A savoury pumpkin pie

I love this time of year - seeing the breathtaking array of colour everywhere, crisp mornings, tramping through crunching leaves, the smell of bonfire smoke and also the fantastic selection of seasonal produce; quinces, apples, pears, figs and of course, pumpkins.

I'm not entirely sure when pumpkins and squashes became such a big thing, though I am pretty sure it has something to do with the commercialisation and Americanisation of Hallowe'en.

When I was a child and living up in North Yorkshire, Hallowe'en was virtually ignored, but we did have turnip Jack O'Lanterns and "celebrated" the 4th November as Mischief Night, which mostly seemed to involve knocking on people's front doors and running away...............another age!!

We did get up to slightly more mischievous activities, but if you think I am going to own up to those now, you are very much mistaken.  what happened in the past, stays in the past.

But for all I dislike the bought costumes, the dreadful Hallowe'en themed cakes and sweets for the equally awful Trick or Treating, I am pleased that we now have ready access to pumpkins and all their relatives.

And it has to be said that no pumpkin flesh is ever thrown away on carving day.

                                                      

                                         

Pumpkin pie is quintessentially an American institution and I am not going to attempt a version of their sweet confection.

I have gone for a savoury version, which went down a storm in our house and I hope you like it too.

None of these measurements are critical, so please feel free to adapt this to what you have on hand.

2 tblsp rapeseed oil

500g pumpkin flesh, peeled and chopped

1 large leek, washed thoroughly and cut into thick slices

2 tblsp dessicated coconut

2 tsp salt

1 dried chilli, crushed

200ml double cream

2 large potatoes

50g melted butter

Start by toasting the coconut in a frying pan over a medium heat.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 10" frying pan - an oven safe one is ideal or, as this is going into the oven, remove the oak handle covers.

Put the pumpkin into the pan and cook for approx 15 minutes, until starting to take on a little colour and becoming soft.

Add the leeks and stir well to mix.

Throw in a couple of tablespoons of water and simmer until the water is absorbed.

Add the toasted coconut, salt, chilli and cream.

Mix well and remove from the heat.

Heat the oven to 170ºC

Slice the potatoes thinly.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes.

Cook for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers over the pumpkin mix.

Pour the melted butter over the potatoes and put the pan in the oven.

Cook for 20 - 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and golden.

Serve piping hot with peas and roasted tomatoes.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015