Summer savarin

This is a delightful - she says modestly - summer savarin recipe, using seasonal ingredients.  OK, so that means you won't be able to make it all year round, but that is part of its appeal and you can use the basic mix to create new variations as other ingredients come into season.

I have used foraged elderflowers, picked en route from the workshops to home and fragrant rose petals from the garden.

Savarin
4½oz plain flour
3 teaspoons caster sugar
½ teaspoon dried yeast
5 fl oz sour cream
2 eggs
2 oz melted and cooled butter
Finely grated rind of a pink grapefruit

Syrup
4oz caster sugar
2 oz water
Juice of 1 pink grapefruit
5 heads of elderflowers
A handful of fragrant rose petals (optional)
5 fl oz sparkling white wine

400g strawberries
Juice of 1 lemon
Sugar to taste

Place all of the savarin ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat thoroughly for 2 minutes.
Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean, damp tea towel and leave in a warm, draught free place until doubled in size.

Quarter the strawberries and place in a shallow dish. Pour over the lemon juice and add sugar to taste.  Leave to steep and allow the juices to run.

Prepare the syrup. Put the sugar and water into a pan - a 7" saucepan is ideal and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Place the elderflowers and rose petals in a large jug. Add the grapefruit juice to the sugar syrup, bring back to the boil and then pour over the flowers.
Leave to infuse.

Back to the savarin mix...... lightly grease a 9½" savarin tin   and pour in the savarin batter.
Cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200ºC

Put the savarin ring into the pre-heated oven and cook for approx 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and pour over about half of the syrup.  (You can use the rest to make cocktails with the remainder of the bottle of Prosecco).
Leave to cool and absorb the syrup.

Turn out onto a serving plate and pile the strawberries in the centre.

Dust with icing sugar and scatter rose petals over the top - if you happen to have some!

© Netherton Foundry 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Tomato and onion bread

We wanted some tasty rolls for our Bank Holiday weekend picnic, to accompany a rather fine piece of Martin Moyden's Caer Caradoc and this was a great excuse to get out the savarin tin and make an attractive bread ring, to add visual interest, as well as taste, to my new bread recipe.
Of course, you could also bake these on a griddle plate, but this gave them a lovely crust.

10 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes

1 onion, finely chopped

1 Tblsp rapeseed oil - as usual I used Bennett and Dunn

1 Tblsp chopped fresh marjoram, I picked mine straight from the garden, but if you haven't got any use 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 tsp salt - don't overdo it, dried tomatoes are often salted.

1lb white bread flour

While the tomatoes are soaking, gently fry onions in oil until golden. An 8" frying pan is ideal. Set aside.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and chop them into small pieces

Make the tomato soaking water up to 10 fl oz

Place all ingredients into a food processor, fitted with a dough blade and mix for 30 seconds.

Alternatively mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, turn out and knead for 5 minutes.

Make sure the dough is covered and leave to prove until doubled in size. Either cover the top of the processor with the pusher or a piece of clingfilm. Use cling film or a damp tea towel to cover your mixing bowl.
  

Divide the risen dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.

Lightly oil a large savarin tin and arrange the dough balls in a circle., cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave in a draught free place until doubled in size again.

Meanwhile heat the oven to 220ºC

Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Serve with butter and cheese.

© Netherton Foundry 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Rights and responsibilities

This is not a history lesson, but we should remember that universal suffrage has not been long established in the history of British democracy.

As such, the right to vote, in my opinion, is also a responsibility.  Having been given, by accident of birth, the privilege of living in a free society, we should accept this responsibility and take seriously our part in the running of our country.

Our children are now both old enough to vote in their first general election, which has come much sooner than we could have foreseen.

It is fascinating to engage in debate with them and discuss the issues that are important to them.

This is encouraging to us.  After many years of unswerving political affiliation we are, for the first time, questioning the best and most tactical way to vote, weighing carefully the implications of our choices.  The children may vote differently from us, we may even make different choices ourselves, but the one thing that is certain is that we will all be at the village hall on June 8th casting our vote.  I am proud of their interest, engagement and analysis of the election process.

We recall the politicised days of our student lives; the miners' strike, apartheid, Thatcherism... followed by a creeping apathy which seemed to smother the generations behind us.  It was as if Johnny Rotten had never spat at an audience or sworn on TV.  As if we had never sung along to the Specials as they called for the release of Nelson Mandela.  Casual and organised racism insidiously grew and no-one seemed bothered.

Race riots, youth unemployment and even the more recent introduction of tuition fees and the burden of debt could not galvanise the young.

And then, to our horror, we sat aghast and heard the fateful news that the British public, ill informed by all sides and swayed by unfounded emotion, had voted to take us out of the EU.

This was the turning point.  That their future could be so determined by people who would not live long enough to see the consequences of their action, stirred those who would be most affected and shocked them out of their apathy and inertia.

I am heartened by the number of people who have registered to vote, by a heightened awareness and willingness to participate amongst the younger generation and I can only hope for a more questioning and challenging attitude from the older generations, who should not blindly accept the lead of the press and the personality of individuals.

Individuals cannot run the country, we need a government with the interest of everyone at the forefront of their policies, to protect the vulnerable, to educate, to look after the environment, give the strong the backing to succeed in a socially responsible way, to serve the needs of the nation.

Make your own choices, but make them wisely, and make sure you vote, whether you are 18 or 108.

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Boozy bread pudding

This is not the height of sophistication, it's just a grown up version of one of our all time favourites - bread pudding...... and an excuse to play with our new savarin tins.

You can either eat it warm with custard or cream or leave it to go completely cold and eat it on its own.

100g raisins
50ml rum, I used my own spiced blackberry rum
120ml cider
1 tsp dried yeast
30g sugar
60g yogurt
2 eggs
130g plain flour

Soak the raisins in the rum for at least an hour.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and cider and leave until the yeast starts to froth.
Add the eggs and yogurt and beat well.
Stir in the flour and beat thoroughly.

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave to prove for an hour in a draught free spot.
Pour the mixture into a 9½" savarin tin or a 10" Prospector pan , cover and leave to prove for a further hour.

During the second prove, pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Cook for approx 30 minutes.
Allow to cool a little in the tin and then turn out.

If you serving this as a dessert, you could fill the centre with a mixture of whipped cream and apple pureé.
If you prefer something a little sweeter, drizzle the finished pudding with maple syrup whilst still warm.

© Netherton Foundry 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Provenance and destiny

We really care where our materials come from, we can tell you who made each part and something of the history of the processes involved and the glorious equipment we use.

This is Mandy using one of our heritage fly presses.

But we also care where our cookware goes.

We are the first to admit that it is not for everyone.  If you want to chuck a packet meal into a pan and then throw that pan into the dishwasher, you will not appreciate one of ours.

There's the weight to consider too, our spun pans are half the weight of the competition's cast pans, but that is still too heavy for some.

We get it and we don't want to sell the pans to people who won't appreciate them or enjoy using them; that's not what we are about

That's why we are always happy to talk to people considering a purchase.  We know they are great pans, but we are not going to sell you one if it's not right for you.

We want you to buy it, use it, love it and come back for more.

And this is just one of the reasons that we only sell through independent retailers in the UK.  These are shopkeepers who know their merchandise, care about their customers and the service they offer and who want to build up relationships with suppliers and customers, so that they can offer great things to customers who keep coming back.

Variety is important, it's why those packs of Kellogg's breakfast cereal are popular.  We don't like the homogenisation of the High Street, the juggernaut style march of the soulless shopping centre, the bland uniformity of retail parks.  We want genuine choice, interest, human interaction, to make shopping a pleasure not a chore.

If we allow the small, independent retailers to disappear, then we leave ourselves entirely at the mercy of the large stores, who will, in effect be able to control what you buy, by limiting the choice to what they stock.

Do you want a large, anonymous corporation and their clever computer systems dictating your shopping habits.
Just look at the loyalty vouchers your supermarket sends you and tell me you don't feel like you are being watched.

When you look at it like that it all becomes a bit 1984 and we can foresee a future where we are stripped of our individuality and right/ability to make our own choice.

This may all sound a bit alarmist but stop to think about it for a minute......and then ask yourself, would it harm me to use my local shops more often.  

And it needn't cost more..... I had to cost up the price of a new tyre recently.  The little garage on the local trading estate was 10% cheaper than the 2 national chains I checked.   Same tyre, better service, the only difference being the selection of magazines in the waiting area.

Our local farm shops sells bags of their own grown, small apples for £1.  Okay what's special about that?  The fact that there are 16 in a bag is what's special.

So please, whatever you are buying, whether you are spending 50p, £50 or even £5,000, take a look at your local and independent suppliers, talk to a real shopkeeper who understands their stock, enjoy the shopping experience.

All of our great stockists are listed on the website, please support them, but if you are after something specific, give them a ring first to see if they have it in stock.

Use them or lose them.

© Netherton Foundry 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

SIMPLE: A book by Diana Henry

You will recall my trip to Otter Farm earlier this year for a food writing course with Diana Henry.
You may also remember my trepidation at the thought of submitting a piece of homework for review by our talented teacher.
This was a sample of work, written BEFORE the course - definitely an opportunity to "compare and contrast" our writing abilities, in the manner of the old English O level questions!

Well .......... the homework came back duly marked and I think I can safely say that the comments could be interpreted as a solid 7/10.
Diana's comments were incisive and very helpful.  I am putting them into practice with my writing now and hope that the results are evident.

But this all gave me an idea and as she has written, albeit privately, about mine, I have decided to write about Diana's writing.  I have several of her books and, in my opinion, each one is even better than the last.
Her latest, is certainly my favourite.

SIMPLE:  Effortless food, big flavours

To be honest, there's not much more to add to that.  We learned on our course that "less is more" and not to pad out our writing with unnecessary waffle.  The title and summary really do describe the book to a T.

Damn, Diana is a clever writer!!

This book shows you how to turn a few ingredients into tantalising, easy to prepare and visually impressive meals without having to be a trained chef or have a kitchen full of specialist equipment.
OK, so some of the ingredients are a bit off beat for us rural mice - pomegranate molasses in Highley anyone? - but surely that's what the internet is for.  Hello Souschef.

Take, for example, huevos rotos:

"SPANISH BROKEN EGGS; spicy, cheap, calls for a cold beer."
No spare words and already I am hooked.  After all, an excuse for a beer on a school night signposts me to a recipe every time.

"In other words, perfect midweek food" 
Who can argue with that?  
A total of only 16 words and they speak volumes.

This not only sums up the recipe, but everything that Diana taught us. Choose your words carefully and sparingly and they will deliver your message. Blather on and the message will be lost.

Now go and get yourself a copy of the book - and treat yourself to some remarkably SIMPLE food.

© Netherton Foundry 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

A recipe for falafel from our friend in Germany

How to cook Falafel in a Netherton Foundry spun iron pan

Thorsten lives in Germany and is a great friend of Netherton.  He has an impressive collection of our cookware.

He has been kind enough to share his pitta recipe with me - one for another day - as well as this super falafel recipe.

If you have tried making Pita, also called arabic flatbread or "Khubz", with a Netherton Foundry Kitchen Companion, you probably wondered about how to fill the nice pockets. Here’s a suggestion that is quite traditional and can also be eaten as a main dish, meat substitute or even a side dish: Falafel!

Falafel is very popular in the Middle East, especially in Lebanon, Israel and Egypt (in Egypt they are called “Taameyya” and are made with fava beans, not chickpeas). They are often sold as street food, and falafel booths are quite as popular as maybe Fish’n’Chips in Britain or Currywurst in Berlin.

Here is a version that you can make in your Netherton Foundry spun iron pan:

Ingredients:

6oz (170g) dried chick peas

1 onion

5 cloves garlic (use more or less according to taste)

1 bunch coriander (or parsley, but coriander is MUCH better)

1 tblsp ground coriander seeds

1 tblsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1½ oz (45g) Bulgur wheat (or whole grain wheat flour)

To make the falafel fluffy, you may add

1tsp baking powder OR

1 slice of toast OR 

Both

Preparation

1. Soaking the chickpeas

Put the chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with plenty of water. Let soak overnight.

2. Prepare the falafel dough

Drain the soaked chickpeas with a strainer and transfer them into a food processor.

Add onion, coarsely chopped, garlic cloves, coriander sprigs coarsely chopped, spices, salt and Bulgur.

After you added all the ingredients into the food processor, close it and mix for half a minute.

With a spoon or spatula, scrape any dough adhering to the side walls off and put it back into the food processor. Mix again. Repeat several times until you get a homogenous, but slightly grained texture of the dough.

That’s it! You can keep the falafel dough in the fridge up to one week, or freeze it. So, if you plan a larger party, you can make the dough in advance!

3. Frying time!

Take your Netherton Foundry spun iron pan and pour vegetable oil into the pan until the bottom is well covered with oil (about 2-3 mm).

Put the pan on medium heat and wait a few minutes to let the oil get hot.

In the meantime, form small falafel patties, about ½ inch (1 – 1 ½ cm) thick, and about 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter.

If there is an Asian shop or an oriental market in your vicinity, you may consider getting a falafel maker / falafel scoop. They come in different sizes and shapes, sometimes they form little patties, sometimes they form rings. The size and shape is not important, but they usually have a spring-operated plunger that pushes the falafel patty out. This helps a lot and makes forming the falafel a lot easier.

You can of course also form the patties by hand, with a cookie cutter, or any other way you like. Try to make them with a similar thickness, so that they have the same cooking time. You can also use a burger press and create “Falafel Burgers”! Sometimes people even won’t recognize that they have no meat in their Burger. If you do that, be careful while removing the patty from the press, it breaks a lot easier than meat patties.

I used a falafel scoop to make little patties of about two inch (5 cm) in diameter. Just drop them in the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with Tahini sauce, or stuff them in the pita you made with your Netherton Foundry kitchen companion or casserole, or use them as a main or side dish.

This recipe is suitable for vegetarians and vegans!

Thank you Thorsten

You can find Thorsten on Twitter @Der_SMU