Fig jam

Delicious salad

A take on a Yotam Ottelenghi salad that was in the Guardian on Saturday.

But I didn't have pot barley, so I substituted red rice, and used a couple of carrots and  half a red pepper plus half a chilli, ( these were languishing in the fridge,and needed eating.) 

the salad is part  raw, part cooked,

so here's  what I used 

Red rice ,

Zest and juice of 1/2a large lemon.

2shallots, peeled and sliced,

I clove of garlic,

A small handful ( 4) button mushrooms sliced thinly

Half a fennel bulb, sliced thinly

Oil, salt and pepper 

A good sized frond of Tarragon leaves chopped

Basil leaves chopped.

I cooked the rice and drained it

Fried the shallots ,garlic and carrot, and when they were coloured , added the finely sliced pepper and chilli to the mix. 

Added all that to the rice, and then gently mixed in the raw vegetables, poured over a dressing made with lemon juice ,oil , salt & pepper, and then finally added the herbs. 

The mushrooms have absorbed most of the dressing.

Now I don't seem to be able to take a photo, but it really is delicious. Try it!  I have made enough to have twice. 

You may have wondered what's been happening .

I completely forgot both the user name AND the password!  .fotunately I had a moment of blinding clarity, and somehow in the recesses of my mind, it bacame clear. So I shall now be blogging again.

Cooking once more.

However the news is that  since I came home from Hospital, now 2& 1/2 weeks ago, I have decided to give meat a miss, so I suppose you could say that I've gone vegetarian !

It was so easy to Bung a couple of pieces  of bacon under the grill  , now I am thinking  beautiful Mediterranean vegetables, pulses, grains...  I haven't cut  out  fish, in the time  I've been home, I have eaten it twice, the same  with eggs. 

So I have complete chickpea head on right now, and in the past 2 days I  have made,  Hummous,  falafel, Fatinata, ( an Italian sort of pancake with rosemary chopped into it.) plus Channa Massala, some of which has gone  into the freezer. 

HAVE  also made some watercress & spinach soup, but the stalks were so stringy on the watercress, they messed up my stick blender so much that I think I shall have to replace it!  And I have done some pesto as there was some basil that needed using up quickly, AND I don't like to throw good food away EVER. 

I wa given A Modern way to Cook, by Anna Jones, which is inspirinational, she also has a slot in the Guardian Cook recipe supplement on Saturdays at the moment. So I'm going to follow  some of her recipes . 

I shall post anything that looks remotely interesting?

2months have gone by!

The reason I have posted nothing, is because on 8th of March I fell and broke my  ankle AGAIN.  The same one I broke almost 3 years ago, it's really weak because of the stroke now nearly 12& 1/2 years ago.m 

Ever since  that day  I have been incarcerated in Hospital for over  5 weeks, and now I am in a rehab home, getting used to walking with an enorous heavy boot on the broken foot. 

I have to say, I can walk far better than the first time, as by 8 weeks then I was still using a hoist to be moved around,and definitely couldn't walk .

Now, with  an elbow crutch I can walk short distances.

The best news is that is I'll  be going home on 4 th May!

So it will be back at the stove very shortly. 

No posting for some time

As I am in Hospital, having broken the same ankle I broke in 2013,

Life throws such rubbish at me it's hard to keep positive.

Salmon cured my way.

I have been given some sea salt flavoured with smoked Apple wood, and brought back from South Africa by friends. 

What to do with it? Quite strong tasting,  so I was inspired to try a type of gravad lax ,using the salt,and some other flavourings. 

Grated orange rind,and  Rosemary sprigs. And of course, some sugar.

I bought a tail piece, which on reflection,was not the right cut, since it doesn't give much area to slice. 

Scattered the orange zest over plus a couple of rosemary sprigs, then salt and sugar mixed together, and the salt /sugar mix over both sides. 

Then I wrapped it as tightly as I could in cling film, and then in foil. Put it in the fridge on a plate with a weight on the top. ( I used a 1kg bag of sugar wrapped in a plastic bag) I then turned the fish daily for 3 days, and was amazed at the liquid that came out. 

Today I have taken it out, rinsed off the excess salt ,and tried to slice it, but it had shrunk somewhat, and being onehanded, it was quite difficult to slice. So I haven't posted a picture ,as there is so  little! 

Only enough for canapés , but I will do it again, it's promising.