Other people's recipes.

This week I have been using recipes from other sources rather than mostly out of my head.
I have bought Paul Hollywood's book How to Bake,and made three things from it. I love his blue eyes!
First, Flatbreads ,this same recipe was also featured by Nigel Slater, which I filled with chopped spring onions and mozzarella ,then cooked in a pan rather than in the oven, then a marble cake that surprisingly uses strong bread flour in the mix, and some Raspberry Muffins, which were delicious.
Tonight I have done Hugh FW's vegetable chilli,(recipe in today's Guardian) for my supper and will have the rest tomorrow with a friend.
Finally I tried Lorraine Pascal's zebra cake, but must have read the recipe wrongly as it was far too wet a mix, and therefore didn't rise up as high as it should have done .
However it looked a bit like hers, and even with only one hand that works, using a teaspoon to put the batter in the tin , it still came out in many layers when it was cut into , and I gave this to my granddaughter to take to back with her to University.
Things don't always go as one would wish them to.
Finally I used the last of a pot of basil to make pesto, it was enough to fill a medium pot, so that waits in the fridge to be used very soon,covered with a slick of oil to stop it oxidising and going dark .

A summery pudding'

I made this last week when two friends came for supper.
We ate a lamb tagine with butternut squash, carrots, red onions,and prunes. spices were cinnamon cumin and salt with plenty of black pepper,the liquid from a large tin of tomatoes.
Then I went off for the weekend to Cornwall, taking with me an enormous fish pie . I cooked salmon, smoked haddock, a small monkfish tail and prawns with a sauce made from fish stock and mushrooms, as one of the party of four does not drink alcohol at all.
Then we had a late Summer Pudding, using plums,raspberries and blackberries plus some pears and a few red currants that had been in the freezer.
There was enough to have more another day.

Fruit jelly.wobbly wobbly .

Is this the last of the summer? I have made this using strawberries,yellow raspberries and blueberries . The jelly is rosé wine plus a little lemon juice and sugar
Also we will start with two fish pâtés and then some Beef Stroganoff to follow.
Wish we could be outside, but it will be too cold.

Curry for lunch.

My grandson Douglas stayed last night and this morning we made two curries for lunch. A vegetable one with potatoes, carrots and peas with Cumin and one dried chilli. Also a chicken and tomato one with black pepper corns, a stick of cinnamon some cardamom pods ,cumin and salt cayenne and Garam Masala.
His choices, and they were tasty and not too fierce . With them we made a Cucumber Raita and had some Pappadums and Naan bread .plus of course, a shared can of lager.

Holidays

Won't be doing much this week as I am away in Wales with some of my family, but if I do anything interesting on the cooking front I will keep you posted

Courgette fritters

Grated courgette with garlic and mint.
Salt the coarsely grated courgette,and add some finely chopped mint ,some pink peppercorns for colour,quite a lot of garlic. And then leave to drain in a colander over a bowl.
Drain the liquid that has settled. In the bowl,and add a tablespoon of flour to the vegetables
Heat a nonstick pan with a little vegetable oil and form the mixture into oval shapes. I have got five from two courgettes. Fry them in the pan, flattening them as they go into the pan.They will brown nicely and need about ten minutes cooking in total.
Eat with Greek yogurt.
Delicious.crisp on the outside , and meltingly smooth inside.

Tribute to Mark Cavendish

Taken from the Waitrose Magazine and feeling so sad that he didn't make the Gold Medal today.
Peppers and Aubergine with chilli, capers and anchovies
Looks good , here's hoping it tastes as good as it looks.