Toss 'em in the oven legs

I love chicken legs. In terms of the chicken's life, the freer the better for the meat. The chicken legs from the Ginger pig are from Packington poultry I believe, who produce some pretty good giant, meaty legs; however, as much as I hate to champion a product from a supermarket over a local shop, the best chicken legs I have ever eaten were bought from Ocado and produced by The Black Farmer. They are so free range they border on wild and one can certainly tell this from the meat - the meat is dark, chewy and rich (if I didn't know it was chicken I would have guessed game).
I have found though that most chicken legs (providing they are from a decent free range origin) are pretty fail-safe when chucked in the oven. And that is what is so great about them, they are the ultimate easy Saturday night fare. I rarely plan what I am going to do with them, instead preferring to simply put "chicken legs" on my weekly planner then toss in whichever spices/veg I feel like/have at the time. The following recipe I really enjoyed and so jotted it down...

A sauce for a thousand uses

I don't make anywhere near as much sauces or dips as I would like to. I always tend to forget about them when I write my weekly shopping list. I find a decent sauce/dip can be used for so much more than a dip - I love to toss them into anything they go with or enhance. Just as a fantastically flavoured/infused oil can be the star secret ingredient in a salad dressing, so can a dollop of sauce in a bubbling stew or stirred into cooked grains can add a fantastic level of depth.
Recently I made a thick sauce of chilli, honey, lime and galangal. It was simple to make and thus acted as a reminder to me to not forget the importance of a few jars of home-made sauces lurking in the back of a fridge.

Fish for the weekend

Our weekends seem to follow a certain pattern now that the weather has become colder and Hackney Wick has its annual hibernation away from the rest of London. The pattern seems to go: Friday evening - some sort of decadent meaty dish; Saturday morning - regular breakfast or perhaps bacon and eggs; Saturday lunch - more often than not something fishy; Saturday dinner - something easy and usually meaty (something that can be chucked in the oven for an hour); Sunday - light meals, kind of a detox for the start of the week (with a bit of cake/dessert thrown in mid-afternoon).

The reason I list this pattern is to try and understand the reason behind said pattern. It appears that fish is a natural choice for the Saturday lunch since it is surrounded by meat but, because the Sunday can be a bit lacking in flesh, is still not vegetarian. Also, another reason is that meals with fish don't generally make very good leftovers, and since our toddler doesn't eat dinner with us during the week I like to have fish for lunch on the weekend so he can have some.

Anyway, the point is is that fish is generally reserved for Saturday lunch. My partner and I do eat a fair bit during the week, but that tends to be tinned oily fish, salmon and seafood - the fishier stuff (white fish and richer dishes) tends to come in on Saturday. Another condition for Saturday lunch, which is a result of arriving back home from a morning outing with a hungry toddler, is that it has to be quick. This following recipe is a quick Saturday fish recipe, with a bit of meat thrown in.

More apples

For some reason or other I have been even more into apples this autumn than any other. Probably because this year (since going to Morocco in June) I have been much more drawn towards the sweetness of savoury dishes cooked with fruit. Apples lend themselves so well to savoury dishes and I find the tangy sweetness they add to a dish is so suited to a good autumn dish.
The apples I had this week were organic (I try to only eat organic apples since they are on the "dirty dozen"), English Spartan apples, which I had never tried (or heard of) before. They were a beautiful rosy red and looked like large cherries, and they were very nice - a particularly sweet, crisp variety which begged to be stewed or roasted alongside some meat. The meat in question was a little plump pheasant. Game season is in full swing now and makes a delightful change to the copious amounts of chicken consumed throughout the summer months. Unforgivably (since I didn't manage to get around to getting a grouse in August) this is my first bit of game of the season. As a result I kept it simple with the following recipe of pheasant cooked with apples and lemon - a great evening warmer as the cold nights surround us thick and fast.

An autumn inspired classic

If a nationwide survey was to take place, which asked each person their favourite season would be, I wonder what the results would be. The initial thought would probably be the much deserved summer we crave each year; however most British people confusingly do nothing but complain from July onwards if the temperature goes above 23. Upon further thinking I would say that autumn would come in first. Not many people complain about autumn being too long, since at the end of it is a daunting six months of freeze. For this reason (let us call it the reason of British fickleness) autumn would probably merit the best compliment to complain ratio.

I seem to be quite removed from food. What I am trying to say with the above is that autumn is here - and everyone loves it. With good reason too I would add, since it is a magnificent season, particularly speaking from a culinary point of view; however because of this general consensus of autumn being a magnificent season I shall refrain from being yet another person spurting out their clichéd description of the season. Instead I shall let the season and its produce speak for themselves with a simple recipe, not overly complicated but as autumnal as autumnal can be. It is somewhat a twist on that (in a way much forgotten) classic: toad in the hole.
This recipe is also supposed to have a handful of sage leaves scattered in amongst the sausages, but I forgot to pick any up. Feel free to add them if you have any to hand.

Banh Trang Viet Nam

Vietnamese food has been increasingly popular over the last few years, and I don't see why not - in my opinion it is a perfect culinary blend of all its surrounding far eastern neighbours. Hackney is no doubt the mecca for Vietnamese food in London, and it was here that I popped into a Vietnamese supermarket to pick up a few ingredients. I am no expert at far eastern cuisine; after an over-obsession with Japanese food a few years back, I have stayed away from that part of the world completely. However my saturation of ramen has left my system and over the last few months I have been back at the orient with a vengeance, though with a different outlook - more focusing on the depths of flavour that come from the more exotic far eastern kitchens, and not quite so much on the umami-miso-soy flavours that sickened me in my past.
I am still a fledgling in the Vietnamese kitchen and so cautiously make simple, few ingredient dishes at home and leave the interesting stuff to those with more experience; however that doesn't mean home made dishes aren't nice - this following easy recipe was delicious and enjoyed by all.
Banh Trang Viet Nam are Vietnamese rice paper wraps that are fun to play with and can transform some roast meat and vegetables. I love the sound of Vietnamese and probably greatly annoy my family by repeatedly and incorrectly pronouncing Banh Trang and Nhan Con Ngong Bay. Anyway, this a fun recipe to make but requires a bit of kitchen space or things can get a bit cramped. For this recipe use Flying goose hoisin sauce since it a Vietnamese brand.

Beans

Growing up I never liked Heinz baked beans. The sweet artificial tasting syrup that leaked from the pile of squashed beans was enough to render inedible anything it touched. I know that by saying this I risk being hanged, since it is probably a law in this country to like baked beans, fry-ups and roast dinners (and baked beans are by a long shot not even my most hated on that list). Despite social exclusion, disliking baked beans has an enormous advantage. Firstly, it means that I grew up associating beans with a variety of different meals and as an ingredient (not as a household tinned good), and secondly this allows me to experiment with bean-tomato-slightly sweet-reduced-on toast type meals without thinking that some sort of blasphemy has occurred.
To demonstrate my point I recall a Saturday morning cookery programme I watched years ago. A chef (I can't remember which one) spent a good hour and a lot of effort preparing his version of baked beans. Much to his disappointment the tasting panel all said they didn't really like it because when they thought of baked beans they thought of Heinz, which they grew up on. Shame. But as I said, the advantage of not liking them growing up means I am free from their grip - which means I can make my own "baked beans". Don't be put of by the ingredient list, most of which are dry goods and are probably lurking somewhere in most people's cupboard. I usually use three different types of beans, the two listed below plus pinto; however I only had butter and red kidney beans. If you do use three types then use 100g of each.
Also, if this is being made for a weekend brunch then a handful of smoked lardons would go wonderfully, tossed in a few minutes after the onions.

Cabrito goat meat

I didn't really get a good look when ordering some kid goat cutlets in the Ginger pig. I saw a handful of the last remaining cutlets get wrapped up in paper and handed to me to investigate more thoroughly when I got home. Expecting a sweetness that usually wafts out from the opening of a Ginger pig wrapping of rare breed beef or pork, I was hit with pungent disappointment. The first thing to note about kid goat meat is that it is rather gamey in smell when raw and doesn't quite get one salivating like the smell and sight of a slab of aged rump. Nevertheless, I tried to get into a more carnivorous mindset and prepared to get stuck into them; besides, whilst a gamey smell isn't always the most pleasant, a gamey taste is.

Unwanted pears

Many people may rejoice at the dawning of the pear season. Whilst not as popular as the cousin the apple, the pear is definitely a much used fruit. I hate them. I hate the fibrous, bland flesh which gets caught in my teeth and the disappointment of the first bite. When I eat one I am reminded why I usually buy apples. Apples, the lovely little favourites, which have so many uses from stewing in an autumnal soup to slicing and scattering over yoghurt and oats for breakfast. I got a lovely batch in my last fruit and veg box. Rosy red and lime green flesh; some sharing size, some just the size of a ping pong ball with exquisite little leaves poking out of the top. They are beautiful - not too sharp, not too soft.
Along with the bag of apples came another bag. This bag was full of sorry looking green and dirt-brown pears. A bit annoying, but I tried to make the best of the situation. I had to remind myself that is not the potential taste of pears I dislike but a pear itself. Armed with this reminder I set about thinking of a use for them. The end result was a delightful autumn treat: a baked bread/brownie/cakey thing spiced with ginger and cinnamon.
A few notes: I wanted it to be not-too-unhealthy and so it doesn't have that much sugar or butter in. The end product was nice and I certainly don't think any butter is required since the bit of coconut oil and pear give it all the moisture it needs; however a tad more sugar/treacle would probably improve it slightly. As the picture shows, I do not have a loaf tin or cupcake tray or any small-area baking tray and so the end result was more of a slice (or could be named a tray bake if feeling generous).

Oaty pear slice with cinnamon and treacle

- small pears, 3-4
- ginger root, 3cm
- ground cinnamon, tbsp
- medium eggs, 2
- golden caster sugar, 50g
- vanilla extract, tsp
- black treacle, a good heaped tablespoon
- plain flour, 150g
- oats, 50g (or an extra 50g of flour)
- baking powder, tsp
- coconut oil, heaped tbsp
- pinch of salt
- walnut pieces, small handful

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees. Chop of both end of the pears and slice in half lengthways twice (to form long quarters). Slice out the pips and grate each piece over a bowl. Then grate the ginger over the pile of grated pear and set to one side. In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and oats. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with an electric whisk for a few minutes till fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk for a couple of minutes more. Then add the vanilla extract, treacle and coconut oil and mix together till combined. Add the flour mixture, the grated pear and ginger and walnut pieces. Mix together to form a sticky cake dough. Pour out into a greased baking tin (or loaf tin or cupcake tray - it depends on how you want the finished product to look) and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes. Remove and leave to cool for ten minutes or so before cutting into slices.

Making Pizza

Making a pizza should be something everyone does at some point in the kitchen. It is incredibly easy, quick (excluding dough rising time) and such a communal dish. Perhaps not the healthiest, that is of course unless you follow the melted cheese, quick-rise refined flour and low protein diet; however probably everyone's favourite 'junk food'. I have been making them for years. In fact they have are one of the things I have been making since I first started cooking.
I had always cooked them on the thin side resulting in a rather crisp bite and not that filling once shared out. Recently I decided to experiment with a thicker, doughier pizza. I top it with thin slices of potato, sautéed mushroom and chopped parsley - a concoction inspired by a few different pizzas from my local pizzeria and brewery Crate Brewery (though the result is no comparison to theirs, which is undoubtedly the best pizza in London). Unfortunately we didn't have any of their IPA to wash down this pizza, but to be honest we were too busy devouring the most satisfying pizza I had ever cooked to worry about beverages.

Clinging on to Summer

Not to obsess too much over seasons, but I am sure I am not the only one to step out of the door, look to the heavens and scream 'I'm not ready yet!'. Not that I want tropical heat, I am just not quite ready for the harsh British winter yet. In fact after a (very) late arriving summer, which after the initial euphoria of July left us with a rather humid August, I am ready to stick on a jumper. Unfortunately I feel I have been deprived of that late summer feeling - I went from short shorts and a t shirt to jeans, jumper and coat in the space of a week. Where is that September evening sat on the balcony sipping mint tea with a sweater on gone?
I refuse to give up yet though. Late Summer is my favourite time of year and I am going to try and stay in that mentality. Particularly since the extended weather forecast is claiming it may be going back up to 22 degrees next week, so it is probably best to stay clear of the heavy stews and apple based dishes for the time being. Instead have a fresh plate of a Mexican inspired salmon ceviche with avocado and toasted tortilla wraps. This is inspired from a recipe I saw in a magazine a long time ago, can't quite remember where it came from.

A lovely, lonely sandwich

My partner and I rarely spend time away from each other but if we do the first thing that comes to my mind is CHEESE. Growing up I was a big cheese fan but for the past 3 years rarely eat it since my partner doesn't like it, which health-wise is probably a good thing. So when the cat is away the mouse comes out to eat cheese. Sunday alone - what cheese related lunch to eat? Nothing to fiddly or ingredient/labour heavy since it is just for me (I can never be bothered to go through much effort just for myself). The weather is changing and I fancy something rustic and comforting. After a few moments thought the apple hit my head, which I then picked up and sliced to serve along with some crumbly vintage cheddar in a mammoth ploughman's.
I popped along to pick up the filling ingredients and picked up a hackney wild sour dough loaf from E5 bakehouse in London fields (the best bread in London), the right bread is essential for a perfect sandwich and E5 certainly help with that. The end result was a huge stack of ingredients on a plate, falling all over the place whilst I ate and satisfying my cheese craving for the next few weeks at least.

Hearty Ploughman's sandwich
Serves 1

- strong vintage cheddar, 50g
- baby spinach, a small handful
- sliced celery, about 5cm
- sliced red onion, half a small onion
- half an apple, cored and thinly sliced
- alfalfa sprouts, small handful
- grated grana padano, tbsp (optional)
- plenty of cracked black pepper
- wholegrain mustard, to taste
- sourdough, two slices (lightly toasted if desired)

Assemble the spinach, celery, red onion and apple on one of the slices of bread. Lay the cheddar on top. Sprinkle over the alfalfa sprouts, grana padano and pepper. Spread mustard on the other slice. Done. Attempt to eat creating as little mess as possible.

making chickpeas decadent

The humble chickpea. Probably the most used pulse though with stiff competition from the peanut and the haricot bean (mainly down to Heinz). They are generally seen as a rustic ingredient primarily used in basic middle eastern dishes and the odd curry. I am a huge fan and, at times, seem to be purchasing several kilos of the bloody things a week. Whilst being a superb rustic ingredient and generally associated with a "healthy" dish, their use in a more luxurious, rich tasting dish cannot be ignored. In the following recipe I found their firmness provided a solid foundation for more slimy roasted vegetables and their rough surface great for collecting a film of the sweet dressing.

Tinned sardines for dinner

Tinned sardines are one of the most underrated items of food in my opinion. They are healthy, cheap, extremely tasty and best of all don't have hard bones to sort through. Since being a child I have eaten them on toast: sometimes in the tomato sauce they came in (if feeling very lazy) or other times draining them of their oil and placing on top of a bed of onions fried in spices.
Over the last couple of years I have experimented with cooking them. I may anger a lot of people here, but I have come to the conclusion that I prefer them to fresh sardines. Firstly because of the aforementioned practical issue of the bones and secondly because they are so ridiculously juicy (and fishy). Like their fresh counterparts they respond very well to bold spices being chucked at them. A few nights ago we ate them pan fried and crisp alongside a fennel, broccoli and green bean salad.

The Q word

I have read (in numerous places around the web) many attacks directed at quinoa. People seem to get annoyed by people (particularly food bloggers) writing about this controversial grain. From what I can gather, the annoyance stems from people saying that over the last couple of years it has become top of the food fad list and they are sick of hearing it. Many even go as far as saying they dislike quinoa, though I would surely argue that such a stance is a bit of a case of "Well, it's not even nice anyway so there". Or perhaps they have not had it cooked in the right way (is there a wrong one?), I don't know. At any rate I just find the whole topic a bit frivolous and confusing. Frivolous in the way that people like quinoa - get over it! Confusing because I have liked it for years. When I first heard a rant about quinoa as the new food fad over the last couple of years my initial thoughts were: that's strange, I have known about it for about ten years.
By no means is this an underhanded way of saying "I can't believe these idiots have only just found out about it, I knew about it for years before it was cool". Quite the contrary, I am not really the type of person who is the first to know about a new food trend and that is what confuses me. It wasn't just me - my partner was also confused about this matter since she had also known about it for years. Oh well, I have rambled on enough; for those with a harpoon ready for any mention of the q word look away now, here is a recipe for baked quinoa patties.
This recipe is adapted from this one on 101 cookbooks. I had different ingredients available and different proportions so the end patties turned out quite different to those pictured in the link above. You may be tempted to skip the feta at the end (especially since it is such a small amount). Don't! The moist crumbs of feta are heavenly amidst the comparatively dry pattie.

A quick summer salad

I remember just a couple of years ago I never ate salad. As I recall I found it wasteful, both of money and time. The reason behind this is rooted in the memory of always being served a salad of lettuce leaves with either a jarred dressing or oil and balsamic vinegar. The soggy, sharp leaves did nothing for me and left me with a negative view on salad, instead turning to vegetable dishes for nutrition. Things have changed over the last couple of years now after having discovered the joys of salad. It started out as a way to use some leftover greens from a veg box in the healthiest way possible and experimenting with the store cupboard. Now most meals are accompanied by a salad (or are a salad) in our home. Though towards the bottom of my list of salads when it comes to interesting ideas/something a bit different, this is a relatively quick one that I threw together to go with dinner a few days ago.

Pig cheeks and basil oil

Pig cheeks, the dish that I have been longing to try since I can remember, finally found themselves on my plate on Sunday. Smoked pig cheeks, to be precise. They came from the ginger pig at two for £6, which was advertised outside on a chalkboard. I bought first and thought later, which doesn't really matter with something like pig cheeks because one can just toss them in the oven with some herbs and stock and let the meat be the star. I had some basil oil leftover at home and a tin of chopped tomatoes so thought I would do something with those. The end result was pig cheeks slow cooked in tomatoes, olives and garlic with a dressing of basil oil, toasted fennel seeds and thyme.

I would recommend making the basil oil at least a couple of days in advance. To make it simply pour over a decent amount of oil over roughly torn basil leaves in a saucepan. Heat over a low to moderate heat for about five minutes and then pour into a sterilised jar. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge (strain before using).

Green and lemon

Different people have different reactions to green vegetables. Some seem to saute them in butter till any nutritional benefit is surely lost, others embrace the earthy crunch and eat them raw shredded into a salad. Many believe a good smothering of salt is required to truly enjoy broccoli or kale. Not that I disagree with this, a pinch of salt is necessary to tame the bitterness that many green vegetables put up as a wall to hide their true tastes; however nowadays whenever I see anything green, the first thing that rushes through my mind is lemon. I probably overdo it massively, but whenever greenery is presented I cannot help giving a quick juice or a zest. This risotto recipe is perfect for summer, and has just the right proportion of lemon to greens (or at least for my taste).

Tuscan tastes

A long time ago (over a year) I stumbled across a recipe called scarpaccia. I thought it sounded interesting but never really got around to doing it, partly because I was concerned it would be too eggy (not a problem for me but my partner isn't really an egg fan to say the least) and partly because the picture didn't make it look that appetising. Fast forward to spring 2013: a handful of courgettes lurking in the fridge and a distant memory of some Italian-sounding tart. After a few searches I was reminded of the name and had a look at some scarpaccia recipes. I found this. The way the tart looked (like a pizza) and the great photographs left me with little doubt of what to do. I started cracking eggs.
Since then we have eaten scarpaccia on average once a fortnight, and can't get enough of it. My version differs ever so slightly from the above recipe, but it is the type of meal one can do whatever they want with it really.

Barbecuing neck of lamb

I have never made a decent barbecue, partly down to the fact that I never had a barbecue. We purchased a smallish one last august and, in the rush of the setting sun of summer, whacked out a few burger sessions. They were OK. But when summer 2012 came to an abrupt end, we were left dreaming of what we could do next year. That year never seemed to arrive, and by the start of June we were starting to face the sad realisation that we may not get much barbecuing done this year.
Thankfully (for my overall well being, regardless of barbecuing) summer has arrived, and Victoria park in East London is covered by a thick veil of meat smoke. As atmospheric as barbecues in the park can be, I had an overwhelming desire to get away from the sight of packaged burgers and supermarket sausages - so we were off home with some Ginger Pig neck of lamb and a few chorizo sausages.
Originally the plan was to have some sort of chicken barbecued with chorizo, but arriving late in the day at the Ginger pig expecting to have chicken on the first hot weekend is very foolish. With depleted stock, and no back up plan, I panicked and came out with a diced neck of lamb fillet.