what's in season: february

the fish market

I heard . . . oh voiceless trees
Under the wind, I knew
The eager terrible spring
Hidden in you
Sarah Teasdale

While February may seem a little dismal, as the poem says there is that fabulous feeling of anticipation that spring is just around the corner as well of lots of excuses for celebratory feasts, with Candlemas, St Valentine's Day, Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras) as well as Chinese New Year.

chicken tagine with peach and mango salad

A dish designed for a warmer climate was guaranteed to prolong my sunny mood today, despite north London's drizzly, grey backdrop. Although this is not seasonal, I felt in need of something light and fragrant; a temporary banishment of stodge in my winter diet.  


While this tagine tastes rather sumptuous, it is actually ideal as either a simple supper (any leftovers are for lunch tomorrow), and a perfect dinner party recipe as it is simple to prepare ahead; served with a bejewelled vegetable couscous, spicy chickpeas (see tip below) and a variety of refreshing salads, you can get everything ready in advance, ready to serve when your guests arrive, without having to spend too much time in the kitchen. 

cheesy potato loveliness. . . oh my still beating heart!

This indulgent gratin of creamy potatoes layered with mushrooms, Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses is the perfect antidote to a grey winter's day. This is adapted from Nigel Slater's Real Food, of which he says that it is better described as "garlic mushrooms and melting cheese in a Parmesan mashed potato crust" . . . and who am I to disagree?

This is a perfect vegetarian main course, served with a green salad or Nigel's suggestion of buttered spinach. It also makes a very satisfying accompaniment to a Sunday roast. 

should I issue an apology or just an S.O.S?

BBC Test Card c.1967

It seems that my life has been invaded by marauding Internet imps; the Luddite little blighters. Not only is my formatting all akimbo, but I cannot reply to any comments here at Marmaduke Scarlet nor can I comment on other blogs. Arrrgh (she says inarticulately, in frustration). So apologies and hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly.  

clementine and cranberry honeyed duck

my darling clementines!

I may have been complaining about being sick of Christmassy food, but this dish is redolent with Christmas fruits and spices. I put it together to use up a bowl of fragrant Christmas fruits. 


Loathe to throw them away (I had actually just bought them for decoration) and pairing the juice with leftover fresh cranberries lurking around in the bottom of the fridge. Adding lime juice and ginger helped to cut through the sweetness of the clementines and honey and adds extra zing.

what's in season: january

As I said to the man who stood at the
          gate of the year:
"Give me a light, that I might tread safely
          into the unknown!" 
M. Louise Haskins
 
I am by now thoroughly fed-up with Christmassy food (in particular loathsome turkey) but fortunately despite January's bleak midwinter demeanor, there are still a few things around that are good to eat. 

it wasn't my fault!

Old books - Marja Flick-Buijs

In the immortal words of  'Joliet' Jake Blues:

"I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tyre. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. It wasn't my fault, I swear to God!"

And that is my excuse for not posting anything recently, and I am sticking to it.

what's in season: december

a glorious Savoy cabbage

Snow is sometimes a she, a soft one

Her kiss on your cheek, her finger on your sleeve

In early December, on a warm evening

And you turn to meet her, saying "It''s snowing!"But it is not. 

And nobody''s there

Empty and calm is the air.
Ted Hughes 

Icy winds and Arctic weather has just hit the UK, apparently the worst in thirty years or so. Snow has just hit London too and I am feeling the need for winter-warming, hearty food. December is a fabulous month for leafy greens vegetables with winter roots in full swing too. 

So think of tasty stews and casseroles, delicious roasts and divine vegetables, from parsnips and swede to Brussels sprouts and celeriac, not forgetting my favourite, "king of all cabbages" - the glorious Savoy.

moroccan harrira soup

spicy harrira stew

This is a version of a soup recipe from Claudia Roden, traditionally prepared during Ramadan and eaten to break the fast. Apparently, the streets of Morocco are perfumed at sunset with thousands of different versions of this fragrant soup. 

While this version of the soup is vegetarian, you can include meat, such as lamb or beef. It is not a soup that is restricted to Ramadan across the Muslim world; it is also served at special celebrations, and why not? It is deliciously satisfying.

chicken stew with dried limes

I cooked a Persian banquet for friends recently and used dried limes for the first time. (I say "banquet" which sounds terribly sumptuous and as far away from my Victorian cottage in shabby north London as the magic of the ancient Silk Routes or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon can be . . . although saffron and pomegranates were involved). Anyway, the dried limes were a complete revelation and I have to thank John Willoughby in the NY Times for the inspiration. He wrote "Holding one to your nose is a bit like sniffing freshly grated lime rind while standing in the center of a brewery" . . . utterly glorious. I was powerless to resist their  lure.

what's in season: november

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, - November!

Thomas Hood

Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils

Cyril Connolly

Sadly, my favourite tender vegetable crops are disappearing as the first frosts appear in November, although it is still a good month for hardier veg such as cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, leeks, parsnips, potatoes and sprouts as well as traditional fruits such as apples, pears and quinces. However, this is the month that game really comes into its own, so it's not all doom and gloom.

roasted pumpkin soup with chilli and ginger

roasted pumpkin soup with chilli and ginger

Yes, I know I have just posted a pumpkin soup receipe, but I have a lot of pumpkin to get through. (Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to get me to carve the kids' jack-o-lanterns? Me, the most cack-handed cook in north London?) Oh well, I suppose there have been benefits, she says ungraciously. Half-a-hundred weight of sumptious pumpkin flesh waiting for interesting things for me to do with it, to be fair.

Now this gloriously rich soup is lightly spiced with Eastern treasures and full of warming flavours, perfect for a dull Autumn day; it is a very nice soup to come home to.