a witches brew soup

a witches brew soup

Of all the food I cooked at Borough Market's demonstration kitchen suitable for a children's Halloween party, the one that got the most visceral reaction was my Witches Brew soup. Unfortunately that reaction was a unanimous "ugh". Where, oh where did it all go wrong? I suspect I was a victim of my own making.

blood dipping sauce (or roasted pepper and tomato sauce)

blood dipping sauce (or roasted pepper and tomato sauce) 

My so-called blood dipping sauce made to go with my Halloween vampire bat wings is merely a variation on my Spanish romesco sauce, but without the nuts and chilli peppers. Because it was aimed at children, I didn't want anything too spicy, but I did want something slightly sweet and tangy. It went down a treat with the vampire bat wings, as well as with the monster bones (roasted parsnips) that I cooked for the Borough Market Halloween cooking demo.

vampire bat wings (with blood dipping sauce)

vampire bat wings with blood dipping sauce

I am sooooo behind with my blogging and have stacks of recipes to post, so forgive me if a load all come at once.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to help her cater her small son's birthday party, around the theme of "monsters." I did and the kids seemed to enjoy some truly monstrous creations. By coincidence, Borough Market asked me to fill in for one of the demo chefs who had been forced to pull out of a Halloween-themed cooking demonstration aimed at children. Now I have to admit that I don't have a huge amount of experience of cooking for children. But what I hope I do have is bags of enthusiasm and a tiny bit of creativity.

the lazy girl's favourite squash with go-faster stripes: delicata squash

delicata squash

This stripy winter squash is also known as "bohemian squash" (a name I find rather appealing - I dream in bohemian!)

my favourite slow-cooked tomato sauce

slow-cooked tomato sauce

There is a distinct chill in the air and the path to my front door is slippery with fallen leaves. It is definitely the weather for slow-cooked soups and stews.

san marzano tomatoes (or elvish shoes!)

San Marzano tomatoes (or elvish shoes!)

Coming home from Earth, one of my favourite local grocery shops, clutching a small bag of vibrant San Marzano tomatoes, I wondered if these tomatoes really will taste superior as it is alleged. The proof will be in the pudding, or perhaps a pizza sauce or more likely a simple stew or sauce. I have plans for these beauties, I just haven't finalised the fine detail.

what's in season: october

autumn leaves 2014

Autumn Movement
I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.
The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.
The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

roast chicken, watercress and nut sandwich

roast chicken, watercress and nut sandwich

I love the combination of salty roasted chicken with peppery watercress. While watercress is often relegated in this country as a garnish, it was very popular in the 1920s and 30s as an elegant sandwich filler. I like that. It speaks of a more gracious time. Although clearly my ladylike tendencies could only go so far. So I've compromised. Here is an elegant sandwich filling in a big chunky ciabatta roll.

basic thai red curry paste

a basic Thai red curry paste

While Thai red curry paste seems to be a universal of chilli-spiced Thai pastes, there are actually several different types, some of which are more spiced than others, including black peppercorns, cumin and coriander. But I'm keeping this simple. Not quite as simple as the nam prik pao paste that I use in my tom yum soup, as this includes galangal, lemongrass and shrimp paste.

homemade peanut butter

peanut butter

A few weeks ago a friend came to stay for the weekend. Normally I try to have a few things in that I know that my guests will like. But horror of horror when we toddled home after a night of gentle carousing, I only had half of the components for his favourite midnight snack – a Marmite and peanut butter sarnie.”

perfect with roast chicken: lemon, herb and garlic butter

lemon, herb and garlic butter

I have mentioned before how good compound butters are at giving a bit of oomph with minimal effort to whatever you are cooking. One of my favourites is a buttery mash of herbs such as parsley and basil with lemon zest. 

it's easy being green: fish in sorrel sauce with sautéed potatoes

fish in sorrel sauce with sautéed potatoes

Sorrel is a member of the knotweed family, which is about as unappealing as it is misleading. Don't be fooled, it is a delicious sour-tasting herb, which goes very well with chicken and fish and makes a lovely salad herb. It is also perfect in soups or steamed or puréed and makes a great omelette filling.