Abercrombie & Feast

A few years back we took an Italian cooking class.  The class met once a week after work in a local junior high school.  After hours the school was quiet and sort of creepily empty.  Our little classroom was a warm pool of light in the otherwise darkened school halls.  

We would all divide up, cook different parts of the menu and then enjoy the meal together at the end of class.  Some people would bring bottles of wine to share and we would listen to a CD of opera while we ate.  It was good fun and I learned a lot.  One of the most memorable things I learned was how to knead. 

I know, it’s so basic, but I had never kneaded anything until this class.  I was afraid to make my own pasta and the idea of anything requiring yeast and rising time scared the pants off of me. 

Our Italian cooking class taught me that it’s really not hard to knead things.  In fact, it can be therapeutic and quietly enjoyable to get your hands busy in piles of wet ingredients, working out any stresses on a smooth ball of dough.  I enjoyed it!

But the thing is, I don’t always want to knead.  Despite the undeniable tactile benefits of kneading dough, there are times when you just don’t want to get involved in that process.  Maybe you don’t have time.  Maybe you just got a manicure and don’t want to get your hands dirty (what??)  Maybe you just don’t want to clean off the inevitable bits of dough and flour that seem to cement themselves to your counter tops as you knead (don’t tell me that I’m the only one this happens to??)

With this bread, there is no need to knead.  The bread is fast to assemble and smells amazing while it’s in the oven.  It won’t rise as high as bread made with yeast and kneaded properly, but the flavour is so savoury and hearty, you won’t miss the loft.  Plus, this bread combines four of my favourite things: almonds, olives, cheese and clean counter tops. 

Quick almond, olive and buttermilk bread
(adapted from Delicious magazine)

 Makes one loaf

One of the main reasons that we left Australia and moved to England back in April was to be closer to Europe.  We explored Asia for four years from our home base in Sydney and now we’re hoping to explore Europe from our new home base here in Winchester.  We can’t wait to take ferries to France, planes to Portugal or drive to Denmark.  None of which explains why we are about to get on a flight and wing our way to the bright lights of… Gainesville, GA?? 

That’s right, folks.  Our first international trip since our arrival in the UK will be to go home to Georgia.  You see, my little brother is getting married to a wonderful girl.  I can’t imagine a happier reason for a trip across the Atlantic.   We are so thrilled for them and so excited about going home for a few days that we have ALMOST gotten over the fact that our flight will not be destined for Milan or Amsterdam. 

As you may remember, I don’t do airline food.  So I will be packing a salad to eat during the flight.  Something hearty and tasty that travels well and makes my little economy-class seat a happier place to be.  And, due to recent events, that salad will contain bulgar. 

I have developed an obsession with bulgar.  It happened totally by accident.  I went to the local health food store to buy some quinoa, which I often use as a salad base.   But on this fateful day, they were out of quinoa, so I bought bulgar instead.  And now I am totally hooked.  Bulgar is a common ingredient in Turkish and Middle Eastern food.  It’s a whole wheat that has been cleaned, par-boiled and dried.  It’s got a nutty flavour and texture like quinoa or cous cous. 

I like to use bulgar in soups and salads, such as this one, which I will be taking with me on my flight.  It’s full of protein and fiber and lots of tasty ingredients like toasted almonds, smoky cumin dressing and peppery fresh radishes.  I know this salad will be an ideal travel companion for a flight to Gainesville or Germany or Greece or any of the other fabulous destinations that I know we’ll get to eventually.

Congratulations, Noah and Dana!!  Love you both tons. 

Bulgar and veggie salad with cumin dressing

Serves 2

For the bulgar:
1 cup bulgar wheat
2 cups water
1 chicken stock cube (you could also use a vegetable stock cube)
1/2 tsp salt

For the salad:
6 radishes, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
1/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted
1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
1 chicken breast, poached and cut into bite sized pieces (optional)

For the cumin dressing:
1 tbs dijion mustard
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
1 tsp ground cumin
2-3 tbs olive oil

To make the bulgar, combine the bulgar, water and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Crumble in the stock cube.  Bring to a boil and allow to boil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the bulgar is tender.  Taste for seasoning and set aside. 

To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a small, clean jar and shake well.  Or you could whisk all ingredients in a small bowl.  Either way, taste the dressing before adding the 3rd tbs of olive oil.  The dressing should be tangy, but not overly sour.  Add olive oil bit by bit until you reach a flavour you like.  Keep in mind that it will lose some of the sourness when combined with other ingredients, so leave it just a bit too sour. 

Assemble the salad by spooning some bulgar into the base of a bowl or plate.  Top with radishes, pepper, almonds, chicken if you’re using it, and a sprinkle of coriander.  To finish, drizzle the cumin dressing over the whole salad. 

AbercrombieandFeast is one year old today!  And may I just say… wow.  It has been a memorable year, to say the least.  We’ve tried new foods, visited new countries and moved to a new continent.

I’m going to keep this short, but I did want to share a few thoughts.  I started this blog as a place to come to write and to be a bit creative.  There is only so much time you can spend telling your friends and family about your new soup recipe before they get painfully bored.  I started AbercrombieandFeast as a place to expand on the things I was learning and experimenting with in the kitchen.

One year on and I’m still doing just that, and loving it.  This little blog has become a place where I can tell stories and ask questions and be a little silly.  I’ve learned a lot about cooking and writing and photography this year, and that’s just great, too. 

When I started writing here, I genuinely thought that my mother might be the only one who read my musings (Hi Mom!)  And, whilst my mother is usually the first one to comment on most of my posts, I’ve also gotten to know a lot of you out there, writing and cooking in your own kitchens and sharing the results, which has been an unexpected and very welcome surprise.   

I said I was going to keep this short, and as usual I’m rambling.  But before I wrap up I want to thank a few people.  I want to thank Jason, for hosting my blog, and warning me gently when I’m doing something wrong.  I want to thank all of you who leave comments, they make me so happy!  I want to thank all of the friends who have been over for dinner or out to dinner and not been allowed to eat until I’ve photographed the food.  And, I want to thank Andy, for coming up with the title of the blog and eating all of the experiments. 

I once read that if you don’t eat cake on your birthday you’ll be hungry for the rest of the year.  Well, I’m already hungry most of the time, but I figured a celebratory cake for the blog-birthday couldn’t hurt. 

Blueberry tea cake with cream cheese icing
(from Delicious magazine)

Makes 16-20 slices

For the cake
180g butter, at room temp, plus extra for greasing
210ml sour cream
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
330g caster sugar
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium, free range eggs
250g frozen blueberries
375g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the icing
250g cream cheese, room temp
100g butter, room temp
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C / 320F / gas mark 4.  Grease a 23cm x 33cm baking tin and line with baking paper. 

In a bowl mix the sour cream and bicarb of soda and set aside for 5 mins.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy.  Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat to combine.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Add the sour cream mixture and beat until combined. 

In another bowl, toss the berries with a little of the flour.  Sift the rest of the flour and the baking powder into the cake mixture and carefully fold in with a rubbe spatula or wooden spoon.  Gently fold in the berries and mix until just combined.

Spoon the mix into the tine and bake for 40-50 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean (except for a little blueberry juice.)  Cool the cake in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Sift in the icing sugar and mix until smooth.  Top the cooled cake with this icing.

Just dropping by quickly to share some very good news.  After months of eyeing each other up, longing looks at stolen moments and dreaming about how good we could be together… I’ve got a new pan in my life!

I’d like to introduce you to Griddle Pan Man.  He’s blue (azure according to the box, but let’s not be poncy about it.)  He’s from France (Le Creuset to be exact.)  He’s solid and dependable and dreamy (if you’re into that kind of thing.)  He was an anniversary gift from the man in my life, and I’m smitten with them both! 

I’ve only been with Griddle Pan Man since Monday, but we’ve already spent some real quality time together.  Just look at this dinner we made together tonight… talk about team work!

So, be prepared to hear lots of sappy stories about our happy relationship and all of the exotic things we’ll be cooking together.  I think we’re going to live happily ever after.

Red Curry Pork Burgers
I should have given you this recipe a long time ago.  This is one of those “everyday” recipes that I make fairly often, but never think about sharing here.  Which is a shame, since these are easy and really good.  Especially if you have a Griddle Pan Man to make them with and a lovely husband to feed them to! 

Serves 4

500g (1lb) lean ground pork
2 tbs chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tbs freshly grated ginger
3 tbs Thai red curry paste
Chopped chilli to taste
Peanut oil

Combine the pork mince, coriander, ginger, curry paste and chillis if using in a bowl.  Shape the mixture into 12 patties.  Place the patties in the fridge for about 10 mins to firm up.

Heat a griddle pan (or a regular frying pan, if you haven’t yet met the Griddle Pan Man of your dreams) over medium heat.  Brush the pan with peanut oil to prevent sticking.  Cook the patties in batches for about 5 mins per side (or until cooked through.) 

Serve the patties with Jasmine rice, a salad of shredded cucumber, carrot and radishes and chilli dipping sauce.

Oh, I am just so excited to tell you about this soup.  I know, I know… you’re probably sighing to yourself.  You’re saying, “But it’s hot outside and I don’t want to hear about soups and oh my GOD woman, could you lay off the soups for a while?”  Wow… you’re very worked up about this.  I think you might need a bowl of soup to calm you down.

Last week I was making a fairly boring dinner (baked chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli), and I had all these bits left over.  I looked at my counters, still covered with chopped up broccoli stalks and a few less-than-perky potatoes and I thought, “I bet I can make soup out of that.” 

I must admit that I do not have thoughts like that often.  I usually find a recipe that looks good, buy all the ingredients required, make the dish and throw away the bits that aren’t needed.  This sudden impulse to make soup from scraps was very unlike me.  But, sometimes you have to break your own patterns, if you know what I mean.

So, make a soup I did… broccoli stalk and blue cheese soup, to be exact.  It was satisfying on multiple levels.  Not only had I created something full of flavour and good to eat, but I had also created it from scraps, for free.  I think that made it taste even better.  I don’t mind telling you that I felt a bit smug as I sat down to eat my lunch the next day.  I looked out the window at all the people passing by, people who had to pay for their lunch, and I slurped my free and fresh soup with a feeling of pride. 

Ok, ok… now I’m done telling you about the soup.  I’ll move on to more seasonal, summery food in the next few weeks.  But admit it first… you’re a little impressed with my soup from scraps, aren’t you?  I thought so. 

Broccoli stalk and blue cheese soup
I am going to tell you what I did here, but please adapt this to whatever scraps you happen to have lying around. 

Serves 1

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
stalks from 1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped
2 small potatoes, chopped
1 chicken stock cube
water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs blue cheese (sharp cheddar would also be excellent, I just happened to have blue cheese in the fridge)
sour cream and watercress, to serve

Add the butter and olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the onion.  Gently fry the onion for about 2-3 mins, then add the garlic.  Fry for another 2 minutes. 

Add the broccoli stalks and potatoes to the pan.  Stir until coated with the butter and onions.  Then add the chicken stock cube and enough water to cover the vegetables.  Put the top on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Allow to simmer until the vegetables are very tender. 

If you have an immersion blender, remove the soup from the pan, pour into a large bowl and blend until smooth.  If not, pour the soup into a blender and allow to cool before blending. 

Pour the soup back into the pan.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Just before serving, crumble the blue cheese into the soup and allow to melt.  Top with sour cream and watercress and enjoy!