Abercrombie & Feast

I’m kind of afraid to fry.  I bake and I steam and I love love love to roast.  But, I always feel really guilty and a little scared about frying.  And I know I’m not alone.  I was having a glass of wine with a friend a week ago and she admitted that she loved to make homemade chips (french fries) but that she almost never did, because she felt guilty eating fried things at home.  I’m the same way!  I will eat some fried foods when I go out to eat, but I view those as a naughty treat… not something I’m brave enough to eat my own home, where nutrition rules. 

Then, over the weekend, I stumbled across this old article about fritters by Amanda Hesser.  She makes a great case against the fear of frying… including the totally true and often forgotten (by me!) fact that, if food is fried at the right temperature and drained correctly, it will have no more fat than food that is sauteed.  Revolutionary!

So, feeling brave and armed with several sweet ears of early autumn corn and a mandate from Amanda to embrace the idea of occasional fried food at home… especially fritters… I got out the frying pan.

These fritters made a great “TV dinner” while we
watched some football last week.  YUM!

I didn’t use much oil at all actually, which made me feel better.  So did the tons of fresh vegetable salsa that I piled on my finished Sweet Corn and Chorizo Fritters.  But what really made me feel good was eating those fritters.  They were delicious and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Sweet corn and chorizo fritters

Serves 3

For the fritters:

4 ears of fresh sweet corn, cut off the cobs, but not cooked
5 pieces of chorizo, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup of flour plus more if needed
salt
pepper

vegetable oil

For the salsa:

2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 large handful of coriander (cilantro), chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper

Place all of the ingredients for the fritters into a large bowl and mix well.  The mixture should look like a lumpy cake batter.  If the mixture is too wet, add a little more flour.  The fritter batter should be fairly stiff and thick.  You want it to clump together when it’s put into the pan.

Put the batter into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.  Meanwhile, place a large, deep frying pan over a medium low heat.  Add enough vegetable oil to fill the pan with 2 inches of oil. 

When the oil is hot enough, it should “fizz” around a wooden skewer or toothpick held in the oil.  It’s really important to get the oil hot enough so the fritters don’t absorb too much oil while they are cooking. 

Remove the fritter batter from the fridge and give it a good stir.  Drop by spoonfuls into the oil.  You can decide how big you want your fritters.  I made fairly large ones and we had 3 each for dinner.  But, these would be great in a smaller size as a starter or nibble. 

While the first batch of fritters is bubbling away, combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl and mix very well.  Taste for seasoning.  If the salsa is too sour, add a few drops of olive oil. 

Flip the fritters after about 3 minutes, or when they are golden on the bottom.  Cook the other side for about 2 minutes.  Remove carefully from the oil and drain well on a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve the fritters topped with salsa, a cold beer and some sports on TV!

Somewhere between my tan from Croatia fading and my tomatoes finally ripening, autumn crept up on me.  The farmers market this weekend was bursting with pumpkins in every shade of autumn imaginable.  The delicate red and yellow leaves have started crunching under my feet as I walk to the office on increasingly brisk mornings.  And, perhaps best of all, football has started again!  Oh man, I missed football. 

 Sweet potatoes at the farmers market

I made a centerpiece out of squash!

This time of year always reminds me of high school.  The feel of the early autumn air makes me think of those first, cool fall Friday nights at the football stadium in middle Georgia.  The far-off smell of someone burning leaves and the taste of a watery Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate stinging my lips while I cheered for my team and tried to catch the eye of whatever hapless high school boy had caught my eye that month. 

We saw this group of local “American football” players practicing
in Winchester last weekend. 
It’s funny to watch the British try to learn how to play football. 
Bless their little hearts. 

These days, autumn is a bit slower and quieter for me.  The hectic travel schedule of the summer is behind us, as are the long, warm evenings spent going for walks or having picnics in the park.  Now is the time for cuddling and candles;  For roasts and soups;  For sweaters and scarves;  For… game?

 Not games.  Game.  Rabbit, to be specific.  I bought a whole (headless, furless, organless… thank GOD) rabbit at the farmers market last weekend.  I have wanted to try cooking rabbit for a while now, and rabbits, like most game, are at their best in autumn. 

 My little guy was a formerly wild rabbit who was shot.  We know he was shot because Andy got two of the bullets in his dinner.  How’s that for authentic?  And freakish?

 I paired my once-furry friend with other autumn all-stars, carrots, potatoes, parsnip and rosemary for a slow stew.  Lots of thick-sliced, wholemeal bread to sop up the juices, red wine to drink, football on TV and the wind starting to pick up outside made for a warming and delicious early-autumn meal.  The rabbit was lovely, full of flavour with a nice texture, like chicken but with more taste.  The root vegetables were sweet and the broth was savoury.  Perfect. 

 It may not have been a night spent eating popcorn on a cold concrete bench, shouting out cheers and the Fight Song… but this is what autumn is for me now.  And I just love it.

Rabbit, Rosemary and Root Vegetable Stew

Serves 4

2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 rabbit, jointed

4 pieces of bacon (streaky bacon if you’re in England)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
4 medium or 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into large dice
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into large dice
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into large dice

1 glass red wine (I used a merlot and it was perfect)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Put a heavy pot with a lid over medium heat.  Add the olive oil to the pot.  While the olive oil heats up, put the flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Coat each piece of the rabbit in the flour and add to the warm olive oil.  Allow the rabbit to brown on all sides, then remove from the pan and place on a clean plate.

Add the chopped bacon to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, until cooked through but not too crisp.  Add the onion to the bacon and stir well, coating the onion in the oil.  Allow the onion to cook for 8-10 minutes, until soft and translucent, but not browning.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.  Place the potatoes, carrots and parsnips into the pot with the onion and garlic and stir for a minute or so, until the root veg is coated with the onion mixture. 

Add the rabbit pieces to the pot and stir so the meat is mixed in with the vegetables.

Pour the wine into the pot with the rabbit and the vegetables and allow to simmer for one minute.  Then add the can of tomatoes to the pot as well.  At this point you should give everything a good stir to make sure it’s all mixing together well and the rabbit is coated with all the lovely flavours.  Pour in the chicken stock and stir once again.  The stock should cover the vegetables and the rabbit.  If there isn’t enough stock, just top the pan up with a little more hot water. 

Turn the heat up to medium high and allow the stew to come to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to medium low or low.  Place the lid on the pot and allow the stew to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove the lid and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes, to reduce the stock slightly. 

Taste the stew… are the vegetables cooked through?  Is the stock flavourful?  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I added plenty of black pepper, but I am married to a black pepper fiend. 

Ladle the stew into bowls, putting one piece of rabbit into each bowl.  Serve with lots of bread for soaking up the juices and plenty of napkins in case anyone (ME!) wants to pick the rabbit pieces up to make sure they got every bit of delicious meat! 

I have to warn you… don’t get comfortable.  Don’t settle into your seat with a glass of wine to read this post.  Because, you’re going to be getting up again immediately.  That’s how good these brownies are.  You should not sit still until you’ve made these.

 Coffee, Baileys, chocolate… have I said enough?  Slightly gooey brownies served warm with ice cream… have I got you yet??  Easy to make and impressive enough to serve for a dinner party…now you’re on board, right?

 I made these last weekend for our very first dinner party in our new flat and I made them again last night to bring to work as a treat for my new co-workers.  Both times I’ve served these slices of chocolaty heaven I’ve gotten rave reviews.  Not a bad trick for something so easy. 

Simple and delicious… I told you that you’d want to get your apron on.  Enjoy!

 Coffee and Baileys Brownies
I don’t have a proper square pan to make brownies in, so I poured the batter into a loose-bottomed tart pan. 
Worked perfectly and looked really nice!  Try it!

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into large squares
2 cups fine (caster) sugar
4 medium eggs
125g (4oz) good dark chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tbs Baileys liquor
1 cup flour, sifted
3 tbs instant coffee granules

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C or gas mark 4.)  Butter your tart pan or square baking pan.

In a large bowl mix together the sugar and the butter with electric beaters until pale yellow and smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat well between each egg.  Add the Baileys and beat again until smooth.  Pour in the cooled chocolate and mix well.

Add the flour and the coffee and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the centre of your oven for about 30 mins.  After 30 mins test with a skewer.  The brownies are done when the skewer comes out a little sticky with a few crumbs (you don’t want a totally clean skewer or the brownies won’t be slightly gooey in the centre… and we all know that slightly gooey centres are totally awesome.)

Allow to cool in the pan, then slice and serve with ice cream.  

Sorry that I didn’t have a post last week.  I was going to write an extra one and have it all ready for while we were away, but then the washing machine exploded three times, I had an emergency eye doctor appointment and our friends from Australia came to stay for the evening.  By the time Saturday morning’s flight to Split rolled around, I seriously needed a vacation. 

And that is exactly what I got.  Eight days in Croatia felt more like eight weeks.  Each day was more sun-drenched and relaxing than the last.  It’s like the time in Croatia moves more slowly, strolling past us, rather than racing towards the end of the day. 

We spent our first four days on the island of Hvar.  We were in a tiny little village… population approximately 45 people, 85 cats and a few donkeys that we could smell but couldn’t see.  The water was crystal clear and blessedly cool after a hot walk across the pebbles to the beach.  There were only two restaurants in town and one dusty little shop that sold instant coffee, cheese, bread and lots of curious looking meat products. 

The view from our house on Hvar

Our days quickly settled into a very pleasurable routine.  Wake up late, eat some bread or a pastry for breakfast.  Go for a swim, hike up the hill to our house for a little snack, a cold beer and a few hours reading on the huge patio.  Shower, optional.  Sunblock, required.  Get dressed for dinner, go back down the hill, eat fresh-off-the-boat seafood until we might pop, add wine as needed.  Hike back up the hill to the house.  Sit out on the patio in the dark looking at the stars until bed time.  Repeat.

The view from my beach towel

We ate simple, local food that was perfectly suited to the climate.  Fresh bread every morning, wine pressed from the grapes that grew behind our house, summer vegetables bursting with colour and flavour… everything we ate seemed to enhance our visit.  Perhaps my favourite part was the cucumbers.  With many of the meals we’d order the “cucumber salad” and we’d get a large bowl of cool, slippery thinly sliced cucumbers very simply dressed with local olive oil and a little red wine vinegar.  It sounds so basic, but after a hot day on the beach, hiking up and down the hills, our lips pursed from the sun and the salt, there is nothing, NOTHING more refreshing than a slice of cucumber. 

One afternoon, while we were sitting under the grape vines, playing cards and cooling off, I made us a snack of fresh bread, spread with a little soft cheese and topped with rounds of chilly cucumber.  Delicious.  It tasted of our whole holiday in Croatia, fresh and fulfilling. 

We were really in Croatia for the wedding of the lovely and talented Maja and Steve.  So, after four days we left our magical island and made our way down to the bottom of Croatia, to the jewel-like city of Dubrovnik. 

Dubrovnik sparkles.  The walls are white as pearls in the shimmering Mediterranean sun.  Each building is topped with a roof the colour of amber or garnets.  The water surrounding the city is clear and cool and sapphire blue.  We spent each day with an amazing group of friends, all gathered to celebrate the wedding.  We laughed and danced and walked and swam and ate and ate and ate. 

It was the perfect holiday to make me forget about my dripping washing machine and my impending employment (I got a job!)  Now we’re home, with a suitcase full of salt-stiffened bathing suits, sandy flip-flops and crumpled party clothes.  We’re already trying to figure out when we can go back to Croatia.  It was an amazing adventure.