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Prunes

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on July 1, 2012| 17 Comments »

Pile of uncooked prunes

I like my daily prune.

I took a jar of cooked prunes to Corfu.

Seems eccentric–my mother must have had a hand in establishing the habit.

“Keeps you regular, Robin!”

There’s a funny side to prunes–mention of them can make people smile.

(Anything to do with body functions tends to bring a smile to English faces.)

The word itself has a comic sound– PROONE and it’s wrinkled appearance is not beautiful.

BUT they are delicious when soaked first and then gently stewed and allowed to cool.

The prunes here are from Agen–a couple of hours to the north west of us and they are extra as the French say of something special.

Some people eat them dried.

I prefer them after they’ve been through the Method–soft and melting in the mouth–as an essential part of breakfast.

The Method (for a pound of prunes):

  • Empty the prunes into a saucepan.
  • Cover them with boiling water.
  • Let them stand for a half hour.
  • Gently bring them up to the boil.
  • Cover them and let them simmer for another half hour–covered.
  • Leave them to cool then store them in the fridge.

Here’s one in Meredith’s breakfast bowl–heaven she says!

“There’s no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune….”–                                                                                                          ~Jack Falstaff to Mistress Quickly in Shakespeare’s Henry the Fourth Part One.

I couldn’t possibly comment on that–but I have enough faith in prunes to take a jar of them to Corfu.

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Green beans with garlic and ginger

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 27, 2012| 11 Comments »

Where am I?, I wondered, waking this morning.

Still in Corfu? It was hot enough at 7 am.

I quickly established that I was in France by looking out of the window.

No sign of the Albanian hills or the infinity pool.

Back to earth! But hot! hot! hot!

At the end of the garden though it was cool enough to tie up the tomato plants that had grown as much as the chickens in our week away.

The bees were still snoozing so it was safe to sit on a stool and talk to the plants!

Then off to Réalmont and its Wednesday market.

I’d missed the markets–they are rare in Corfu.

This is green bean time and here on the stalls they are piled high–picked last night I am assured.

a pile of beans

Joy!

Cooked enough to be tender,  yet still a vibrant green–but not too much so that they become flabby and dull in color. It’s hard to tire of them.

It’s always good to discover new ways to cook them.

I spotted this simple recipe in The New York Times a few weeks back. As I’d bought half a kilo of new season garlic and ginger this morning, Give it a go!, I thought.

My slightly adapted version

for 4

1lb green beans— topped, (no need to tail)

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cloves of new garlic-– (or the best looking you can find)

a large thumbnail size piece of ginger–peeled and chopped small

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

  • Have a bowl of cold water ready to plunge the cooked beans into.
  • Pound the garlic, ginger and a teaspoon of salt into a pulp.
  • Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
  • Add the beans and cook them until almost tender to the bite–(a pair of cooking tongs comes in handy here to whip a bean out for a bite test).
  • When you judge they’re ready, transfer them quickly into the bowl with the cold water–to stop them cooking further.
  • Drain them and leave to dry a little.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.
  • Add the beans and the gorgeous garlic and ginger gunge.
  • Over a gentle heat turn the beans in the mixture until they are nicely heated through.
  • Taste them and add more salt if needed.

We had them for lunch today…

with a butterflied pork chop–of which more later….

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Greek Salad–a week of test drives!

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , on June 23, 2012| 16 Comments »

Red, pink, pale green, darker green, purple/black and white are the colors looking up at you from the bowl on the table. Add the dressing and turn the contents over and your fork will start jabbing in–involuntarily.

Tomatoes, cucumber (peeled or unpeeled), peppers (red or green), sweet (red) onion, black olives, feta cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper. 

A glass of retsina, blue blue sky, a dry summer heat, a swimming pool or blue blue sea.

The first nine ingredients are the essentials, the last five are preferable–but not obligatory–as they are not always available!

It works best if the tomatoes and cucumber are sun-ripe and juicy but the contrasting tastes of the feta, the olives, olive oil, vinegar and seasoning make this national dish worth eating anytime, anywhere.

Chunks, curls, slices and slabs lend a spirit of generosity to the brimming bowls presented here in Corfu.

The olives here in Corfu are the kalamata variety, similar to the small black olives that feature in that other summer wonder–Salade Niçoise. Their faint bitterness  balances the sweetness of the tomatoes and cucumber.

The grilled sardines–small but meaty–arrived on a large plate, filling it from edge to edge.

I put down the knife and fork in the end and ate them with my fingers. It took a while.

Greek salad would have made a simple, clean and contrasting accompaniment with or without the cheese–no room though!

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Post no. 300!–Aubergine/eggplant slices with a walnut and garlic spread…

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 8, 2012| 19 Comments »

…from the Starters and Light Lunches section of Delicious Dishes for Diabetics:

This tasty seasonal starter is useful for company it as you can prepare it beforehand–it makes regular appearances through the summer.

(A couple of ripe cherry tomatoes will add colour to the plate in a month or so.)

Serves 4

2 large aubergines

salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2–3 tbsp wine vinegar

Sauce:

3–4 cloves of garlic – crushed with a little salt
60 g/2 oz walnuts – shelled; if you do this yourself, take care that no pieces of shell get left with the kernel.

a handful chopped parsley

  • Wash and cut the aubergines lengthwise into 1.5 cm/1/2 inch slices.
  • Salt them slightly and put them in a colander for an hour or so, to drain off some of their bitter juice.
  • Dry them thoroughly and brush generously with olive oil on both sides.

Heat the oven at 240°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9.

  • Put the aubergines on well-oiled foil in a shallow oven tray.
  • Cook them in the oven for about 20 minutes to brown them, turning after 10 minutes.
  • While the aubergines are in the oven, make the sauce.
  • Mix the crushed garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil.
  • Chop the walnuts in a processor or pound them in a pestle and mortar.
  • Combine these two ingredients with the parsley in a bowl and add another tablespoon of oil.
  • Mix well and check for salt.
  • Take the aubergines out of the oven, put them on a serving plate, brush with the vinegar and spread the delicious sauce on top.
  • Serve warm or room temperature.

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Courgette/zucchini and onion frittata

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , on June 6, 2012| 25 Comments »

This has been on the menu for years.

The combinations in this classic Italian omelette are Marcella Hazan’s and depend on slow cooking in the first and third stages.

I tried doing it with three pans this time–don’t tell Meredith!

She thinks I use more pans than any cook in the history of the world.

It made life easier and reduced the cooking time a little in the second stage.

It’s a good dish for company that can be cooked beforehand and served tepid.

for 4 or more

3 onions–sliced thin in a food processor

4 tablespoons of olive oil

3 medium courgettes/zucchini–sliced thin in the processor

salt and pepper

5 large eggs

50gms/2oz grated parmesan


Stage 1

  • Heat the oil in a medium pan (29cm/11.5″) and add the sliced onions.
  • Turn them over in the oil and cook on a low heat until they color nicely.
Stage 2
  • Transfer them to the larger pan (if using)–33cm/13″–and add the sliced cougettes/zucchini and a pinch of salt.
  • Turn the mixture over thoroughly and cook over a medium heat until the courgettes are soft.
Stage 3
  • Push the mixture to the handle side of the pan and slip something under it to prop it up at a slight angle.
  • Leave it to cool for 10 minutes or so, allowing some of the oil to separate from the courgette mix and settle at the bottom of the pan, making the frittata less greasy.
Stage 4
  • Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them together.
  • Add the cooled down courgette and onion mixture and integrate it with the eggs and season.
  • Fold in the parmesan cheese.
  • Heat a tablespoon of oil in the third pan (26cm/10″)–to avoid the mixture sticking–and pour in the mixture.
  • Cook this over the lowest possible heat for about 30 minutes–until there only a small puddle of  the mixture left on top.
  • Heat the grill and slip the pan under it for a minute or so lightly browning the top of the frittata.


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Out on Kindle!

Posted in Diabetes, Food, Recipes, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , , , , on June 4, 2012| 6 Comments »

Delicious Dishes–gone digital!

You can now download the cookbook to your Kindle.

In it you’ll  find the recipe for this spicy delight on page 114!

Spicy courgettes and prawns with fresh coriander

(Haven’t seen the Kindle version yet ourselves. We don’t have one. We’re  wondering how well Hope James’  lovely water color sketches come through….)

Here’s the link to the digital version: http://tinyurl.com/DeliciousDishes/.

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Casting clouts and deciding on a sauce for the first green beans

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , on June 1, 2012| 4 Comments »

“I’m putting away my winter wardrobe,” Meredith says this sunny morning.

About time–it’s the first of June!

Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out—my Mother liked  to quote.

(I’ve read that the MAY in question refers to the blossom of the May Tree which would keep the month of May still merry!)

In France–further south–they say:

En Avril, ne te découvre pas d’un fil—mais en Mai,  fais comme il te plaît!

[April’s not to be trusted so don’t  take off a thread ; in May though, do as you please!]

Anyway it was a relief to see the stalls of the organic market in Castres featuring spring vegetables yesterday–at last.  The very cold spell in March followed by a very wet spell has skewed the timing and made life difficult for local producers.

I need a starter for the guests tonight and the small pile of silky green beans I bought will make a perfect prologue to the tangy chicken tagine to follow.

In summer some ripe cherry tomatoes briefly sautéed in garlic and olive oil then squidged in among the beans makes a colorful and tasty first course– but it’s too early for them. The anchovy sauce alternative is a risk as some people cannot abide anchovies!

So I looked for another idea in The River Café’s Pocket Vegetable Book and found a mustard  sauce.

We had a trial for lunch–and both agreed it was a shame to mask the taste of the first green beans of the season with anything but salt and a splash of good olive oil!

Here’s the sauce, though– just in case…

for four

1 lb fresh green beans

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

juice of a lemon

1 tablespoon parsley–chopped

4 fl oz/125 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

  • Make the sauce by whisking the mustard in the lemon juice and vinegar and seasoning with salt and pepper.
  •  Add the olive oil in the manner of making mayonnaise–slowly whisking it into the mix.
  • Cook the beans in boiling well salted water until they are just tender.
  • Put them in a serving bowl and fold in the sauce.
  • Sprinkle over the parsley.

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Trout fillet with cumin and lemon and warm cucumber slices

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , on May 30, 2012| 9 Comments »

I’ve been eyeing trout fillets for ages. They are always on the stalls here.

Pink–like salmon fillets, but not as thick and with the more delicate taste of a fresh water fish.

This morning’s looked very fresh.

Lunch I thought and bought a cucumber to go with.

for 2

400 gms trout fillet

salt and pepper

half a teaspoon cumin powder

juice and zest of a lemon

1 cucumber–skinned and sliced thin–a food processor with a slicing appliance works well for this.

a few leaves of mint–chopped fine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

  • Wash and dry the fillet(s).
  • Run your index finger over the fish and remove as many of the pin bones as you can before you tire of doing so.
  • Sprinkle pinches of cumin from the spoon over the fillet(s) with the lemon’s juice and zest.
  • Cover the fish with a plate and leave to marinade for an hour or so.
  • A few minutes before you are ready to cook the fish, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium size pan.
  • Spread the cucumber slices over the base and sprinkle over the mint.
  • Turn the slices carefully in the oil and the mint and season well with salt and pepper.
  • Let the cucumber gently heat through while you cook the trout.
  • Heat a largish pan to hot.
  • Season the trout fillets with salt and black pepper.
  • Cook skin-side down on a high heat for 3 minutes.
  • Flip the fillets over boldly and cook them about a minute longer–the time depends on the thickness of the fillet.

Meredith–not overwhelmed by this, but I liked a change from salmon.

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Roasted vegetables

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , on May 24, 2012| 6 Comments »

The weather has been difficult–either too cold or too wet–for  local growers the last couple of months, reducing  the availability of seasonal vegetables.

Looking for something to cook a couple of nights ago I found some courgettes and peppers from a trip to the supermarket and remembered a recipe inspired by Delia Smith and featured in my cookbook, Delicious Dishes for Diabetics.

Delia calls it Roast Ratatouille and includes cherry tomatoes and aubergines [eggplant]–but a simpler version is worth a go, I thought….

It was a tasty and healthy supper–served it on a bed of quinoa with a yogurt sauce.

for four

3 courgettes

3 red peppers

3 sweet/red onions–quartered

2 garlic cloves–chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

set the oven to 240C/460F

  • cut up the vegetables in largish chunks.
  • Put them in a bowl, add the oil and sprinkle  over the garlic.
  • Turn everything over carefully to coat the vegetables with the oil.
  • Line a shallow oven tray with foil.
  • Brush the foil with olive oil.
  • Empty the bowl onto the tray and spread the vegetables evenly over it.

  • Put the tray on the top level of the oven.
  • Roast for 20minutes or until the vegetables are nicely charred–(not burnt!)

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A food/cooking weekend in Lautrec in October

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 14, 2012| 21 Comments »

I’m planning a cooking workshop in Lautrec the first weekend in October, based on my cookbook, Delicious Dishes for Diabetics and healthy, simple recipes in the Mediterranean tradition.

Lautrec

What’s on the menu?

  • A three-and-a-half day workshop in Lautrec (department of the Tarn in southwest France), in a charming small hotel with a magnificent garden and lovely views.
  • We’ll make our meals and eat them together.
  • All meals and wine are included.
  • Group size limited to about six people (non-cooking partners or traveling companions are welcome to come along and enjoy the meals we prepare for a supplement).
  • Excursions to local markets.
  • All participants have their own private room with en-suite bathrooms.
The focus:
Preparing (and enjoying) healthy recipes based on the Mediterranean way of eating.
My cookbook and blog will be the springboard for the recipes–depending on what is in season.
Dates:
Starting Thursday afternoon, Oct. 4th and finishing Sunday night, Oct. 7th with the farewell meal;
Departure the following morning, Monday, Oct. 8th 2012–i.e. four nights, three full days and a half-day on arrival.
Who might come:
Anyone interested in developing a wider repertoire of healthy recipes that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

What’s the venue?
A beautiful new demonstration kitchen in a charming small hotel in the centre of Lautrec:

With Dominique, the owner of La Terrasse de Lautrec in the special workshop kitchen.

La Terrasse de Lautrec

Many more photos of La Terrasse and Lautrec here: http://tinyurl.com/LautrecWorkshop

Lautrec is a medieval bastide–a fortified hilltop village with a population of about 1000 people.
It enjoys the official recognition as Un des plus beaux villages de France [one of the most beautiful villages in France].

Lautrec

It is famous for it’s pink garlic (l‘ail rose)–one of the staples of Mediterranean cooking.
The nearest airports are Toulouse Blagnac (about 1 hour 20 minutes drive) served by BA, Air France and Easy Jet amongst others.
Carcassonne Airport (served by RyanAir) is about the same distance.
Castres also has a small airport with a limited service from Paris.
The nearest train station is Castres, about 15 minutes drive.
Cost: 1000 euros
(as of today’s currency rates, in dollars that is $1288 (US) or in Sterling,  £800)
Transportation from airport to Lautrec can be arranged for an extra fee.
Note: the venue is not suitable for people with mobility problems–i.e. there are stairs to the first floor and no elevator.
To book or for further info, contact Meredith:
meredithwheeler1@gmail.com

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