MY 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

I am truly happy to be 50 - a couple of years ago it was unlikely I would get this far and I feel happier every year I get older - I'm lucky. I made some difficult decisions 5 years ago but they were the right ones and now life is good. So I wanted to celebrate my 50th birthday but not in an over the top way - everyone I invited is important to me and Mr Redding. One of my guests I have know and loved since 1981 - others I have only really got to know in the last year. But they are all dear to me and Mr Redding and they were who we wanted to share this day with. And my Dad ... my Dad is great company and he wasn't short of glamorous women wanting to talk to him!  It was a lovely party, started at 4.00pm and ended at midnight - I will share pics of the food we had.....special mention to Sally at Persepolis http://foratasteofpersia.co.uk/ for wonderful kibbeh, pastries and baba ganoush base inredients....go there for a fabulous experience. So, random pics:

Baba Ganoush made with fantastic tinned aubergines from Persepolis

Lamd and vegetable samosas from Khans superstore on Rye Lane

Couscous with lots of mint, lemon and olve oil

Aubergines brushed with olive oil, griddled, and sprinkled with chilli flakes

Hummus - chick peas, tahini paste, olive oil and lemon juice - bliss...

Strips of chicken breast marinaded wirh za'atar and cumin - griddled quickly so it stayed juicy - glorious.

I also made Persian style lamp meatballs, amd served everything with lots of pitta bread and Persian flat bread. I think  it went ok....there was nothing left!

SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH SPRING HERBS

Lamb is my favourite meat, as you may well have gathered. I always choose shoulder over leg because, frankly, I love fatty lamb and if it is cooked slowly a lots of the fat renders away anyway, leaving succulent flavourful tender meat. Mr Redding and I aren't blessed with a garden but we have a small balcony and, courtesy of Poundland, a rather clever space saving herb garden. We grow all the basics - rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, chives, chervil and mint.  I don't grow coriander because I find it bolts so easily, and (whispers) I'm not a huge basil fan.

So what better way to cook a lovely young shoulder of lamb than with a selection of young herbs, giving a green lightness to the rich meat. I also added lemon zest for added zing. I bought a whole shoulder and boned it (because I quite enjoy boning out meat and I understand the lump of meat I am left with) but a pre-boned joint will do fine. This is very strauightforward but very tasty - I served it with boiled new potatoes and runner beans and petits pois.  Spinach would also go well.

Shoulder of Lamb with Spring Herbs

1 shoulder of lamb, around 1.6kg - boned
75g butter
2 handfuls of herbs, from chives, sage, thyme, rosemary and mint, chopped finely
Finely grated zest of a lemon
Salt and black pepper

Open out the boned shoulder and season with black pepper. Combine the herbs, lemon rind and butter in a bowl, season with a little salt, the spread over the inside of the joint. Roll up, tucking in where necessary, and tie up nice and securely.

Line a baking tray with tin foil, lay on the joint and wrap loosely. Cook at 180 for 2 hours, increase heat to 200,  uncover and cook for a further 45 minutes.

Allow to stand for 20 minutes, remove strings and carve into thick chunks - no need to worry about delicate uniform slices here.  Make a gravy from the roasting juices (skimmed) and beef stock (or even an Oxo cube, but I didn't say that!). The golden rule with all lamb dishes is that everything -  plates, vegetables, serving dishes and gravy have to be HOT!  Serve with plain vegetables so as not to distract from the flavour of the lamb and herbs.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM CAKE

I really enjoy cooking lunch on a Sunday. We usually eat around 2.00 so I have plenty of time to take things slowly and to try out different things. But we are quite traditional about our Sunday lunch so it usually involves something light and fishy for a starter, a roast or other lump of meat based main course, then something fruity and refreshing for pudding (and yes, I say pudding, I hate the term dessert - just one of my quirks).  Last night I had returned from three glorious days in and around Bournemouth with Mr Redding, so today was keeping everything very simple - smoked salmon to start, roast chicken and roast potatoes, runner beans and savoy cabbage and strawberries and cream to finish. But that pudding started worrying me - too simple. Strawberry mousse? Very nice but I didn't have any almond thins to go with and didn't feel up to making them. Then I thought - what about making a bit of sponge - relatively easy and very effective.  So I made a fatless sponge, layered it up with kirsch, strawberries and cream and it all turned out rather well......

Serves 4

Sponge

75g plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
75g caster sugar
Tblsp. warm water
Tsp. vanilla essence

Filling

Tblsp. Kirsch
400g  strawberries
200ml  double cream

Icing sugar and a skewer to serve
4 3" serving rings

Line a swiss roll tin with baking parchment.  Preheat the oven to 150.

To make the sponge whisk the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk/mixer until pale, thick and frothy. Fold in the flour and salt and then add the water and vanilla essence.  Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.

Use a 3 inch serving ring to cut out 8 discs of sponge. Put a disc of sponge into each of 4 rings and place on a flat plate. Scatter a few drops of kirsch on the sponge.

Selecting smaller strawberries, cut the tops off, slice in half and arrange around the edge of the sponge, with the cut side facing the serving ring. Make sure they fit tightly.

With the rest of the strawberries, hull them, add a teaspoon of caster sugar, and mash gently in a bowl. Spoon the mashed strawberry and some of the juice into each of the serving rings until they are almost filled. Whip the cream until fairly stiff and spoon on top of the strawberry mixture - don't skimp.

Finally, place the other disc of sponge in the serving ring and sprinkle more kirsch on top. Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.

To serve, upend the ring onto a plate and ease out. Heat the skewer until very hot, sprinkle the top of the sponge with icing sugar, then use the skewer to create a gird pattern on top. Serve with a little additional cream.

SMOKED MACKEREL PATE

There are times when you want something light but comfortingly familiar to have as a starter, particularly on a Sunday when there is a large lump of roast beef coming up as the main course. At times like this I either make a prawn cocktail (and I make no apologies for that) or this - smoked mackerel pate. It's beautifully flavoured but has a light texture so you are left hungry for more food. The addition of horseradish is a classic one and I can lay no claims for this being an innovatory ground breaking recipe - but it's delicious.

I serve it with homemade Melba toast which is crispy and a perfect contrast to the creaminess of the pate. Making Melba toast is quite easy, I always use packaged sliced white bread (we always called it 'plastic bread' when I was growing up). Toast the slice of bread until golden brown, cut the crusts off and slice it in two horizontally ( so that one side is toasted and the other side isn't). Heat up the grill, lay the toast white side up and brown - keep an eagle eye on it as it burns very easily. In my family four bits are required (i.e. two slices of bread).

Serves 4

250g smoked mackerel
125g cream cheese (you can use low fat if you wish)
2 tsp. horseradish - I use English Provender horseradish - it's 83% freshly grated horseradish whereas most sauces are around the 35% mark
Lemon juice to taste
Black pepper

Lemon wedges
Capers
Cornichons
Olive oil
Chives

Put the mackerel, cream cheese, horseradish and the juice of half a lemon in a food processor and blend.  Taste and add more horseradish, lemon juice, black pepper to taste.

Shape into nice little egg shapes (the cheffy word is quenelles), and serve with sliced cornichons, capers, chopped chives and a tiny dribble of olive.  And lots of Melba Toast!!

TARTA DE NARANJA

Regular readers will know I cooked up a Spanish storm a couple of weeks ago. This is what we had for pudding, courtesy of Claudia Roden. It is a flourless cake made with eggs and ground almonds, then bathed in an orange syrup. You can make it the day before but as long as it has 4-6 hours to rest it's fine. Serve with cream or some lovely full fat Greek yoghurt. It is a lovely light zingy way to end a meal - and it is also a  very forgiving recipe....

Cake

4 eggs, separated
125g caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
50g ground almonds
50g blanched almonds, finely chopped

Syrup

Juice of 3 oranges (about 300 ml)
75g sugar
Cinammon stick

Pre-heat the oven to 180, gas mark 4

Grease and flour a 20cm cake tin, preferably with removable sides - I use baking parchment too as the cake is quite sticky when it comes out of the oven.

Beat together the egg yolks with the sugar, orange zest and all the almonds until creamy. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them in. Pour mixture into the tin and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool then transfer to serving plate.

To make the syrup simmer together the orange juice with the sugar and cinammon stick until the sugar has dissolved. Prick the cake with a skewer all over then gradually pour over the syrup. I do it a little at a time to allow it to absorb - it takes a little while. Put the cinammon stick on top for decoration.

Leave to soak for as long as you can, then serve with cream or yoghurt.
 

LAMB WITH PEPPERS

I have been woefully neglectful of my blog for some time. You know how it is – work gets frantic, personal life take an unexpected turn, suddenly life is taking up far more time than it should do. But I think we’re over the worst now (fingers crossed) and I was delighted to have my mate Tony (aka The Skint Foodie) over for a Spanish-stylee dinner a couple of Saturdays ago.  

I turned to Rick Stein’s Spain and Claudia Roden’s new tome for inspiration. I didn’t want to do jamon, tortilla, albondigas and croquetas but something slightly different with maybe a couple of favourites thrown in.  The first dish I would like to share with you is inspired by Rick Stein’s Slow Braised Lamb with fresh and dried peppers  – we had this as a main course with a soupy vegetable dish of artichokes, peas and broad beans in a thickened chicken stock. There wasn’t much left, so it must have been alright. It is supposed to be quite a chilli hot dish so don’t spare the hot smoked paprika.

Slow Cooked Lamb with Peppers 

Serves 4 

1 kg neck fillet

1 tblsp hot smoked paprika

2 tblsp olive oil

2 medium onions sliced finely

4 garlic cloves finely sliced

1 tblsp hot smoked paprika

75g Serrano ham, finely chopped

Can of tinned tomatoes, chopped

1 tblsp fresh thyme leaves

4 bay leaves

2 large roasted skinned peppers from a jar (or DIY), chopped

1 tblsp. chopped flat  

Cut the lamb into bit sized chunks then toss in the sweet paprika and leave for an hour or so out of the fridge. Heat the oil then fry off the lamb in batches so that it gets a nice brown, slightly crispy, coat. Take out of the pan and put to one side. 

Add the onions and garlic to the oil and sauté slowly until soft and golden brown. Add the paprika and Serrano ham and cook gently for a further five minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves and pepper. Bring to a simmer, add the lamb, and braise for 45 minutes.  

Add more hot smoked paprika if not hot enough for you, sprinkle with the parsley and serve. I served it with vegetables cooked in a chicken broth, which suited the dish very well.....

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND ROLLED IN PARMA HAM

I cook a lot of 'ethnic' food, as anyone who has looked at my blog will realise. But deep in my heart I love traditional European cooking and when I feel like making something special I will look towards Europe. This recipe is Italian in its roots and in its execution. I am not keen on pasta, or risotto, but I have been fortunate to experience other aspects of Italian cooking, both in the UK and in Italy.

This dish is simply delicious. I serve it with potatoes that are smaller than roast but larger than diced, and have been roasted with olive oil, rosemary and garlic slivers, and a pile of spinach that has been wilted with lots of grated lemon. I think it is a lovely dish - I hope you do too....

4 chicken breasts

16 slices of parma ham 

Filling

250g washed and drained spinach

50g butter

50g plain flour

250 ml milk

25g parmesan

Grated nutmeg

Black pepper

 Wild Mushroom Sauce 

30g dried wild mushrooms

Knob of butter

2 shallots finely

1 clove garlic crushed

150ml white wine

150ml dry vermouth

250ml chicken stock

100ml double cream

Seasoning

 First step is to make the spinach béchamel filling for the chicken breasts. Basically it’s a thick cheese sauce with chopped spinach. I favour the all in one in the microwave method so I select a large wide bottomed jug, melt the butter in it, stir in the flour them stir in the milk. Pop it back in the microwave for a couple of minutes, give it a good whisk, then back in for another couple of minutes, By this time the sauce should have relaxed but, if not so, add a tablespoon of water and put back in the microwave for another minute. Then add the grated parmesan, a good grating of nutmeg and some black pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, put the washed spinach in a wide frying pan, put on a moderate heat and let the spinach wilt. There is no need to add water, oil, butter or salt. Once the spinach has wilted strain and chop finely.  Stir into the béchamel sauce and check for seasoning – you want this to have a pronounced nutmeg cheese flavour do don’t be shy! Leave the mixture to get cold.

Take four slices of Parma ham and arrange on your board one below the other, giving a squareish rectangle. Place the chicken breast diagonally onto the Parma ‘good’ side down.  Ignoring the fillet, make a slit along the side of the thickest part of the breast and then open it out. Put a quarter of the filling onto the flattened out breast then fold over the chicken, then wrap the whole breast up in the Parma ham. Take a square of cling film and roll the chicken breast up in it. Take hold of both ends and ‘spin’ so that you end up with a tightly bound sausage within cling film. Repeat with the other chicken breasts and place in the fridge.

For the sauce, sauté the shallots and garlic in the butter on a low heat until soft and golden. Add the white wine and simmer until almost completely reduced. Add the vermouth and simmer until almost reduced. Meanwhile, re-hydrate the wild mushrooms with boiling water. Add 250ml of the soaking liquid to the sauce along with the mushrooms and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil then add the cream. Reduce until you have a medium thick sauce.

45 minutes before serving fill a deep sauté pan with water and bring to the boil. Add the cling film wrapped chicken breasts and poach for 10 minutes per side. Meanwhile prepare a frying pan with olive oil. Once the breasts are poached peel off the cling film, heat the olive oil in the frying pan and gently fry off the breast, making sure the Parma ham is properly fried.

I serve this with cubes of potatoes roasted in olive oil with garlic cloves and rosemary, and spinach seasoned with lemon zest.