Leek and Mushroom Rice with Fried Egg, Garlic, and Ginger

Ingredients

One mug of rice

3 Leeks

200g Mushrooms

2 Eggs

4 cloves of garlic sliced finely

2 cm of peeled and sliced ginger

2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

Cook the rice and allow it to cool - I bet you know how to do that without an explanation here.

While the rice is cooling, gently fry the garlic and ginger in a little oil using a small frying pan that will also be suitable for frying the eggs. Cook for around 10 minutes on a gentle heat until crispy and fragrant and then remove with a slotted spoon to drain on some kitchen paper. Leave the oil in the pan so that you can fry the eggs in it.

Saute the leeks in some oil and add the sliced mushrooms and the soy sauce. Once the leeks and mushrooms are cooked you can add the rice and stir well to heat up the rice.

Fry the eggs sunny side up or down as you prefer and then serve the rice in a bowl topped with the egg and a sprinkling of the garlic and ginger.

This is an easy and cheap mid-week supper that is delicious and quick to cook. In December we are harvesting our leeks and they have lots of flavour when they have been dug on the same day that they are cooked. Our white ranger hen is still laying eggs so we can also use fresh eggs.

Smoked chicken, apple and caramelized walnut salad

Ingredients

Apples frying

1 smoked chicken breast

1 large apple

50 g walnuts

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp marsala

Handful of washed and chopped salad leaves

For the dressing

2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Peel and slice the apple and then fry for about 5-10 minutes in a large frying pan using about a

tablespoon of olive oil to stop it from sticking. The aim is for the apple to become soft rather than

mushy and for it to get a good golden colour.

Add two tbsp of marsala to the pan the alcohol will burn off and the taste infuse the apples. Next

add the maple syrup to the pan so that it bubbles and coats the apples.

Move the apples to a plate to use later and add the walnuts to the pan and stir them round so thay

they get properly covered in the marsala/maple syrup mixture. Add a little more maple syrup at this

stage if you think it is needed. Remove the walnuts to a separate small plate for later and take the

pan off the heat.

Add a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar to the pan so that any maple syrup and apple residue is

dissolved and will appear in your delicious dressing.

To assemble

Make the dressing with the cider vinegar and olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss the salad leaves in the dressing and place them on the serving plate. Slice the smoked chicken breast thinly and lie it on top of the dressed salad leaves with the caramelised apples and walnuts.

Serve with good sourdough bread and plenty of butter.

This is a great way of using a surplus of apples in the late autumn. The caramelized apples make the salad into comfort food rather than Waldorf salad, which is more of an appropriate offering for a hot summer’s day.

Rosemary and Lemon Syrup

Lemon and rosemary syrup

Ingredients

4 sprigs of rosemary

100ml water

100g of sugar

zest and juice of a lemon

Method

Mix the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

Turn off the heat and add the rosemary and lemon zest. Allow them to infuse while the syrup cools and then add the lemon juice. Strain and serve.

This syrup is perfect as the basis for a herby lemony tea …just add hot water, or as the key ingredient of a cocktail for example:

Cenotaph Cocktail (serves two)

• Four measures of rosemary and lemon syrup

• Two measures of Campari.

• Topped with a small can of soda water or tonic water.

• Decorate with a sprig of rosemary

‘Rosemary is for remembrance’ which is why it is a good base for this Remembrance Sunday cocktail. Rosemary is reputed to have a long list of health benefits and contains vitamin C and antioxidants.

Carrot and Cardamom cake

Carrot and cardamom cake decorated with cream cheese frosting, carrot, borage flowers and chopped pistachio.

Ingredients

100g plain flour

50g wholemeal flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cardamom seeds

pinch of salt

50 ml olive oil

2 eggs

50g caster sugar

60g brown sugar

50g plain yoghurt

200g carrot (grated)

For the frosting

100g cream cheese

100g icing sugar

Method

Sift together the flours, cardamom, bicarbonate of soda and the salt.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together lightly and add the oil, sugar and yoghurt and mix well (I use an electric hand beater).

Gently combine the dry ingredients with the egg mixture and then stir in the grated carrot. Pour this batter into a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin (ideally with a loose bottom).

Cook in a moderate oven (180 deg C) for about 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake. When the cake is not quite cooked it will sing to you - this is the bubbles of air in the cake bursting. When this singing is much quieter the cake is cooked.

Leave the cake in its tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting beat up the cream cheese with the icing sugar until really smooth and then spread on the top of the cake allowing some to drizzle over the sides. decorate with grated carrot, edible flowers and some chopped pistachios if you have some.

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This recipe is adapted from a carrot and cardamom cake in the book ‘Grow, Cook, Nourish’ by Darina Allen. We prefer a cream cheese frosting, and substituting some of the plain flour for wholemeal flour and reducing the sugar slightly makes this a healthier cake with a little more fibre - but it’s still delicious!

Plum and Smoked Chicken Salad

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

8 plums

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

One large smoked chicken breast

A handful of salad leaves

Juice from half an orange

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cut the plums in half and put in a small heat proof dish, drizzle them with some maple syrup.

Bake the plums for around 25 minutes in a medium oven at around 200 deg C

Allow the plums to cool

Make a dressing by mixing together olive oil, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, any juices from the plums and salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the chicken breast and arrange on a large plate with the plums and salad leaves and drizzle with the dressing

Cheese and Chive Scones

Ingredients

Cheese and Chive scones

150 g strong bread flour

100g wholemeal flour

3 tsp of baking powder

40g butter

100g cheddar cheese

Small handful of chives chopped small

1 egg

125 ml milk

Half a teaspoon of salt

Method

Sieve the flours and baking powder together with the salt.

Chop the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your finger tips

Stir in 85g of the grated cheese and the chives or any other any herbs that you are using.

In a small jug beat up the egg and add 125 ml milk.

With a knife fold most of the milk and egg mixture into the dry mixture. if it seems wet enough you can use the remaining milk and egg to brush the top of the scones.

Kneed the dough briefly by folding it over a few times, but do not overwork it. Shape the dough into a round about 25 cm in diameter and cut into six or eight pieces.

Brush the top of each scone with milk and top with some grated cheese.

Cook in a hot over (around 220deg) for about 15 minutes and then ideally eat while still slightly warm.

3 tsp of baking powder

Raspberry Trifle

Autumn raspberries growing in November at St Olaves

Ingredients

6 trifle sponges

Half a raspberry jelly block

200g frozen raspberries (plus fresh for decoration)

250g mascarapone cheese

1 egg plus an extra yolk

2 tablespoons of caster sugar

A few drops Vanilla essence

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Method

Break up the jelly into small squares and stir to dissolve in about 250 ml boiling water, and allow to cool.

Place the trifle sponges into a fairly deep serving bowl, break some of them in half if you like and add the defrosted raspberries to fill in all the nooks and crannies around the sponges. You can also drizzle on some marsala, brandy or sweet sherry if you want a boozy trifle.

Pour the cooled raspberry jelly mix over the sponges and raspberries and allow to cool completely and set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

In a large mixing bowl whisk up the mascarpone, egg and egg yolk, the sugar and the vanilla essence. It is worth whisking with an electric hand whisk for 5-10 minutes so it gets nice and thick.

Spoon the mascarpone custard mixture evenly over the raspberry sponge base and then use your imagination to decorate the top.