Cooking With Richard

Nom nom …

Previously …

A Breville hand blender, to replace the one which I stole from Erin many years ago. Essential for soups.

This recipe for beef tacos comes from Nigel Slater’s excellent book Real Fast Food. However instead of buying the pitta breads, I made these ones from scratch. This was really delicious:

I don’t think I’ve ever owned a toaster before.

Potted shrimp and potted mackerel.

This was very simple to make:

1. Take a whole pack of butter [makes two ramekins as shown], and melt on a low heat. Add garlic.
2. Grill the fish, or use a pre-cooked or smoked fish.
3. Clarify the butter (filter out all the “bits” in it).
4. Then put the clarified butter back on the heat and add chilli / cayenne pepper / paprika / thyme / rosemary to taste.
5. Put the fish into the ramekins and cover with the hot butterfat.
6. Place in the fridge overnight.

You can “pot” just about any meat or fish.

Also from Brit Spice.

Made with the swede and potatoes from the garden. The recipe.

The swedes in the garden have been a great success:

… but the potatoes, oh dear:

I was very happy with this curry from “Brit Spice”. The three curries are: prawn, yellow split peas, and beans with ginger. Plus I made some fried breads and a salad from the garden:

I’m wondering if they will eat the umeboshi in the middle …

Previously …

Wednesday afternoon, and we’re having salad and pizza and a little weekday party in the back garden …

The recipe is from Manju Malhi’s Brit Spice book, with chillis and lettuce from the garden. I actually got to use asafoetida too. Verdict: good.

Me finishing off six kumamoto oysters from Neptune Oyster in Boston (recommended!)

We are growing the cayenne variety of chilli peppers. Here is my scientific test of the first pepper from this season.

Last time I made it …

This is really tasty.

Some random photos from Cholesbury today …

Fat Rascals are a type of fruit scone traditionally made in York and Harrogate (particularly at Betty’s of York Tea Rooms). This recipe is a simple one from the Waitrose web site. The cherries are from Netherbury’s cherry liqueur.

Inside, it’s lemony:

This is from the butcher at the end of the road:

Previously …

This was the recipe I used and the result this time wasn’t too bad, although I found it a little bit too watery compared to the “real thing”.

Made by someone from the Sarratt Women’s Institute.