lentils, asparagus, lemon, chilli

A warming salad on this stormy winters day. It took me a long time to love lentils but in the midst of early nightfall and stormy weather they make a salad all the more comforting.

LENTIL and ASPARAGUS SALAD

150 g puy or green lentils

1 banana shallot

2 tbsp olive oil

450-600ml vegetable stock

200g asparagus

big handful of mint leaves

1/2 fresh red chilli de seeded

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

4 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tsp black onion seeds

goats cheese crumbled

Begin by frying the lentils and finely chopped shallot with the oil in a deep medium pan. Once the onions are beginning to cook add 300 ml of the stock, place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Stir every five minutes adding more liquid as its required. They will take around 25-30 minutes to cook. Alternatively use pre cooked lentils. In the meantime boil the asparagus for no more than a minute or two - it should remain very green. Drain. Add the mint leaves, the chilli (finely chopped) lemon zest and juice, oil, seasoning and seeds. Toss to combine. Once the lentils are cooked add the greens. You shouldn't have to drain any water from the lentil if you add the liquid and taste them gradually. Mix throughout and serve with a little goats cheese.

gingerbread bundt

A Christmas recipe. Would you believe it? I am very last minute with my Christmas prep. Sure I have a pinterest board started in March and endless lists and table ideas but actually making a mince pie? Decorating the tree? You are talking about the 20th at the earliest. So this year I have jumped the gun. I made a sort of festive cake prior to mid December and for that I believe I need a medal. This makes a lovely alternative to xmas pud, or even a cake to have in the tins for the days in between. You can also get my Golden Christmas Cake recipe here. I will stop now before I explode with too much festivity.

GINGERBREAD BUNDT CAKE

For the cake:

125g golden syrup

125g treacle

125g butter

125g caster sugar

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 eggs

100g whole milk

For the icing:

200g butter unsalted

200g icing sugar

200g cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease your bundt tin using melted butter and paint brush. Dust with a little flower and allow to set in the fridge whilst you make the batter. Melt the butter, golden syrup and treacle until just melted. Allow to cool for five minutes then stir in the remaining ingredients. Once smooth pour into your bundt tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a sharp knife comes out the centre clean. Leave the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before trying to turn it out. This is always the moment bundts go wrong so do wait for as long as possible. Allow to cool fully.For the buttercream beat the butter until pale. Add the icing sugar and beat again until almost ice white. It should be light and fluffy. A stand mixer works best but hand held electric whisks will also do it. Beat the cream cheese and vanilla in finally until just mixed. Spread over the cooled cake using a knife to highlight the grooves in the cake. Alternatively you can simply add some icing on top to create a fluffy white crown.Toppings: Decorate with fresh cranberries, lingonberries if you can get them, or red currants, or any other berries you would prefer. Dust with a little icing sugar to finish. 

avocado toast: a guide

I am well aware of the fact that avocado toast requires no recipe. A shopping list maybe but an actual recipe might be stretching the definition. It is one of the most popular food trends at the moment, is on every brunch menu and graces many an instagram profile - mine being a prime example. A very quick breakie, lunch or snack it is a doddle to knock up and is so interchangeable it is no wonder people aren't bored of the amazing avocado just yet. As time is not my strong suit currently I thought I would address the phenomenon with a list of my avocado musts. Now fire up the toaster.

AVOCADO TOAST: The Perfect Partners

1. Lime. The juice to be exact. It prevents your fruit from browning and add a much needed citrus kick to something that on its own is quite creamy.

2. Chilli. Despite the lovely Danny Baker's feeling towards this fiery ingredient expressed here, chilli is really very good with avocado. The Mexicans know what their on about.

3. Roasted Tomatoes. Half cherry or plum tomatoes brush with a little olive oil, crack of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt and roast for 10-20 minutes depending on size at 200C. The result will be a lovely sweet but slightly acidic partner.

4. Egg. Fried, poached, soft boiled. Endless possibilities to whack on top - all as good as each other.

5. Spring Onions. Finely sliced and added with a small drizzle of olive oil and black pepper.

6. Tahini, sesame seeds and sumac. Preferably all three together for a Middle Eastern vibe. Always toast your sesame seeds first though as it changes the flavour completely.

7. Micro herbs. These have a posh chef reputation but they are very easy to grow at home on the windowsill and add not only flavour but also help with presentation. My favourites are amaranth, mizzen, radish, beetroot and cress.

8. Sprouts and Seeds. Very similar to above but they add a nice but of crunch. Pumpkin seeds are a winner.

9. Yoghurt or Labneh (recipe here). Preferably spiked with something such as harissa or a spicy salsa.

10. Tobasco. My favourite addition and arguably the best companion.

A note on bread - Yes sourdough is having its moment. Yes it fantastically chewy, tangy, holey and all the other things ending in y but I don't necessarily think it ends there. A very good dark rye bread is a nice healthy alternative and has a wonderful wholesome flavour. Other great options are a lovely seeded loaf, traditional soda bread or even nicely made white bloomer. English muffins and canapé blinis can also bring something new to the table. It is a free for all if I am entirely honest. However I do maintain one rule. If your bread is going to carry avocado it better be toasted, grilled or fried. As long as it sees some form of heat prior to construction I reckon you will always be on to something a wee bit special.

fennel ice cream sandwiches

Fennel is an interesting one. For as long as I can remember a huge fennel plant has grown at the top of the vegetable patch and for many years avoided by Hebe and I like the plague. It was a funny texture with "feathery" bits mum sneaked into salads - I still recall the sense of betrayal when picking through leaves. It also had a strange flavour we couldn't identify but reminded us of brushing out teeth with off toothpaste. So yes fennel didn't have a lot going for it when I was wee. Recently however whilst exploring a bizarre corner of the internet I discovered that fennel was traditionally used to 'awake' people, or open their eyes, and for this reason was including in many Italian wedding treats symbolising that the married couple were now meeting the world with open eyes. I had at this point forgotten about my fennel phobia and thought it was such a lovely notion I such bake with it. on further research I found a cantuccini recipe in one of my books and adapted it slightly before falling head over heels myself. They were so fragrant with the fennel that all dodgy off mint connotation vanished. I then began including it in everything, from savoury dished to these perfect summer sarnies. And now that fennel and I l have made our peace its green fronds have found their way into every salad I have made this year, all senses of betrayal vanished.Notes: I have been using fennel seeds for most of my sweet fennel recipes as they are far easier to incorporate into baking, but for the ice cream you can of course infuse the cream with the fronds, but bear in mind you will need a lot more than stated for the seeds. Add to taste but be aware that the longer the cream is cooled for the stronger the flavour will get.

FENNEL ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Adapted from Jamie Magazine issue no. 60

For the ice cream:

200ml double cream

2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground in a spice bender or pestle and mortar

350ml whole milk

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

10g cornflour

For the biscuits:

150g ground almonds

200g unsalted butter, softened

120g caster sugar

200g plain flour

1 tsp fennel seeds, again finely crushed as before

1/2 tsp salt

50g flaked almonds (optional)

Begin by making the ice cream. Crush you seeds as stated above and heat them with cream until nearly boiling. Set aside to cool, leaving the seeds to infuse. For the custard heat the milk until boiling. Whilst this is happening whisk together the eggs, sugar and cornflour until a smooth paste forms. Pour the hot milk on top and whisk constantly. Return the custard to the pan and stir continuously on a medium heat until thickened and coating the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil as this will cause the eggs to scramble. Again set aside to cool. If you are pushed for time, fill a sink with ice and cold water and add the pan of custard submerging it so the water covers half of the sides of the pan. Stir constantly until cold to touch - roughly 4-5 minutes. Strain in the cold cream into the custard, discarding the fennel seeds, and stir until smooth and fully combined. Churn the cold mix in an ice cream maker following the manufactures instructions. Once ready to be frozen pour into a small square roasting or brownie tin and spread level. Freeze for at least 2 hours. In the meantime, begin the biscuits. The easiest way the make the dough is by blitzing all ingredients in a food processor (except for the flaked almonds) until smooth. You can then add the flaked almonds and knead until combined. If you don't have a processor however it is no bother to cream the butter and sugar together until light then adding the ground almonds, fennel, salt and flour. Again mix until smooth before adding the flaked almonds if using. Roll out to approximately 5mm thick then cut out 6cm rounds (or whatever size you prefer). Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for ten minutes on the tray, then transfer onto a cooling rack. Using the same round cutter as for the biscuits cut out discs of the solid ice cream. Keep the ice cream discs in the freezer until ready to sandwich the cooled biscuits together. Before serving place a biscuit on the bottom and top of each ice cream disc and wrap in greaseproof if you want. You can then store them in a sealed tub in the freezer until required.